Internationalisation in Practice: Real-Life Lessons for University Leaders

Abstract

Internationalisation is, increasingly, a central feature of universities’ strategic plans. Its benefits are widely acknowledged; yet practical challenges often hamper implementation. Based on the practical experience of the internationalisation process in UK universities, and interviews with a wide range of international faculty, this chapter offers a series of insights from ground level. The experiences of staff at the ‘sharp end’ of internationalisation reveal a range of challenges and obstacles, some of which may be expected, but others less apparent, to those responsible for leading internationalisation efforts. There are lessons for a university’s staff recruitment and induction processes; for the systems of curriculum development, approval and reform; for the communication of internationalisation goals and benefits; for the overall campus culture; and for a university’s relations with, and leadership in, its local community. While international faculty provide an obvious and valuable resource in support of a university’s internationalisation ambitions, staff from overseas should not be expected to shoulder the burden of implementation, especially as they face particular challenges in relation to internationalisation initiatives that can only be addressed by institution-wide culture change.