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internationalisation strategy
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For over 150 years the University of Exeter has helped shape the future of our nation by extending the boundaries of knowledge.
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Our vision today is to be a leading international university, recognised for the quality of our global research and the distinctive student experience we offer.
internationalisation strategy
Contents Foreword
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Strategic Goals
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International Research:
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Meeting the Global Challenges The International Student Experience
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International Exeter and the City of Exeter
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International Partnerships
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Our links with South East Asia
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Our links with the Arab World
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Our Future Engagement
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Mitigating International Risks
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Our International Alumni
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The new decade finds the University in a stronger and more secure position than ever before. Our improvement in national league tables and the latest Research Assessment Exercise has ranked us in the Times Good University Guide Top 10 universities in the UK. We do not intend to rest on our laurels. Our ambition now is to be recognised as a world Top 100 university by 2015. To help achieve this, £270 million is being invested in new facilities over the next three years. These investments will take us even closer to providing a world-class environment, thus serving as a statement about our reputation and global ambition. But internationalisation ultimately requires investment in people and our new Strategy – ‘International Exeter’ – will create imaginative and attractive opportunities for students and staff to experience the benefits of internationalisation across our three campuses. This document encapsulates not only our current international strengths but our vision for the future – a Strategy to ensure that internationalisation plays an even greater role in our academic and cultural life. If international is to permeate everything we do, we need a structure to facilitate it. For the first time the University has a Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Internationalisation – Professor Neil Armstrong. A new Director of International Exeter, Dr Shaun Curtis, has been appointed to deliver the Strategy itself. With colleagues in the International Office they will engage with staff across our new College structure, rolling out a series of exciting initiatives in the years ahead. I hope this document gives you an insight as to our ambition. Professor Steve Smith AcSS Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive
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Strategic Goals of International Exeter • To establish the University of Exeter as a university of global standing
“It is a globalised world and for
• To create imaginative and attractive opportunities to improve the student
reasons of stability and growth we have
experience in an environment that recognises and celebrates cultural diversity
• To build and sustain partnerships with top-quality research-intensive institutions around the world
• To increase the number of international students taking programmes at the University, while ensuring an appropriate balance by nationality, level and programme
• To provide for University staff an enriched working environment, characterised by the opportunity to incorporate an increased international dimension to their experience
• To develop lifelong relationships with our International alumni
to learn to understand one another. What better preparation can you imagine than going to a university in which you encounter people from many different cultures?” Professor Steve Smith Vice-Chancellor ‘Universities and Globalisation’, Dubai, April 2009
• To implement an effective global communications programme, aimed at partner institutions, key stakeholders and opinion-makers Our Internationalisation Strategy overlaps with the University’s two other core strategies, Education and Research. This integrated approach will enable us to embed internationalisation across our campuses for the benefit of all. 3
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International Research: Meeting the Global Challenges In the most recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), nearly 90% of our research was rated as being at internationally recognised levels. Many of our areas of research expertise focus on some of the most fundamental issues facing the world today. We believe that the future of research lies in breaking down some of the traditional barriers between academic disciplines, so that the bigger problems of the 21st century can be considered from human as well as physical perspectives. In 2010 we undertook a restructuring of our academic Schools and departments into six large Colleges, bringing together physical and human resource to encourage further interdisciplinary and international research. Our Internationalisation Strategy will support faculty within the new College structure to deepen levels of collaboration with the world’s leading research universities.
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“Universities are more likely to Researchers across our Colleges are attempting to discover answers to some of the most internationally important questions of our time: • How quickly is the Earth heating up due to climate change? • Can science help solve the world food crisis? • How can we better understand the nature and dynamics of conflict over states and territories? • Are there new planets to be discovered on the edge of the Solar System? • How can we better understand, treat and prevent such common health problems as diabetes, obesity, stress-related illness and depression? As part of an £80 million investment into our new Science Strategy we will appoint senior academics to enhance our international research reputation in key areas. By 2015 we will have increased the number of our faculty from 650 to almost 1,000 – recruiting talent wherever it is found across the globe.
be successful if they have a large number of international research collaborations. No one institution or country has all the answers to the global challenges we face. To be a leading university you need to have an international dimension to your work. If a university is not having a worldwide impact then it cannot claim to be leading.” Professor Neil Armstrong Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Internationalisation) ‘Exeter’s Engagement with India’, Bangalore, February 2010 7
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The International Student Experience The University has an enviable reputation for what we call ‘the Exeter experience’. We are ranked 4th among comprehensive universities in the National Student Survey. Institutionally we have never been out of the Top 10 and our Business School has been first for the last four consecutive years.
“We are committed to providing an internationally-based environment that fosters an understanding of and a respect for difference. Our student community is diverse, with participation from different cultures and backgrounds and it is our collective view that diversity can promote an excellent learning and social experience, and prepare all our students for a future world of work that is global.” Professor Janice Kay Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) ‘University of Exeter Education Strategy 2010-2015’
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Our reputation for teaching, research and an outstanding student experience makes Exeter an increasingly attractive international destination. Our international enrolments for 2009/10 were up 47%. International enrolments to our preparatory university programmes at INTO University of Exeter were up 46%. We now have over 4,000 international students from over 130 countries, and our Internationalisation Strategy aims to grow the number of non-EU students to 20% of the student population by 2015. With success comes responsibility, which is why our Internationalisation Strategy commits us to make strenuous efforts to diversify our student body further – by country, level, programme and College. In the most recent survey of the International Student Barometer almost nine out of ten of our international students said that they would recommend Exeter as a place to study.
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The International Student Experience Our internationalisation investment is aimed at our British students too. There will be more opportunities for study and work abroad and we will internationalise the curriculum through the Education Strategy. We will aim to offer every student the possibility of spending a part of their degree programme abroad with one of our 150 student-exchange partners across the globe. We have over 300 students engaged in a variety of Erasmus placements (study, work or language assistants) in over 20 different European countries. Recognising the importance of the European Higher Education Area, we have taken steps to ensure Exeter is Bologna-compliant. We issue Diploma Supplements and use the European Credit Transfer System, and we promote staff and student mobility in line with the Bologna Process as identified in the Leuven/Louvain La Neuve communiqué of April 2009.
“UK universities need to be strategic, open and proactive about their In 2009 we inaugurated a new Study Abroad opportunity, when 20 of our students, supported by grants from the Prime Minister’s Initiative, attended a month-long programme at our partner institution, the China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing. In 2010 we will host our inaugural International Summer School at Exeter where students from partner institutions around the world will arrive in Exeter for a series of courses based around the theme of Leadership for Global Challenges.
‘Bologna-compliance’. The alternative is losing out on both long-term partnerships and more immediate recruitment opportunities.” ‘UK Universities and Europe: Competition and Internationalisation’
Universities UK, 2009
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International Exeter and the City of Exeter We recognise that our Internationalisation Strategy cannot be successful without the support of our local communities in Exeter and Tremough. Our international students and faculty are attracted to the University by the quality of life to be found in the South West of England. In turn, the University invests hundreds of millions of pounds back into the local economy each year. Previous studies have shown that the University delivers over £300 million per year to the local economy. The economic contribution of our international students is now also significant. We commissioned leading economic consultancy, Oxford Economics, to quantify the impact of our international students on the local economy. Oxford Economics’ research shows international students studying at the University of Exeter contribute over £57 million to Exeter’s GDP at current prices and support over 2,100 jobs or 2.3% of all jobs in the city.
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International Exeter and the City of Exeter Fees (£m)
Direct Effect Indirect Effect Induced Effect Total Subsistence spending (£m)
Direct Effect Indirect Effect Induced Effect Total Additional Visitors (£m)
Exeter
South West
21.9 0.9 4.9 27.7
21.9 3.0 7.4 32.3
Exeter
South West
20.4 1.2 2.8 24.4
20.4 4.2 4.6 29.2
Exeter
South West
4.4 0.3 0.6 5.3
4.4 0.9 1.0 6.3
57.4
67.8
Direct Effect Indirect Effect Induced Effect Total Overall GDP Contribution (£m)
Source: Oxford Economics
Impact on local employment Direct Effect Indirect Effect Induced Effect Total Jobs Supported
Exeter
South West
1,770 70 280 2,120
1,770 220 420 2,410
Source: Oxford Economics
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International students paid around £30.3 million in fees last year which, through direct and multiplier effects, pumped £27.7 million into the city’s economy. In addition, the £44 million that was spent on subsistence by these students contributed a further £24.4 million to GDP in Exeter once spending on imports is taken into consideration. Oxford Economics calculate the total amount of spending by visitors to Exeter whose primary reason for entry was to visit a student at the University is £8 million. Adjusting for imports they find that the impact upon GDP is around £5.3 million. The combined economic impact on Exeter’s economy is £57.4 million, equating to 1.6% of total Exeter GDP. The impact has a larger effect within the wider South West area, as the spending patterns of our international students reach out across the region. Oxford Economics estimate the overall GDP impact in the current financial year is £68 million at current prices. Payment of fees is the largest contributor to this boost, equalling £32 million. Subsistence spending by students contributed £29 million, while additional visitors generated a GDP boost of £6 million. These calculations are conservative in nature and do not include the ‘catalytic’ impacts that benefit the local economy now and into the future – for example, the multi-million pound investments into campus infrastructure to teach and accommodate international students. Longer term, international students who studied in Exeter are also likely to develop a predilection for UK products both in their personal and professional lives. Over time this should act as a considerable boost to UK exports. Indeed the benefits of these links should not be underestimated. Many of these international students will return home to eventually play important roles in their country. A bias in favour of anything British may have considerable long-term impacts upon the Exeter, South West and UK economies.
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Though significant, the benefits of internationalisation are not financial alone. Our campus communities engage with local citizens through volunteering and cultural festivals. Such engagement was exemplified by the Chinese New Year celebrations of 2010, when our 900 Chinese student community invited hundreds of members of the public onto the Streatham Campus to participate in celebrations. Many more participated in events held in the city centre. And our Internationalisation Strategy has also brought investment in the historic fabric of the city. In 2009 the University and INTO invested heavily to renovate a derelict listed building to serve as teaching space for international students. Duryard House was built in the seventeenth century and was part of the hall of residence of the Harry Potter author, and Exeter alumnus, J K Rowling. The Deputy Lord Mayor of Exeter Councillor Ruth Smith performed the ribbon cutting ceremony, with city councillors and local Residents’ Associations in attendance. With our internationalisation investment in Duryard House an important piece of Exeter’s history now serves the present.
“The international and cosmopolitan student community is an important and integral part of our city culture. Their presence goes to show that our efforts in making Exeter a friendly and yet very competitive city have been well rewarded.” The Deputy Lord Mayor of Exeter Councillor Ruth Smith Re-opening of Duryard House, September 2009
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“We are privileged to host more than 4,000 international students from over 130 countries across our three campuses. Our communities in Devon and Cornwall are enriched by the presence of so many cultures. In an increasingly globalised world, friendships forged in the South West of England today will benefit us all long into the future.” Professor Neil Armstrong Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Internationalisation) ‘INTO-University of Exeter Graduation Ceremony’ October 2009
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International partnerships In keeping with our status as one of the UK’s top universities, co-operation with universities worldwide, sharing world-class research and providing opportunities for all students and staff through exchanges, is a fundamental part of our Internationalisation Strategy. The University of Exeter has built up a network of agreements with over 180 universities in 36 countries, encompassing a wide range of activities, including joint research, student exchange and general Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs). Nevertheless, the true measure of success in respect of international partnerships is not the number of MoUs signed, but the extent to which our students and staff have meaningful engagement with their counterparts. To that end, our future focus will be the development of a smaller number of ‘institutional-level’ partnerships with top-quality universities around the world. By 2015 Exeter will have a network of high-calibre partner institutions in priority countries. This network will add value to our global research portfolio, particularly in respect of interdisciplinary challenges. This network will enable us to build relationships with international funding bodies and sponsors to support projects with our key university partners. To facilitate this process, we have established a number of ‘mobility fellowships’ for our faculty (themselves drawn from 70 different countries around the world). Outward Mobility Academic Fellowships enable staff to develop and expand relationships with world-class partner universities. Our Visiting International Academic Fellowships attract world-class academics to Exeter for a period of up to three months, to conduct research with our faculty and to give lectures open to both the campus and community. Colleges provide matched funding for both schemes.
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Our Links with South East Asia 2010 saw the establishment of the University’s Representative Offices in Beijing and Shanghai in association with the China Britain Business Council. These offices, funded by the Internationalisation Strategy, forge deeper collaborative links between our faculty and key university partners in Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan. In addition, our offices work with colleagues across the University to forge stronger alumni links in-country and facilitate our international employability ambitions in greater China, for all students at Exeter. Exeter has signed MoUs of varying levels with six elite universities in China and Hong Kong, including four of the most prestigious universities in PRC – Tsinghua University, Fudan University, China University of Political Science and Law and East China Normal University. MoUs have been signed with Hong Kong University and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. In 2009 we also signed MoUs with National Taiwan University and National Tsinghua University. In 2010 we opened a joint research laboratory in water systems with Tsinghua University to support research in water distribution systems. As a leader in Sustainability and Climate
“UK institutions need to broaden their perspective on overseas work. Even if recruitment of students to study in the UK remains an objective, it will increasingly have to take place in a context of bi-lateral and multi-lateral internationalisation.” ‘Internationalisation of HE: A Ten-Year View,’ Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills, 2008
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Change, Exeter is addressing global problems that effect the region profoundly, including pollution in major Chinese rivers, flood defence in urban areas and the impact of the blast fungus on rice crops. Our researchers are engaged in joint research projects to address child obesity in China and the impact of South East Asia/Middle East relations. In the last year, the University has supported over 20 research visits by Exeter academics to China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, while five groups of senior delegates have visited Exeter from Chinese partner universities. Furthermore, the Chinese Ministry of Education and British Council invited the University of Exeter to host 27 Vice-Presidents from the leading universities in China in December 2009.
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“The UK’s fastest growing international partnerships are with researchers in China, where there has been a doubling in the output of international research papers between the 1990s and 2005.” ‘International Research Collaboration: Opportunities for the UK Higher Education Sector,’ Universities UK/Technopolis, 2008
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Our links with the Arab world Few UK universities possess stronger links to the Arab world than Exeter. For almost 40 years, we have welcomed hundreds of staff and students from across the Middle East to our three campuses. Arabic has been taught at Exeter since the early 1970s, and the Centre for Arab Gulf Studies, established at Exeter in the late 1970s, was the first of its kind in Western Europe. In 1999, the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies (IAIS) was formed, bringing together the study of historical, linguistic, literary, Islamic and social scientific aspects of the Middle East region and the wider Islamic world. Persian/Iranian and Kurdish language and literature are also studied. In 2009, the first Centre for Palestine Studies in Europe was established at Exeter. The IAIS was ranked 3rd nationally in the recent Times subject ranking for Middle Eastern and African Studies. It boasts exceptional library resources in its own striking building, and draws students and researchers from across the world. His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Muhammad al-Qasimi (Member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Sharjah), who graduated with a PhD in Gulf History from Exeter in 1985, is the Gulf Studies programme’s most famous alumnus. In 1990, he sponsored the construction of the University of Exeter’s Postgraduate Centre and, in 2001, he funded the construction of the building that houses IAIS. His Highness makes a point of attending the annual Gulf Studies conference at Exeter every year, and hosts an annual Alumni event in Sharjah each Spring. The University is justly proud of its many very distinguished alumni from the Middle East region, including Dr Sulaiman al-Jassim, Vice-President of Zayed University. Recent honorary graduates include HM Queen Rania al-Abdullah of Jordan, Prince al-Walid bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia, and HE Shaikha Lubna bint Khalid al-Qasimi, UAE Minister for Foreign Trade. Our Graduate School of Education (ranked 5th in the RAE 2008 for world-leading and internationally excellent research in Education) offers the Exeter EdD from premises in Dubai Knowledge Village. Over 50 students from across the Middle East region are registered on the course.
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“As policy-makers here in the Gulf understand, the successful economies of the future will be knowledge economies and universities are the mechanisms for this transformation. At Exeter, we are investing heavily to ensure that we are leading the development of the knowledge economy in our own country.� Professor Steve Smith Vice-Chancellor Gulf Alumni Dinner, Sharjah, March 2010
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Our Future Engagement In addition to our partnership work with China, our Internationalisation Strategy will focus on the other BRIC countries. We will invest greater time and resource to foster lasting partnerships with researchers and universities in India, Russia and Brazil in the years ahead. In India, for example, we are participating in the UKIERI work experience scheme, where Indian graduates will investigate ways in which we can build greater links with Indian businesses, Indian universities and our growing community of Indian alumni. In 2010 we offered a series of PhD split-site Presidential Scholarships with IIM Bangalore, IISc Bangalore and IIT Delhi, covering Business, Biosciences, Life Sciences and Engineering. We are investigating the establishment of representative offices in the country.
“In order to maintain (their) status in an increasingly complex international environment, the UK and the US will both need to develop new strategies and new partnerships, ones which take into account the increasing influence of new educational centres of excellence in, for example, India and China. The transatlantic education relationship will ultimately need to develop into one which is much more global in its outlook.” ‘UK–US Higher Education Partnerships: Realising the Potential’ British Council, 2010 22
And we will focus our efforts on North America and Europe to a much greater degree than before. Exeter faculty possess research links with many of the great North American and European universities – our challenge is to support those individual links while building a new, limited number of ‘corporate’ partnerships, that encourage multiple academic links between institutions. Over the next few years, Exeter will sign corporate MoUs with no more than 20 research-intensive universities around the world, concentrating our academic and financial resource with our peers.
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“We see our future relationship with India in terms of sustained research collaborations. We wish to partner with researchers and universities in India to a much greater extent than before. We will invest heavily and build on the significant and proud links we have with this country.” Professor Steve Smith Vice-Chancellor ‘Celebrating India-UK Partnerships in Higher Education,’ New Delhi, March 2010
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Mitigating International Risks While internationalisation brings enormous opportunities, our Strategy is mindful of the need to protect the reputation of the University and mitigate risk wherever possible. In particular we have established mechanisms to ensure our staff are aware of the challenges of internationalisation. These include: • A review of the University’s Travel Notification System, looking at issues affecting Duty of Care and the benefits of sharing information relating to staff travel overseas • Protection of the University brand overseas • Reviewing all contracts relating to University-appointed agents and University templates for MoUs • Issuing guidelines to Colleges on what to do/who to contact in respect of approaches for international partnerships of varying kinds
“Universities across the UK have benefited from all forms of international engagement. But more opportunities bring with them more risks. These risks are amplified by the increasing number of university staff involved in international partnerships and by the complexities of less familiar environments.” UK HE International Unit / Eversheds ‘International Partnerships: A Legal Guide for UK Universities’ 2009
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• Providing seminars for Heads of Colleges and College Managers about the legal implications of international partnerships.
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Our International Alumni The University of Exeter has an international alumni network that spans the globe. We are in contact with more than 70,000 alumni across more than 170 countries. At the heart of our Strategy is a commitment to maintain lifelong relationships with our international alumni. A strong relationship with our alumni is key to the internationalisation agenda across our University, including raising the University’s profile to the wider world, supporting employability (through mentoring, internships and work placements), and, in the long-term, the generation of philanthropic income. The Development and Alumni Relations Office works closely with the International Office to ensure that we have Alumni Country Contacts and active Alumni Groups around the world, particularly in those areas with high concentrations of University of Exeter alumni. Within our Internationalisation Strategy we are committing resources to hold formal alumni events in areas with the highest numbers of alumni every two years and to support informal events and activities in these and other locations. These events strengthen ties with alumni and encourage them to support the University through international student recruitment and retention activities.
“It is wonderful to have the opportunity to meet so many University alumni in South East Asia. Each year we run many events like this for Exeter graduates all over the world. It is always a great pleasure to talk to alumni about their memories of Exeter – whether they graduated months or years ago – and to tell them about the exciting things that are happening now.” Professor Steve Smith, Vice-Chancellor, Bangkok, November 2009
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Our alumni will be invited to help build the reputation of the University in international markets, through representation at local events, and to help secure media coverage. They will also be asked to help develop the employability of our students through activities such as mentoring and work placements. Our vision to transform the University of Exeter into a world-leader will require major investment in our infrastructure, significant expansion of our research staff, and increased support for our students. Traditional sources of income will not be sufficient to achieve such an ambitious vision. We need a renewed spirit of philanthropy for the 21st century. Our alumni will be our ambassadors for an exciting new campaign, ‘Creating a World-Class University Together’, to support world-class campuses, world-class research and world-class graduates. Never before in the history of the University have we attempted such an ambitious campaign. Launched in Spring 2010, our aim is to raise £23 million, recruit more than 250 legacy pledges and secure 2012 hours volunteering for the University of Exeter by 2012. ‘Creating a World-Class University Together’ expresses not just the aim of the University of Exeter Campaign – it is also a sentiment that describes the ambition of our Internationalisation Strategy entirely.
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Professor Neil Armstrong
Dr Shaun Curtis
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Internationalisation)
Director of International Exeter
University of Exeter
8th Floor, Laver Building
Northcote House
North Park Road
The Queen’s Drive
Exeter
Exeter
EX4 4QE
University of Exeter
EX4 4QJ Email: international@exeter.ac.uk
www.exeter.ac.uk/international Acknowledgements Photography: We acknowledge with thanks individual students and staff, Tim Pestridge and South West RDA Designed by: Communication Services, University of Exeter Print: Ashley House Printing Company, Exeter Published April 2010
2010INT02
Produced by: The International Office, University of Exeter