Global Cornell H IGH L IGHTS AND PREV IEW
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Contents PAGES 4–24 2014–2015 Highlights summarizes progress made in Year 2 of the Global Cornell initiative.
PAGES 25–30 Preview of 2015–2016 describes key initiatives underway in Year 3.
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Cornell University has a deep commitment to the life of the mind that is expressed through discovery, creativity, intellectual and societal engagement, and impact that spans the globe. —Elizabeth Garrett, 13th president of Cornell University
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Cornell Strategic Plan 2010–2015 (http://www.cornell.edu/strategicplan/) articulated an ambitious goal for the University: to be widely recognized as a top-ten research university in the world. Internationalization remains a critical priority for Cornell University. Former President David Skorton recognized that, in order to successfully compete with peer institutions and continue to attract the best faculty and students, we needed to increase opportunities for global engagement. In October 2012 a faculty task force issued a broad set of recommendations to empower international teaching and research programs across campus and enhance the University’s global presence. In 2013 the president pledged $3 million per year for five years to support these internationalization objectives, and in July of that year, Professor Fredrik Logevall was appointed Vice Provost for International Affairs (VPIA) and charged with leading the Global Cornell initiative.
In October 2013 the Vice Provost issued “A Call to Action,” outlining five strategies for internationalizing Cornell:
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Internationalize the student experience by expanding opportunities abroad and on campus, developing new courses, and exploring the creation of a new interdisciplinary Global Affairs major.
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Support internationally engaged faculty through programs offered by the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies and Cornell’s colleges and schools, and recruit internationally engaged faculty.
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Enhance Cornell’s global presence by cultivating new international partnerships and by exploring the creation of regional offices in selected cities around the world.
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Mobilize funding for internationalization and generate new endowments.
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Create central coordination for internationalizing Cornell and provide expert leadership through internal and external advisory councils.
In 2014 the Office of the VPIA released its first report documenting progress made in 2013–2014, Year One of the Global Cornell initiative. This report documents progress made to address each of the five strategies in 2014–2015 and previews key initiatives in 2015-2016.
2014–2015 Highlights Priority 1: Internationalize the student experience Priority 2: Support internationally engaged faculty Priority 3: Enhance Cornell’s global presence Priority 4: Mobilize funding for internationalization Priority 5: Create central coordination
PRIORITY 1 INTERNATIONALIZE THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE
Internationalizing the Cornell Curriculum At Cornell, international study is a core component of
learning, and research at Cornell. In 2015 the VPIA awarded more
our educational mission. In spring 2014, President David
than $400,000 to 26 faculty projects through the new Interna-
Skorton signed the Generation Study Abroad Commitment (http://
tionalizing the Cornell Curriculum (ICC) Grant Program.
www.iie.org/en/Programs/Generation-Study-Abroad)—a pledge to provide international experiences for half of undergraduates by 2020. Cornell is one of more than 400 higher education institutions from 48 states that have signed the Commitment, a five-year initiative to double the number of U.S. college students studying abroad.
Faculty from across campus assisted with the development of the ICC grant proposal, reviewed applications, and selected the winners. The winning proposals involve faculty and students across six colleges and schools, in projects that span the globe. Funded projects provide opportunities for undergraduate students to explore new cultures and lan-
The Office of the Vice Provost for Inter-
guages, work with partners in commu-
national Affairs (VPIA) launched a major
nities around the world, and engage in
new faculty grant program in 2015 to
meaningful international experiences. c
internationalize undergraduate teaching,
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In order to internationalize the student experience, we need to make fundamental changes to the curriculum, in a sustainable way. The ICC grants provide faculty with the opportunity to propose new, exciting, and innovative curricula. The hope is that, by impacting a large number of departments, fields, and colleges, we will integrate international concepts, language, and culture into the fabric of the student experience at Cornell.” —Nishi Dhupa, Director of Operations, Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs 5
PRIORITY 1 INTERNATIONALIZE THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE
Global on Campus Committee In September 2014, then-Vice Provost Fredrik Logevall assem-
Student Programs, Campus Relations, University Communications,
bled the Global on Campus Committee for the specific purpose
Alumni Affairs and Development, Cornell Abroad, and the Interna-
of addressing Priority 1 in his “Call to Action,” internationaliza-
tional Students and Scholars Office.
tion of the student experience. The Committee’s members represented a broad base of key stakeholders from across campus, including faculty, students, and administrative representation from Student and Academic Services, Undergraduate Admissions, New
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The Committee delivered its final report to the Vice Provost in May 2015. It made ten overarching recommendations to accelerate
internationalization of the undergraduate experience at Cornell. c
To meet our Generation Study Abroad goal, Cornell must increase student engagement in international activities by 40 percent over the next five years (from roughly 35 percent of graduating seniors to 50 percent). Our long-term aspiration is that all Cornell students have at least one significant international experience prior to graduation, to help them develop the needed skills and perspective to effectively work across cultural and national boundaries…”
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—excerpt from the Final Report of the Global on Campus Committee
After reviewing the internationalization plans of other universities, it’s encouraging to see how many of the strategies we’re already working on here at Cornell.”
S YM P OSI UM:
—David Lee, Provost’s Fellow for Internationalization and Professor, Dyson School
INTERNATIONALIZING THE CORNELL CURRICULUM IN FEBRUARY 2014, the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies collaborated with Cornell Abroad, the Center for Engaged Learning + Research, the Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives, and the Center for Teaching Excellence to host a symposium on campus to better define what constitutes a “meaningful international experience.” The University community was invited to participate in a campus-wide conversation on this topic.
One consensus that emerged is that Cornell can do more to connect our students’ international experiences to the curriculum. A second symposium in May 2015 focused on how to accomplish “Integration of International Experiences into the Curriculum.” This symposium focused on opportunities and challenges of curricular integration and included case studies from Cornell and from peer institutions, as well as Cornell student and faculty panel discussions. Takeaways and next steps include: • Explore the introduction of an international requirement for all Cornell students • Design intentional international pathways in all colleges and for all degree programs • Develop a set of criteria to determine which international experiences are “meaningful” • Explore the possibility of offering a global leadership certificate for students • Provide first year students with options on how to internationalize their studies • Offer training opportunities for all faculty and staff interested in developing international experiences
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Nomination of International Courses To make meaningful international experiences more accessible to all Cornell students, the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies launched an Undergraduate Student Travel Grant program to help students participate in short-term travel associated with their courses.
Travel Granteligible courses include:
In 2014–2015, a total of $165,000 was awarded to 110 students in
• Elementary Russian through Film
12 undergraduate courses. In 2015–2016, the number of eligible
• Understanding Global Capitalism through Service Learning
courses more than doubled, to 23 courses offered in 6 colleges. A total of $248,277 will be awarded to 241 students enrolled in these courses.
• Chinese Empire and the Cambodian Experience • Cornell in Turin Summer Program
Eligible courses were nominated by members of Cor-
• Cornell Nepal Study Program
nell’s Internationalization Council, comprised of senior
• AAP Special Topics Seminar
leaders from each college and school. The Council is charged
• AAP 8 Option Studios
with enhancing the international dimension of Cornell’s
• Cornell in Rome
undergraduate student experience. Council members, on
• International Agriculture in Developing Nations
behalf of their colleges, carefully selected courses that are of strategic importance or those that exemplify best practices in international education. c
• Student-Community Partnerships in Ecuador • Global Citizenship and Sustainability • Experience Latin America: Chiapas • Identifying Healing Plants Used in Maya Culture in Southern Belize • Environmental Engineering in an International Context • Special Topics: Solar Cooker Project • ILR India Global Service Learning Pre-departure Seminar • ILR Zambia Global Service Learning Pre-departure Seminar
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I recommend study abroad 1000 percent! It’s good to step out of your comfort zone and see parts of the world that you otherwise wouldn’t have seen.”
• ILR Global Lab in Vietnam • ILR Global Lab in Peru • Population Controversies in Europe and the United States, in Turin • Global Health Minor • Comparative Public Administration: Seoul, Korea • Cornell Institute for Public Affairs International Capstone
—Samantha Primeaux ’16, participant in the Cornell in Turin program
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PRIORITY 1 INTERNATIONALIZE THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE
Student Travel Grants In addition to Undergraduate Student Travel Grants, the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies also awards international travel grants to fund research by Cornell graduate and professional students. • The Graduate Student Travel Grant program provides support for Cornell graduate students conducting short-term research and/or fieldwork in countries outside the United States. For 2015–2016, the Einaudi Center made 101 awards totaling $134,960. This represents a 28 percent increase in awards over 2014, largely due to the infusion of internationalization funds from the Global Cornell initiative. • Professional Student Travel Grants totaling $36,000 were provided to students from the Law School, the College of Veterinary Medicine, the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, and Weill Cornell Medical College. These grants will fund international research, externship, and field experiences for Cornell’s professional students. Student projects typically range from 6–10 weeks, and review of proposals is handled by individual schools. For example, College of Veterinary Medicine students are required to submit a proposal that is reviewed by a faculty committee composed of eight veterinary faculty members who score the applications based on a specific set of criteria. c
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I cannot tell you how valuable these grants are to us. The funds enable us to provide travel reimbursement to students who wish to take an international elective, many of whom would not be able to afford it without our grants program. The students tell us that the experience is transformative both personally and professionally.”
—Madelon Finkel, PhD, Professor of Healthcare Policy and Research, and Director, Office of Global Health Education
The IRAP members who traveled to Jordan wanted to do something to help the ‘forgotten’ refugee communities. It’s just astonishing to me how they maintain hope, especially in light of the fact that they have virtually all suffered torture.” —Chelsea Gunter ’16 Professional Student Travel Grants enabled five students from the Law School to travel to Jordan in January 2015, to conduct intake interviews at refugee camps. The students were members of the Cornell Chapter of the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), founded by law student Chelsea Gunter ’16 in 2014. IRAP is a student-run organization that helps refugees from the Middle East displaced by war or conflict resettle in the United States and other countries. Members work with immigration attorneys to research legal problems faced by refugees, prepare visa applications, and appeal denied applications. 8
Language Pilot Programs Some 4,000 Cornell students study foreign languages each year,
The LEC is also exploring the Foreign Language Across the
and more than 40 languages are currently offered at the Univer-
Curriculum (FLAC) instructional model. Foreign Language Across
sity. To ensure that Cornell remains a world leader in lan-
the Curriculum brings foreign language use and learning to areas
guage instruction, the Language Education Council was formed
of the curriculum other than language‑focused courses. The pur-
in 2013. The LEC works to make language learning more accessible
pose of FLAC is to provide a guided academic setting in which
to students across the university and promote language instruction
students with intermediate-level or higher foreign language skills
among non-traditional audiences.
read and discuss topics from the course. FLAC is organized in spe-
The Language Education Council includes representatives from Cornell’s senior leadership team, the Language Resource Center, the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, Cornell Abroad, and the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Human Ecology, Agriculture and Life Sciences, as well as the Law School.
cial sections attached to non‑language courses, and credit for FLAC participation can be awarded independent of the main course. Because FLAC isn’t housed in a department or single college, a single point of coordination needs to be determined. In
In 2014–2015, the LEC piloted new models to promote language
close partnership with the
education at Cornell. These include:
Global Cornell initiative,
• Jumpstart Model—This model involves a one-credit class offered once per week during the semester prior to travel abroad. Jumpstart pilots in 2014–2015 included Swahili for Global Health, Thai for Global Citizenship and Sustainability, and Spanish for AguaClara. The pilot courses presented techniques for navigating a new language and language-dependent
the LEC recently created a two‑year FLAC pilot with a part‑time coordinator appointed through the College of Arts and Sciences. c
situations, taught basic and high-use conversational vocabulary, and provided an overview of cultural and social conventions. • Colloquial Language Model—This model provides practice in everyday conversation with attention to improving accent, command of vocabulary not used in academic contexts, and navigating social situations using language in culturally correct and contemporary ways. Colloquial pilots in 2014–2015 included French Oral Practice and Spanish Oral Practice, one-credit courses offered once per week during the semester prior to travel and paired with enrollment in a regular intermediate-level language course.
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The Solar Cooker project got me interested in Central America and Spanish, and it was my first real experience with research.”
—John Erickson ’ 07 After graduating from Cornell, Erickson returned to Central America to work on AguaClara projects in Honduras for two years. He is presently a PhD student in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, conducting research on intermittently operated, piped drinking water systems in Panama.
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PRIORITY 1 INTERNATIONALIZE THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE
Provost’s International Research Internship Program The Global Cornell initiative seeks to strengthen the overall
program that partners students from Latin America with research
campus environment for international students. Non-de-
faculty. CienciAmerica is aligned with President Barack Obama’s
gree international students are eager to visit the Ithaca campus to
100,000 Strong in the Americas (http://www.100kstrongamer-
work with Cornell’s pre-eminent faculty. PIRIP provides opportuni-
icas.org/) initiative, which aims to increase international study and
ties for international students at both the undergraduate and grad-
student exchange between the United States, Latin America, and
uate levels to interact with faculty who are engaged in path-break-
the Caribbean. In summer 2015, 28 students were from Colombia;
ing research. With approval from their respective deans, select
seven students were from Venezuela, one student was from Guate-
international scholars/scientists are invited to campus by faculty to
mala, and one was from Cuba. Program staff members believe that
work side-by-side on their research projects. These visitors enroll
Maydel Fernandez may be the first Cuban student in 50 years
via the School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions (SCE)
to study in the United States and return home, thanks to recently
and pay an administrative fee (25 percent of SCE tuition). Over the
restored diplomatic relations between the two countries.
past five years the largest groups have hailed from China, Germany, France, Brazil, and Italy. PIRIP students may stay on campus for periods of up to 12 months. In 2014–2015 Cornell hosted dozens of PIRIP students. 37 of these students participated in CienciAmerica, an eight-week summer
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There is tremendous growth potential for similar programs at Cornell. To raise awareness about future opportunities, the Office of the VPIA hosted a PIRIP presentation for the Internationalization Council in spring 2015. c
Our international students become ensconced in campus life almost immediately. They live in the dorms with the full-time student population and interact with other students on campus through course work, research, and university events.” —Julie Simmons-Lynch, CienciAmerica
Visiting International Student Program In 2014–2015, Cornell Abroad launched the Visiting International Student Program (VISP). VISP brings fee-paying international students to Cornell in a visiting, non-degree capacity. In addition to enhancing University revenue, these students diversify and help to internationalize the Ithaca campus. The program served nine students in the 2014–2015 academic year and will serve 25 students in 2015–2016. In the fall semester 18 Brazilian students will attend Cornell, along with 7 exchange students from Paris, Berlin, and Seville. The Brazilian students are part of the celebrated Brazilian Scientific Mobility Program (BSMP) (http://www.iie.org/Programs/Brazil-Scientific-Mobility), an initiative of the government of Brazil designed to expand STEM education opportunities for its citizens. Since spring 2013 this program has supported 60 undergraduate students from Brazil to spend one or two semesters at Cornell. Cornell’s BSMP students have secured summer internships at places like Amazon, Facebook, Dupont, Johnson & Johnson, NYC MTA, and Microsoft. To encourage the incorporation of international students into the broader Cornell and Ithaca communities, a new VISP Coordinator position was created in 2014. This full-time staff person serves as the on-campus resource for international students attending Cornell in a non-degree capacity, assisting students with everything from admissions to housing, insurance, meal plans, and social activities. There is tremendous potential to expand Cornell’s exchange programs with univer-
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Our mission is to build a campus culture that sets an expectation for each of us to include global in the everyday, to be and think in the world.” —Laura Spitz, Interim Vice Provost for International Affairs
sities in other countries. In spring 2016, through a partnership with the U.S. State Department, Cornell plans to begin hosting high-achieving students from rural, low-income countries for non-degree full-time study combined with community service, internships, and cultural enrichment. Participating students will be nominated by the U.S. consulate in their home country. c
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My job is to make sure these students do not fall through the cracks in terms of support as well as to ensure they have a fulfilling experience at Cornell. My hope is that my position allows for them to more fully integrate with Cornell and feel like they are part of the campus community.” —Kristin Blake, Program Coordinator for Visiting International Students, Cornell Abroad 11
PRIORITY 2 SUPPORT INTERNATIONALLY ENGAGED FACULTY International Faculty Fellows A centerpiece of the Global Cornell Initiative is the International Faculty Fellowship program. This new initiative aims to attract superb faculty with international expertise to Cornell. Nominated by the deans of their respective college, fellows are selected by the Einaudi Center on the basis of their internationally focused research, teaching, and scholarly achievements. Cornell’s first four International Faculty Fellows have now completed one year of their three-year terms. Year One accomplishments include: Andrea Bachner is a scholar of comparative literature and is using her fellowship to envision her future work in even more intercultural and international directions. In 2014–2015 Bachner collaborated with faculty associated with the East Asia Program and the Institute for German Cultural Studies, developed two new courses, and devoted attention to her main research project—an analysis of the intercultural links between China and Latin America. Victoria Beard has expanded the international scope of her teaching and research. The fellowship enabled Beard to take Cornell students to Indonesia to research collective action to alleviate poverty within local communities and has allowed her to explore the possibility of expanding her comparative research in Southeast Asia to include Myanmar. Saurabh Mehta is developing a workshop on the theme of how international research programs can benefit from the multidisciplinary approaches that are a natural asset of Cornell. Mehta’s research focuses on improving population health through early detection, diagnosis, and intervention, particularly for infectious disease. In 2014–2015 Mehta hosted a presentation about building a research program in India and a public seminar on his current research activities. Daniel Selva has developed a new partnership with the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain, which involves both nanosatellite research and internship opportunities for engineering undergraduates. Selva’s work focuses on the design of new systems of satellites that exploit recent advances in nanosatellite technology and artificial intelligence. He has been collaborating with NASA, as well as with universities in Barcelona, Toulouse, Moscow, and Boston. The second cohort of International Faculty Fellows began their three-year terms in summer 2015: • Virginia Doellgast, ILR School • Odette Lienau, Law School • Margaret McNairy, Weill Cornell Medical College • Jessica Chen Weiss, College of Arts and Sciences Cornell aims to fund a total of 12 fellowships by 2017. c 12
Professional Development for Faculty The University is providing significant new incentives to faculty through Internationalizing the Cornell Curriculum (ICC) grants. One indication of this is the overwhelming faculty response to the 2014–2015 RFP. A total of 50 ICC grant applications were received from more than 35 departments, schools, or programs at Cornell. More than half of these faculty projects were funded. These new international education projects are linked with the Cornell curriculum and are taught by Cornell faculty. A series of professional development workshops for ICC grant recipients was offered in spring 2015: • Effective Facilitation of Cross-Cultural Learning • Fostering Critical Thinking and Critical Reflection • Planning for Diversity • Integrating Area and Language Study • Program Models, Learning Outcomes, and Assessment • E-portfolios and Digital Storytelling • Logistics, Finances, and Travel Safety Workshops were designed to support faculty as they use their curricular development grants. Presenters shared best practices in international education, supported program development, and encouraged opportunities for reflective learning. Professional development for ICC faculty grantees will be expanded and enhanced in 2015–2016, in partnership with the Center for Teaching Excellence. c
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PRIORITY 2 SUPPORT INTERNATIONALLY ENGAGED FACULTY
Postdoctoral Fellowships The Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies launched its Postdoctoral Fellowship program in 2013–2014 to attract outstanding junior scholars from around the world. Fellows conduct research in the fields of foreign policy, security studies, and diplomatic history; they teach undergraduate courses; and they contribute to Cornell’s intellectual life. The Einaudi Center awarded post-doctoral fellowships for the 2014–2015 academic year to two outstanding scholars: Eliza Gheorge in the field of nuclear proliferation and Jamie Miller in the field of African and global history.
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I applied for this fellowship because Cornell is a center of gravity in international studies. The Einaudi Center brings under the same roof many of my academic role models. They shaped the discipline of international relations into what it is today.” —Eliza Gheorghe, Postdoctoral Fellow
Seed- and Small-Grant Programs As part of the Global Cornell initiative, the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies has significantly expanded grant opportunities for Cornell faculty. The Seed-Grant Program awards support to proposals that request seed funding for the preparation of external funding requests, while the Small-Grant Program is designed to award support for conferences, workshops, seminars, and other events. To promote the international engagement of Cornell faculty, the Einaudi Center gives preference to projects that develop or expand international partnerships. In 2014–2015 the Center received 39 proposals from faculty across all seven colleges and awarded 10 seed grants totaling $96,000. The Center also awarded 17 small grants totaling $98,500 to individual faculty and programs to support international conferences and travel. PAGE 14
Targeted Research East Asia Cornell Contemporary China Initiative To create a forum for scholars, researchers, and students with an interest in contemporary China, the East Asia Program (EAP) established the Cornell Contemporary China Initiative in 2014. The CCCI expands EAP’s intellectual engagement with a broad range of Cornell faculty and students, including those in the professional schools and STEM fields. Through its Course Development Fund, the CCCI supports faculty with a one-time $5,000 stipend to develop new undergraduate courses. Three awards were made in 2014, and one new course was inaugurated in spring 2015, Cultural Psychology taught by Professor Qi Wang.
Korean Studies Initiative The Korean Studies Speaker Series brought four up-and-coming North American Korean Studies scholars to Cornell in 2014–2015. Ewha Womans University Professor Joohee Lee, Cornell’s first Korea Foundation Distinguished Visiting Professor in Korean Studies, taught a course on Contemporary Korean Society, gave several talks to Cornell faculty and students and hosted a workshop in her field. These visiting scholars helped to expand the reach and the breadth of the Korean Studies curriculum at Cornell.
Lehman Fund for Scholarly Exchange with China Starting in 2014–2015, EAP assumed administration of the Jeffrey S. Lehman Fund for Scholarly Exchange with China. This fund provides grants to initiate research projects, sponsor research-related conferences or workshops, host visitors from China, or support faculty travel to China to work with colleagues on collaborative research projects. Fourteen Cornell scholars (eleven faculty members and one faculty-graduate student team) received awards in April 2015 for projects in the 2015–2016 academic year.
South Asia Less Commonly Taught Languages Working Group The nationally and internationally recognized South Asian language curriculum at Cornell is one of the University’s greatest strengths. South Asia Program (SAP) resources include faculty in 28 disciplines teaching 88 Area Studies courses, and eight language lecturers teaching 55 language courses at levels from beginning to advanced. With the Department of Asian Studies, SAP offers instruction in several
modern and classical South Asian languages, including: Bengali, Hindi, Nepali, Sanskrit, Sinhala, Pali, Prakrit, Tamil, and Urdu. In 2014–2015 SAP Director Anne Blackburn chaired the Less Commonly Taught Languages Working Group of the Language Education Council.
Southeast Asia Cornell Modern Indonesia Project In May 2015 a team from the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies visited Cornell and met with representatives of the Cornell Modern Indonesia Project (CMIP) to discuss the potential for future collaboration. As a result of this visit, Cornell University will become a partner institution in a pan-Asian program, entitled Religion, Public Policy and Social Transformation in Southeast Asia. This program will provide a platform for direct intellectual engagement between the United States and Southeast Asian countries, namely Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar. c
PRIORITY 3 PRIORITY 3 ENHANCE CORNELL’S GLOBAL PRESENCE Task Force on Cornell’s Global Presence and Partnerships A key priority of the Global Cornell initiative is to cultivate and maintain fruitful partnerships overseas. Cornell’s colleges and programs have established significant partnerships around the globe—in fact, our individual colleges/programs signed 73 new Memoranda of Understanding and Project Agreements with international partners in 2014–2015. Yet, the University as a whole has no global offices— or bureaus—representing the interests of multiple colleges or the entire institution. To enhance Cornell’s global presence, the University is seeking to develop international partnerships that serve faculty and students across more than one college. To advance Priority 3 in the “Call to Action,” the Vice Provost for International Affairs (VPIA) created a task force on Cornell Global Presence and Partnerships (GPP) and charged this group with developing strategies to expand high-level, strategic international partnerships. Chaired by Alfonso Torres, Professor Emeritus and Associate Dean for Public Policy in the College of Veterinary Medicine, the six-person GPP committee convened on a regular basis during the spring 2015 semester.
No. of Country Agreements China 65 Japan, Republic of Korea* 23 India 22 France 21 Spain 16 Italy 15 Australia, Germany* 14 Hong Kong 10 United Kingdom 9 Israel, South Africa* 7 Colombia, Denmark, Ireland* 6 Mexico, Switzerland* 5 Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Indoniesia, Kenya, Norway, 4 Zambia* Brazil, Cuba, Singapore* 3 Argentina, Austria, Ethiopia, Greece, Iceland, Lebanon, 2 Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Sweden* Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Ghana, Jordon, Myanmar, Netherlands, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, 1 Peru, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, United States, Uruguay, Vietnam* *Each country has number of agreements indicated in the adjacent column
The GPP delivered its final report to the Vice Provost in June 2015. Key recommendations include: 1. Delegate administrative management and decisions regarding the establishment of partnerships and bureaus to the VPIA. 2. Require, as a condition for review and approval of new partnerships and bureaus, submission of uniform information pertaining to either a proposed new partnership and/or a new location by the Cornell units seeking the partnership or bureau. 3. Start with the establishment of small bureaus and adjust according to demand for cost-effective services. 4. Set aside funds, to be managed by the VPIA, to support the evaluation of suggested bureaus or partnerships. c
Distribution of 355 Agreements with Cornell University
:1-4
:5-9
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:>20
Special Projects Cornell in Cuba The seeds of Cornell’s renewed relationship in Cuba were sown over a decade ago, in 2002, when the Lab of Ornithology offered training courses in Cuba in neurobiology and bioacoustics. University of Havana professor Emanuel Mora, who was studying bats and moths communicating in the ultrasonic range, attended the Cornell workshops. Mora’s research eventually connected him with the Latin American Studies Program at the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, and with Cornell Abroad. In 2014, the partnership resulted in the Cornell-Cuba Research Program. In spring 2015 Cornell students Ian Pengra ’16 and Wesley Schnapp ’16 attended classes at the University of Havana and conducted research with Professor Mora on bat behavior and bioacoustics.
Global Finance Initiative
Since its launch in spring 2014, the Global Finance Initiative (GFI) In 2015–2016 more Cornell students will have has welcomed scholars from around the world to host multidisciopportunities to study in Cuba. Two years ago, plinary research workshops and lectures at Cornell. Visiting Cornell joined a group of peer institutions to form the scholars explore challenging contemporary issues and open exciting new Consortium for Advanced Studies Abroad (CASA), and possibilities for research collaborations. GFI topics range from the politics and in 2014–2015 Cornell Abroad became a founding ethics of financial regulation to the theoretical nature of money in the context member of CASA-Cuba, an advanced studies of global finance. program in partnership with the University of Havana. This will be Cornell’s second program in In spring 2014 the GFI launched a new interdisciplinary graduate student arm, and Havana, launched almost simultaneously with in spring 2016 the initiative will host its first annual conference on the topic of centhe Cornell-Cuba Research Program. c tral banking. This conference will bring together former central bank presidents and
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directors from around the world to engage in a transnational dialogue on the role of the central bank in today’s economy.
The [Lab of O] program was so good… Everywhere I went, we spread the word on bioacoustics research to Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, from what the Lab of O had started in Cuba.” —Professor Emanuel Mora
With so many changes happening in Cuba and in Cuba-U.S. relations, having not one, but two, promising programs in Cuba is a strategic move on the part of Cornell Abroad.”
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One of Cornell’s greatest strengths is the scope of our international research and transnational collaboration. Through this work, we influence scholarship and policy on a global level.” —Hirokazu Miyazaki, Director, Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies
—Cornell Abroad Annual Report 2014–2015 17
PRIORITY 3 ENHANCE CORNELL’S GLOBAL PRESENCE
Special Projects Myanmar Initiative As one of only two universities in the United States where Burmese language is taught at all levels, Cornell is in a unique position to take advantage of the growing openness and political reforms in Myanmar. The Myanmar Initiative of the Southeast Asia Program (SEAP) seeks to expand the number of Cornell faculty with research interests in Myanmar, increase the number of courses related to Burma/Myanmar, institutionalize and improve Burmese language instruction and support its expansion to other institutions, establish linkages with universities and organizations in Myanmar, and develop a study abroad program in Myanmar for undergraduates. In spring 2015, Cornell hired a full-time lecturer from Myanmar, Yu Yu Khaing, who will begin teaching three levels of Burmese in the fall of 2015. This is a milestone for Cornell in our effort to build a sustainable Burmese Language Program. In spring 2016, SEAP will collaborate with other programs on campus to pilot a new course on education in Asia: Education Abroad: Case Studies from South and Southeast Asia. The spring 2016 course will focus on Myanmar as seen through a comparative lens with Indonesia. This new course was funded by a VPIA Internationalizing the Cornell Curriculum grant and will include the opportunity for students to enhance their intercultural communication skills through an online international learning exchange. c
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Our group learned a lot just by being in the Tamil village... It is important to balance an easy-to-compare list of quantitative data with a deep understanding of the community.” —Meghan Furton ’16, spring 2015 NFLC participant
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Nilgiris Field Learning Center in South Asia The Cornell-in-India Nilgiris Field Learning Center (NFLC) is a new university-wide program involving faculty from four colleges and students from five. This unique semester-abroad experience brings students, faculty, community members, and professionals together to do research and learn from one another. The goal is to develop academic and research skills to generate practical solutions for complex problems that arise at the intersection of human and natural systems. The Nilgiris Field Learning Center operates through a partnership between Cornell University and the Keystone Foundation in Kotagiri, Tamil Nadu, India. Students can earn 12–15 credits for cross-disciplinary work on sustainable environments and livelihoods. Three areas of focus are emerging: • Impacts of biodiversity on nutrition and traditional medicine systems • Effects of urbanization on biodiversity in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve • Systems of governance for effective implementation of conservation, sustainable environments, and livelihood generation
PRIORITY 4 MOBILIZE FUNDING FOR INTERNATIONALIZATION International Internships Cornell alumnus Martin Tang ’70 donated $50,000 to the Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs (VPIA) in March 2015 for the purpose of funding international airfare for Cornell undergraduates participating in summer internships abroad. In spring 2015 the VPIA Office sought intern nominations from the colleges, and in summer 2015 Tang International Travel Grants provided partial to full airfare for 34 undergraduates participating in internships in 23 countries around the globe. These students represent all seven undergraduate colleges at Cornell. Students interned in the following fields: AGRICULTURE • Promoting vermicomposting in East Africa • Examining soil health and composting in China • Creating documentaries on coffee production in Costa Rica • Promoting kitchen gardening and reforestation in Nicaragua • Interning with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Equatorial Guinea ARCHITECTURE • Assisting faculty at an Indian design university • Designing an educational building in Honduras • Urban planning with an NGO in Indonesia BUSINESS • Manufacturing and automotive management consulting in Shanghai • Assisting at the Dubai International Finance Centre • Conducting market research with the Chinese National Cereals, Oils, and Foodstuffs Co. • Promoting social entrepreneurship and youth development in Singapore CYBER SECURITY • Working for K2 Global Intelligence (Jules Kroll ’63 sponsored these two undergraduate internships in his firm’s London offices)
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EDUCATION • Teaching young girls in Cambodia • Helping at an orphanage in Tanzania • Developing educational materials in Zambia • Designing holistic academic programming for a school in Ghana ENGINEERING • Conducting aerospace engineering research on nanosatellites at Barcelona Tech GLOBAL HEALTH • Monitoring maternal nutrition in coastal villages in Indonesia • Conducting clinical work at the Pediatric Hospital of Madrid • Surveying infectious disease in Ecuador with Cornell faculty • Researching tuberculosis and Vitamin D in India with Cornell faculty • Learning about holistic medicine and conducting ethnographic research in the Dominican Republic HOSPITALITY • Working at the Saxon Hotel in Johannesburg and The Upper House in Hong Kong HUMAN RESOURCES • HR consulting at a social justice and sustainable non-profit in Cameroon • HR internship with a sustainable economic development NGO in Costa Rica
I just wanted to let you all know that Carmen left us yesterday to head back home. We were all very sad to see her go—our students, especially. If she and Travis are what we can expect from Cornell students, you can send as many as you want our way!”
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We need to convey to Cornell students that one of the most important things they can do is to think global: to develop facility in another language, to gain multicultural knowledge, to push themselves outside their comfort zones, to learn ways to work with people from around the world.” —Martin Tang ’70, trustee emeritus, Presidential Councillor, and chair of the External Advisory Council on Internationalization
—Chris Gates, founder and CEO, Janada L. Batchelor Foundation for Children, Tanzania 19
PRIORITY 4 MOBILIZE FUNDING FOR INTERNATIONALIZATION
Africa Initiatives In 2014 the Andy Paul family made a multimillion-dollar pledge that included substantial gifts to the College of Arts and Sciences for Paul Family Student Travel to Africa and to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences for the Paul Family International Impact Fund. The family also provided scholarships to students from Africa. Andy Paul’s 2008 pledge of more than $1.2 million to Africa Initiatives supports four Cornell projects that have the potential to make a significant impact on the day-to-day health and wellbeing of individuals and communities in Africa.
1. Building Capacity for Sustainable Development Institute for African Development (IAD) IAD piloted a Geographical Information Systems and Global Positioning Systems training session in Moshi, Tanzania, with the goal of reproducing the training workshop in other sub-Saharan African countries. The project aims to improve the capability of partner institutions to gather data, monitor and evaluate programs and projects, and ultimately improve decision making in three distinct fields: public health research and planning, wildlife conservation, and land tenure formalization.
2. Burundi Sustainable Livelihoods International Programs/College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Episcopal Relief and Development Burundi has the second highest population density in sub-Saharan Africa, an extremely hilly topography prone to soil erosion, and the challenges of crop disease, seed supply, infrastructure, and market access that exist throughout East and Southern Africa. The Sustainable Livelihoods program supports a number of linked activities to address these challenges, with a goal to reach about 100,000 households by 2016.
3. Global Health Program Division of Nutritional Sciences/Human Ecology The Global Health Program (GHP) offers eight-week summer programs in Moshi, Tanzania and in Lusaka, Zambia. Cornell students live with a local family and participate in service projects with local NGOs. In Tanzania, students attend a course at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, and in Zambia they have the opportunity to gain clinical shadowing experience at the University of Zambia Teaching Hospital. Both programs introduce students to the complexities of global health issues in the local African context. 20
4. SMART Projects in Africa Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture, and Development, in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Lesotho: Iketsetse Micro Enterprise Development Co. Iketsetse Micro Enterprise Development Company profits are used to reduce poverty through teaching sustainable agriculture, beekeeping, and small-scale manufacturing of farm tools. The Cornell SMART team evaluated the current organizational and business models to expand the company’s reach and impact in the Mapoteng community. South Africa: De Fynne Nursery This nursery houses about 600,000 plants and does contract growing for both the horticultural and agricultural sectors. The Cornell SMART team benchmarked competitors, developed a marketing strategy, evaluated growth strategies, and developed the company website. South Africa: Global Business Trip The South Africa Global Business Trip was the travel portion of a course offered by the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management in the fall of 2014. The course introduced students to the influence of race, gender, and culture on businesses in South Africa. The travel portion of the course consisted of a 14-day trip to Johannesburg and Cape Town, where students gained a unique perspective on this crucial emerging market. South Africa: Swayimane Community Smallholder Horticulture The Swayimane Zulu Community in ZwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, is a community-based horticulture collective that is seeking to market its crops to large-scale retailers. The Cornell SMART team worked on interventions to assist with market development and soil quality improvement c
Fundraising Highlights The Global Cornell initiative received a total of $527, 924 in new gifts and commitments in the form of 192 gifts in 2014–2015. This represents a significant increase from the 27 gifts received in 2013–2014. An online crowdfunding campaign for International Student Travel Grants raised $20,000 from 117 donors. And Giving Day on March 25, 2015 netted $59,949 for Global Cornell. Notable gifts were received from the following individuals:
Philip Bartels
Luigi and Carol Einaudi
Mark Hansen
Philip Bartels contributed $75,998 to augment the $450,000 gift made by his parents in 2012 to create the Henry & Nancy H. Bartels Postdoctoral Fellowship Fund at the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies.
Luigi and Carol Einaudi made a three-day visit to Ithaca in February, where they were feted with a dinner honoring the Einaudi family’s many contributions to Cornell. The Einaudis continued their generous annual support for the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies with a gift of $85,000 divided between: • Einaudi Center Director’s Fund: $25,000 • Cornell Institute for European Studies Director’s Fund: $25,000 • Interdisciplinary activities to bring scholars from the United States and Italy together to explore mutual interests: $25,000 • Cornell in Turin: $10,000
Mark Hansen, an alumnus who lives and works in Singapore, made a two-year pledge for $45,540 to the Southeast Asia Program to support the Asia Alumni History Project, a joint project with the Library. The goals of the project are to raise awareness of Cornell’s long relationship with Asia, document the history of students from Asia at Cornell, and gain a better understanding of why these students chose Cornell.
Judy Biggs Judy Biggs made an additional $100,000 gift to the endowment she established with a $504,490 gift in 2007 to create the annual Lund Critical Debate Series at the Einaudi Center.
Scott Cupp In response to an International Affairs email appeal sent to 22,000 likely prospects in February, Scott Cupp, a long-time resident of Paris, made a $10,000 gift. When asked why, he responded:
Lincoln Yung Lincoln Yung, who resides in Hong Kong, pledged a generous $100,000 gift to establish the Lincoln C.K. Yung ’68 Fund to provide support for the Cornell East Asia Program, including the Cornell East Asia Series. c
“I have felt that the greatest missing piece of our stateside upbringing is the lack of a global perspective. I’ve said for 30 years that all U.S. students should spend at least six months overseas before settling down. Exposure to, and hopefully acceptance of, other cultures is what is needed. So when I saw the Global Cornell initiative, I had to support it, especially in this 150th anniversary year.”
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PRIORITY 5 CREATE CENTRAL COORDINATION Streamlining the Memoranda of Agreement Process Cornell has a long history of international engagement, reflected
agreements on the Global Cornell website at https://moaregistry.
through its numerous relationships and official agreements (Mem-
global.cornell.edu. More than 70 new international agree-
oranda of Agreement or MOAs, formerly MOUs) at the central, col-
ments were signed by Cornell’s colleges and departments
lege, departmental, and individual levels. Such agreements foster
in 2014–2015.
interaction among Cornell’s academic units and with counterparts worldwide. Cornell enters into partnership with select international institutions to pursue collaborative research, encourage student mobility, and develop solutions to global challenges. At last count, Cornell University had 355 registered MOAs with 61 countries around the globe. College deans and directors of university-level centers, the Office of University Counsel, and the Vice Provost for International Affairs and Provost are responsible for approving new international agreements. The Office of the VPIA advises Cornell faculty and senior leaders who wish to establish a new MOA with an international partner. At the request of the President, the Office of VPIA facilitates the crafting and approval of these agreements, in collaboration with the Office of University Counsel. VPIA maintains a registry of active
To expedite the approval process for future agreements, in spring 2015 the VPIA Office worked with the office of Organizational Development for Faculty and Staff (ODFS) to streamline Cornell’s internal approval process for international MOAs. ODFS conducted a Lean Process Improvement of Cornell’s MOA application and approval system. The goal of this collaboration was to yield a more intuitive, user-friendly system of approvals. In consultation with key central and college-level stakeholders, VPIA has now developed a new online tool for establishing international MOAs and Project Agreements. This new tool was rolled out in August 2015. VPIA staff members are educating campus stakeholders about how to use the new system and assessing user satisfaction with the new process. c
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Global is not an option for Cornell University or any leading institution of higher education in the world today. It is a necessity— it must be in our DNA. Global is how the world works.” —Hongnan Ma, Director of International Programs, Alumni Affairs, Cornell University
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“Empathy transcends cultural and language barriers.” —Laura Lin ’16 (College of Human Ecology), participant in spring 2015 Cornell Nepal Study Program
Support for the Office of the President The Director of International Initiatives together with the Vice Provost for International Affairs advise senior leadership about Cornell’s relationships with its international partners, both from a historical and a contemporary perspective. At the request of the President/Provost, the VPIA Office provides written briefings about the various international dignitaries and delegations with whom the University interacts. The VPIA Office also responds to hundreds of annual requests from local, regional, national, and international communities for information about Cornell’s global initiatives and international programs. c
International Travel Advisory and Response Team This team of University administrators convenes on a regular basis to share information and make recommendations intended to reduce risks associated with Cornell programs abroad and with international travel by members of the university community. The committee screens and considers requests for student travel to countries with elevated risk status and advises travelers on matters pertaining to risk management for travel outside of the United States. Chaired by the VPIA, ITART membership includes the Dean of Students, Director of Cornell Abroad, Travel Safety Coordinator, Director of the Office of Risk Management and Insurance, and University Counsel, with support provided by VPIA’s Director of International Initiatives. The team also responds to a wide range of emergencies encountered internationally by individuals or groups engaged in approved Cornell business. When the 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Kathmandu, Nepal (the site of the Cornell Nepal Studies Program) in April 2015, it was quickly determined that the 12 students and 4 staff members who were stationed in the country were safe and out of harm’s way. Working closely with the Travel Safety Coordinator and Cornell Nepal Studies Program (CNSP) staff on the ground in Kathmandu, the Risk Management and Insurance director provided the rest of the team with frequent updates about the situation and plans to evacuate students at the appropriate time. CNSP staff were in constant contact with the students, conducting status checks and providing guidance to ensure their continued safety. 23
PRIORITY 5 CREATE CENTRAL COORDINATION
Administrative Integration The work of the Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs
With Fredrik Logevall’s departure in July 2015, Laura Spitz was
and the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies is closely
appointed as Interim Vice Provost for International Affairs and Hiro
aligned. To assure unified administration and core leader-
Miyazaki as Einaudi Center Director. Moving forward, ongoing
ship of these two offices, in 2014–2015 the Executive Direc-
collaboration will assure continued alignment of the two offices
tor of the Center, Nishi Dhupa, also assumed the role of Director
in the effort to internationalize Cornell.
for VPIA Operations. This joint appointment allows Dhupa to foster close and mutually beneficial interactions between the offices. This arrangement has allowed VPIA and the Center to share human resources, such as a Webmaster, a part-time Communications Specialist, and a newly hired Director of Communication for the Global Cornell initiative.
The Group for Engagement and Inclusion in Global Education (GEIGE) was formed in 2014 to foster pan-university cooperation to advance Cornell’s global agenda. During the past year, GEIGE has opened new avenues of communication and coordination between the Global Cornell and Engaged Cornell initiatives by co-developing and co-announcing funding awards and faculty development opportunities. c
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Global Cornell should not be thought of as a single specific initiative–rather, it should be thought of as the entirety of Cornell University in the world. Global Cornell is Cornell University.” —Carolyn O’Keefe, member of the Internationalization Council and Executive Director of Marketing and Communication, Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management
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2015–2016 Preview Priority 1: Internationalize the student experience Priority 2: Support internationally engaged faculty Priority 3: Enhance Cornell’s global presence Priority 4: Mobilize funding for internationalization Priority 5: Create central coordination
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PREVIEW PRIORITY 1 INTERNATIONALIZE THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE Implement Global on Campus Recommendations In June 2015, the Global on Campus Committee presented its report, focused on internationalizing the undergraduate student experience at Cornell. Recommendations include: 1 Assure equity: Seek to increase financial aid for students to pursue meaningful shortterm international experiences during school breaks. 2 Global Cornell message framework: Task the VPIA Director of Communication with developing and disseminating a message framework to inform admissions packages, student orientation, and campus tours. 3 Increase visibility of international opportunities: Provide students with easy access to information on international opportunities and funding opportunities, via websites, orientation materials, and social media. 4 International students on campus: Define and implement strategies to better integrate and support international students on the Ithaca campus. 5 Curricular opportunities: • Explore a Global Affairs Major. • Consider an international requirement and/or a certificate option for all students, along the lines of the ILR “Global Scholar” designation. • Identify signature international programs and focus resources here, in a sustainable way. • Continue to develop centrally coordinated international internships. • Working with the Internationalization Council, map pathways to international opportunities in each major. • Encourage deans to make international opportunities feature prominently on their individual college websites.
Global Affairs Major To capitalize on the vast resources available to undergraduates at Cornell to study the politics, economics, history, languages, and cultures of the countries and regions of the world, Cornell is considering the creation of a new major in Global Affairs. In 2013–2014, the University took an important preliminary step in this process with the establishment of a faculty committee to consider the proposed new major. This committee was chaired by David Lee, then director of the International Relations Minor. The committee’s main conclusions were that: 1 Creation of a Global Affairs major would offer significant value added to Cornell’s programs for undergraduates. 2 Creation of such a major as a second major, in addition to students’ primary majors, would avoid some of the previously voiced concerns of faculty about diversion of students from current majors. 3 Due to the advising-intensive nature of the program, future creation of a Global Affairs major should be tied to a successful external fundraising effort. In 2015–2016, the Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs will continue to explore the Global Affairs Major.
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Enhance the International Student Experience About 20 percent of Cornell’s student body is international—a total of about 4,400 students from 114 countries. International students make up more than 10 percent of the undergraduate student body, 25 percent of professional students, and 44 percent of graduate students. We recognize the need to strengthen the overall campus environment for our international students—to honor their valued contributions to Cornell and the Ithaca community. Our next steps are to define and implement strategies that encourage the incorporation of international students into the broader Cornell and Ithaca communities. The following excerpt from the Global on Campus Committee report lays out the main issues and suggests a few interim solutions:
“Currently, about 85 percent of international undergraduate students are self-paying, a fact that defines the make-up of the student body to some extent. Significantly increasing financial aid for international students, to enable a broader population of international students to study at Cornell, and building a dedicated international student center are two strategic Expand International Internships investments the University should consider in the As our first cohort of 34 undergraduates returns to campus from internlong term. ships with companies and nongovernmental organizations around the But there is much that we can do with globe, the VPIA Office will survey these students about their experiences lesser commitments of resources: this past summer. Student feedback will inform decision making for future expanding the PREPARE program so cohorts, so that we can continue to improve Cornell’s international internship that more students can participate; program. better integrating PREPARE with In summer 2016 we plan to have a more rigorous application and selection proorientation activities; more fully cess, as well as an extended timeline for student nominations from each of the integrating international students undergraduate colleges. In the short term we will continue to work through the as RAs and RHDs; strengthening colleges, requesting that they nominate students and vet the internships to assure advising and counseling to meet high-quality, well-supervised experiences. In the longer term, we plan to invite stuthe special needs of international dents to apply directly for Tang International Travel Grants via the VPIA Office. We students; etc.” will collaborate with Career Services and with the Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives as we seek to reach a larger number of students and include more underrepresented students in the program. We also intend to simplify the Travel Grant award process for students. We will allocate the funds centrally, rather than using the colleges as intermediaries. Students will receive travel advances. This will necessitate some coordination with the business service centers, the Office of Financial Aid, and the bursar’s office. Also, due to the dynamic nature of airfare costs, we will set aside some funds to cover overages in situations where ticket costs exceed estimated costs. Moving forward, we recognize the need for staff support and funding to administer the Tang Travel Grants. In 2015 we utilized VPIA funding and temporary staff to manage the process. As this initiative grows, it will become necessary to provide institutional support.
PREVIEW PRIORITY 2 SUPPORT INTERNATIONALLY ENGAGED FACULTY
Faculty Grants: Curricular Integration
Last year the VPIA Office awarded more than $400,000 to 26 faculty projects through the new Internationalizing the Cornell Curriculum (ICC) Grant Program. Each faculty grantee was invited to participate in a series of professional development workshops designed specifically for ICC recipients and facilitated by experts in the field of international education. Workshop facilitators shared best practices across a range of topics—from health and safety to cross-cultural competency. About half of ICC grant recipients attended the workshops and provided valuable feedback to improve the quality and impact of training for future ICC grantees. Participants identified a need to individualize the workshop content based on the faculty member’s level of international experience. To address this concern and provide outstanding professional development to faculty across both the Global Cornell and Engaged Cornell initiatives, a decision was made to hire a fulltime Teaching Support Specialist through the Center for Teaching Excellence. This new hire will be responsible for developing and overseeing delivery of professional development for the second cohort of ICC grantees in spring 2016.
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PREVIEW PRIORITY 3 ENHANCE CORNELL’S GLOBAL PRESENCE
Cornell in the World
The VPIA office will continue to explore ways to strengthen Cornell’s presence in the urban centers of China, India, Mexico, Europe, and other sites around the world through international teaching, research, and exchange programs; student and faculty recruitment; partnership building; alumni engagement; and executive education programs.
PREVIEW PRIORITY 4 MOBILIZE FUNDING FOR INTERNATIONALIZATION
Global Commitment
“
We have the opportunity to be more inclusive of students who are generally underrepresented in these endeavors and encourage them—through this application—to consider these opportunities.” —Marina Markot, Director, Cornell Abroad
To ensure that 100 percent of our students have opportunities for a meaningful international experience, we need to provide options that assure equity and inclusion. One example of how we are working to accomplish this is the Off-Campus Opportunity Fund, recently developed by the Group for Engagement and Inclusion in Global Education (GEIGE). The group recognized that Cornell’s decentralized structure can make it challenging for students to access funding to support their international experiences. Over the past year, group members collaborated to build a one-stop web tool that any Cornell undergraduate student can use to apply, via a single application on the Cornell Abroad website, for funding for international experiences from five separate sources: namely, the Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs, the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, Cornell Abroad, Engaged Learning + Research, and the Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives. The pilot launches in fall 2015 and there will be two funding cycles per year. Cornell’s senior leadership plays a significant role in achieving the university’s global commitment—by articulating university-wide aspirations, establishing budget priorities, and setting the policies which guide our actions. 29
PREVIEW PRIORITY 5 CREATE CENTRAL COORDINATION
Measuring Success
Strategic Communications
As the University continues to broaden the scope of its international activities through the Global Cornell initiative, we also need to evaluate these new activities and their impact on student learning outcomes. Are we effectively preparing our students to be successful in an increasingly global world? To answer this question, the VPIA Office is working to develop a meaningful framework for data collection and analysis. Over the past several months, we have worked closely with the Executive Committee of Engaged Cornell, the Data Sub-Committee of the Internationalization Council, and a data working group convened by the Office of Institutional Research and Planning (IRP) to develop a plan for data collection and reporting via a common dashboard, managed by IRP. A two-year term data analyst position will be posted in fall 2015, to implement this data collection plan for the Global Cornell initiative.
The Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs is spearheading ongoing initiatives to strengthen the identity of Global Cornell: • One immediate project is the updating of several centralized websites, including the International Gateway and the Einaudi Center website and its associated program sites. • A strategic communication plan for 2016 and beyond will outline objectives, strategies, and projects to convey Global Cornell messages to targeted audiences, both internal and external.
“
Our students today truly are
citizens of the world, and
it is essential that we provide them with opportunities to learn about, experience, and become conversant with the diverse cultures and religions that populate our globe.” —Susan Murphy, former Vice President, Student and Academic Services
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OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 160 Day Hall Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853-2801 1 607-255-7993 vpia@cornell.edu global.cornell.edu Copy: Linda Copman, VPIA Office Design: Torri Bennington, Westhill Graphics Photos: Cornell students, faculty, staff, and University Communications October 2015