Senior university officials' approaches to global engagement: A case study of a private and a public research university

摘要

The phenomenon of globalization has a significant impact on higher education, but the lack of a clear roadmap for how senior university official should create and implement global engagement strategies and for how these approaches support (or impede) an organizational culture that fosters globalization remains a gap in knowledge in higher education. The purpose of the study was to gain a better understanding of the approaches senior university officials at a private research university and at a public research university adopted to make their campuses more globally engaged and of how these approaches interact with each institution's culture. Both academic institutions were selected for their prestigious reputation, large student population, location in an urban neighborhood and emphasis on global engagement. Given the many differences in financial and administrative operations of private and public higher education institutions, these two academic institutions were selected to illuminate those attributes that accelerate or decelerate global engagement. A total of 13 senior university officials were interviewed in person and via telephone or Skype for 30 to 45 minutes during Spring 2012. All interviews were tape recorded, transcribed, coded and analyzed through the lens of Qiang's (2003) conceptual framework of internationalization in higher education and Cameron and Ettington's (1988) two-dimensional typology of organizational cultures.;The key findings from the analysis of interviews, written materials and observations are that senior university officials must dedicate a significant amount of resources to developing sustainable global engagement activities. Financial constraints and administrative restrictions often negatively influenced each academic institution's culture. Involving faculty and other important constituents in decision-making processes and allowing flexibility with financial expenditures are critical for formulating and implementing new ideas and approaches related to internationalization.