Internationalization Council to Examine Strategies for Enhanced Partnerships with China

The Internationalization Council at Syracuse University begins its third year of work this fall with a focus on developing and recommending elements of a comprehensive China strategy for the University. Leading the effort this year will be co-chairs Steven Bennett, senior vice president for operations in the Division of Academic Affairs, and Zhanjiang “John” Liu, vice president for research at the University.

This year’s cohort has specifically been charged with developing recommendations on a strategy that includes some or all of the following areas:

• Evaluating strategies for, and building coordination and incentives into, recruiting and retaining undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students from China
• Building meaningful relationships with select Chinese universities for joint programs, shared centers, scholar exchanges and other scholarly relationships
• Building a robust program for outreach to alumni and other donors
• Examining study abroad options in mainland China
• Developing a strategy for engagement with the Chinese government and corporations

“Over the years, Syracuse University has developed many meaningful relationships in China with regards to recruiting students, scholarly exchanges, executive education and study abroad,” Bennett says. “Given the breadth and depth of the University’s efforts in China, the Internationalization Council will help coordinate the efforts across schools, colleges, departments and functional areas, and provide the University community with a holistic set of strategies for engagement and relationship management in China.”

Co-chair Liu says, “We are going to take a programmatic approach to identifying areas of cooperation and collaborations. It is our hope that the strategies the council develops will enhance our institutional focus on internationalization, enrich the experience of students, and identify areas where we can achieve mutual beneficial relationships.”

This year’s focus follows the work of the council last year to identify ways to better foster distinctive global learning experiences for students, both on campus and abroad. That group was co-chaired by Joanna Masingila, dean of the School of Education, and Ravi Dharwadkar, Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor of Teaching Excellence and professor and chair, Department of Management in the Whitman School.

Dharwadkar says this year’s focus on China builds on the council’s work over the last year. “The council last year highlighted the growing political and economic influence of Asia, reflected in the increasing number of international students from China and India at Syracuse,” Dharwadkar says. “But we also noted that a large majority of our students took advantage of global learning opportunities mostly in our European centers.”

Masingila emphasizes the council’s overarching relevance to all of the schools and colleges. “The work of and guidance from the Internationalization Council is very important for schools and colleges as they each work on internationalization initiatives within and with other units across the University,” Masingila says. “Having representatives from each school and college as well as other units on campus has been key in having many stakeholders at the table.”

Launched by Provost Wheatly in 2016, the council is an outgrowth of the Academic Strategic Plan, which calls for an expanded international focus in curriculum, scholarship, and campus climate as a key institutional priority. The council works to further this goal by providing advice, information, feedback, and support on key topics and initiatives, such as pedagogy and curriculum; study abroad; international student recruitment, support and integration; regional studies programs; research collaborations; and Memorandums of Understanding and other agreements.

Joining Bennett and Liu on the Internationalization Council for the 2018-19 academic year are:

• Michael Speaks, dean, School of Architecture
• Joanna Masingila, dean, School of Education
• Andrew Horsfall, assistant dean of international programs, College of Law
• Eunkyu Lee, associate dean for global initiatives, Whitman School of Management
• Hub Brown, associate dean for research, creativity, international initiatives and diversity, Newhouse
• Elisa Dekaney, associate dean for research, graduate studies, and internationalization, College of Visual and Performing Arts
• Eileen Lantier, senior associate dean, academic affairs, Falk College
• Peg Hermann, director of the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs, Maxwell School
• Yingyi Ma, associate professor of sociology, Maxwell School
• Ruth Chen, professor of practice, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• Erika Wilkens, associate provost and executive director, Syracuse Abroad
• Ryan Williams, vice president of enrollment management
• Alexandra Epsilanty, assistant vice president for international advancement
• Joe Stewart, senior associate vice president, operations
• Alexandra Goodnough, undergraduate representative
• Izmailia Sougoufara, undergraduate representative
• Sarah Li, undergraduate representative
• Dongshu Liu, graduate student representative
• Huilin Ma, graduate student representative

The council will issue a report of its findings and recommendations to Chancellor Syverud next summer.