Internationalization at Jesuit Colleges and Universities in the United States

Abstract

While internationalization in higher education is widely documented, little research has been conducted on how internationalization efforts at the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States have been operated. Through three exploratory case studies at Boston College, Saint Louis University, and the University of San Francisco, administrators, faculty members, and students were interviewed to address questions of rationales, strategies, outcomes with respect to internationalization, in relation to the Jesuit mission. Information from institutional websites and Jesuit documents served to round out the analysis of global engagement at Jesuit higher education institutions in the United States. Informed by the literature, the study draws on data collected from the 24 semi-structured interviews including individual and focus groups of international and study-abroad students. The study employs the conceptual framework of three pillars of internationalization at home, abroad, and through partnerships, provided by De Wit, Howard, Egron-Polak, & Hunter (2015). The findings show the growth of Jesuit institutions in the United States in the number of their internationals students, more concentration on global curricula, more opportunities for study abroad, and promotion of international partnerships. However, the study illustrates that Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States are still more regional or national institutions and are involved in internationalization at a preliminary stage of the process with ad hoc and fragmented strategic plans. The thesis ends with recommendations for more global collaboration and frequent assessment among Jesuit entities in order to sustain their operation and continually pursue the international mission of their Jesuit tradition, for a more balanced approach between the business/reputation model and the mission model, for more faculty and international students support, and for more attention to international alumni.