REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
to the
FACULTY COUNCIL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO
from the
COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
12 OCTOBER 1971
* * *
William J. Grupp, Chairman
Albert A. Bartlett
George Codding
James L. Colwell (ex officio)
John Hoag
Carl McGuire
Robert C. McKean
Claude McMillan
Kurt von Kaulla
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CONTENTS
Page
1
I.
Introduction
II.
Background
A. The Mcguire Committee
B. The Grieder Committee
C. The Grupp Committee
2
2
5
7
III.
Current Operations of the Office of International Education
A. Study Abroad
B. Foreign Student Advisement
C. Fulbright, Foreign Visitors, etc.
8
8
9
9
IV.
The Present Situation
10
V.
Recommendations to the Faculty Council
12
***
I.
Introduction
This report is presented to the Faculty Council by the Committee on International
Education which, with several preceding Committees on International Education has,
over the past seven or more years, spent many hundreds of man hours working in the
belief that the faculty of the University of Colorado has an educational responsibility to
help students to learn first hand about the peoples and problems of the rest of the
world.
Three motions are presented at the close of the report. The Committee asks the
Faculty Council to consider these motions with the recognition that the Council's
action should establish the Faculty's direction and guidance for the University's
participation in programs of international education.
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II.
Background
A. The McGuire Committee
The recent history of international education at the University of Colorado begins
with the work of the so-called McGuire Committee of 1964-65. This "Ad-Hoc
Committee to Study the Role of the University of Colorado in International Education,"
as its full title reads, was initially composed of a dozen members of the administration
and faculty of the University in accordance with a letter written to Professor Carl
McGuire by Acting Dean of the Faculties Ernest E. Wahlstrom on June 24, 1964. This
letter charged the Committee with submitting a report to the President and the Dean
of the Faculties "which will include clear statements of the programs and policies that
in the opinion of the committee should be adopted by the University relative to
International Education."
After a year of hard work, including weekly meetings, correspondence with and
visits to other institutions, and the bringing of at least one outside consultant to the
campus, the McGuire Committee submitted its final report in May of 1965. The report
is an impressive document of nearly 200 pages, including supporting appendices.
After discussing the obligations of the University to the citizens of the State of
Colorado and of the region, it lists the achievements of the University in international
education, together with opportunities for improvement.
A highlight of the Report is a discussion of "Shortcomings of University Programs
of International Education" which provides a decidedly contemporary ring to this sixyear-old study. Among those major shortcomings are "a lack of formal commitment to
international education on the part of the University," "a lag in developing an
appropriate administrative structure for international education on the campus," "a
shortage of funds," "a lag in development of programs
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of study of non-Western cultures on campus," "a failure adequately to utilize the
international resources of the University" for the benefit of the State and region, and
finally and most poignantly, "the most substantial criticism that the Committee may
raise has been the past failure for action to be taken, one way or another, upon the
recommendations for international education which have been presented from time to
time." As evidence for this last observation, the McGuire Report in 1965 cited the work
of the Conference on the Responsibilities of the University in the Field of International
Education which began its work as early as 1959 and prepared a series of reports
from 1960 through 1962 on which little action apparently was taken!
Based on its studies, the McGuire Committee made an extensive set of
recommendations which took the form of a separate nine-page section which had
previously been submitted to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Thurston E.
Manning, on February 12, 1965. This section, entitled "A Proposed Structure for
Expanded International Education at the University of Colorado," envisioned a Dean of
International Education heading a greatly expanded staff to include a Director for
Exchange Activities and a Director for the Development of International Activities. The
former would have been assisted by two additional professional staff members, an
International Exchange Advisor and an International Student Advisor. The duties of
this expanded structure and staff would have been to provide "a University-wide
central organization for the development of international education" by serving as a
visible symbol of the University's commitment to international education, by
facilitating the development of new programs, soliciting outside funding, allocating
University funding, assisting in student and faculty exchanges and in various ways
serving as a central service unit.
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The McGuire Report also recommended the formation of a Faculty Senate
Committee on International Education, in accordance with standing rules of the
Senate, to be made up of some ten to twenty faculty members with the Dean of
International Education, the Academic Vice President, the Dean of the Graduate
School, the Vice President for Student Affairs and the Dean of Arts and Sciences as ex
officio members. This Committee was envisioned as being responsible for setting policy
for the Dean of International Education and his staff, and for "constantly reviewing the
University role in International Education."
Other recommendations of the McGuire Report called attention to eighteen
proposals appended to the report which had been received from faculty members and
others in the University community in response to invitations from the Committee.
Many of these were creative efforts into which a great deal of effort had gone, and the
Committee gave its particular blessing to a number of them, after a thorough
evaluation of all.
Another, earlier section of the Report concerned itself with policy
recommendations, stating at the outset that "The University should adopt a formal
general commitment to international education, the objective being the creation of a
conscious international dimension at the University with international education being
an integral and important component of the whole." More specific actions were then
urged in the areas of teaching, service and research. Under "Teaching" were included
suggestions for the systematic exposure of every undergraduate to non-American and
non-Western cultures, increased study abroad opportunities, closer integration of
foreign students into University life, enhanced opportunities for faculty members to
acquire international experience, and others. Suggestions under the "Service" heading
included enlarging the international components of the Extension
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Division, expanded inter-institutional cooperation, increased participation in
government-financed overseas contracts, and greater service to other state educational
institutions below the university level. "Research" suggestions included the fostering of
research in the international field through released faculty time, enlargement of library
and other research tools and publication outlets, and other methods. As a final
recommendation, the McGuire Committee urged the University to "pick up the
unfinished work of this Committee and subject it to further study."
B. The Grieder Committee
The McGuire Committee Report was submitted in May of 1965 and in September
of 1965 the first full-time Director of the Office of International Education, Professor
James L. Colwell, was appointed by Vice President Manning and arrived to take up his
duties. These were not substantially enlarged from those of the Office prior to the
McGuire Report, but were limited to directing the study abroad programs (under the
Study Abroad Committee of the College of Arts and Sciences) providing information for
students and faculty members wishing to go abroad independently or on such
programs as Fulbright, assistance to foreign faculty members and visitors to the
campus, and performing other related tasks.
At the urging of Dr. Colwell, and following passage of the International Education
Act of 1966 by the U.S. Congress, Vice President Manning appointed another ad hoc
Committee on International Education chaired by Professor Calvin Grieder in
February, 1967. Seventeen members of the faculty and administration were initially
appointed, with two additional members added as replacements became necessary for
members leaving the University. These included representatives of the College of
Engineering and the Schools of Business and of
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Medicine. An innovation was that the Committee was provided with a modest budget,
and a part-time secretary-research assistant worked with Chairman Grieder and
Secretary Colwell in conducting the Committee's study and preparing its Final Report.
That Report was submitted to President Joseph R. Smiley and Vice President Manning
on April 1, 1968, and endorsed a majority of the McGuire Committee
recommendations. It pointed out the instrumental role of the Grieder Committee in
forming the Colorado Association for International Education, a consortium of nearly
all Colorado colleges and universities including the Air Force Academy. It stated,
"There is not the slightest doubt about the importance of international education in
the University, or about interest in it," and went on to urge that the University become
the leading institution in the field in the Rocky Mountain region, a status "it has made
a good beginning toward achieving."
More specifically, the Grieder Committee urged adoption of the McGuire plan for
a Dean of International Education with an expanded staff, basing this
recommendation partly on a survey of the role and administration of international
education at 33 comparable institutions, a summary which made up 22 pages of the
Grieder Report. It urged the conscious and consistent use of a permanent
International Education Committee by the central administration of the University as
a means of rationally developing the University's commitment to the field, without the
lack of coordination and consideration which had marred many of the efforts to that
point. The Grieder Report pointed out that although foundations had begun to pull
back from financing international projects in the expectation that the International
Education Act would soon be funded by the Congress, that funding had not come
about (as, indeed, it has still not some three years later). Given this situation, the
Report urged
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greater commitment of University general funding.
C. The Grupp Committee
Slightly over a month after the submission of the Grieder Report, the present
International Education Committee chaired by Professor William J. Grupp was
appointed by Vice President Manning, with indefinite tenure. Charged with providing
recommendations on international matters to the central administration of the
University through Vice President Manning and Professor Colwell, the Committee feels
its potential has not been effectively used by the administration.
Some changes have come about in the Office of International Education (OIE). In
the fall of 1967, responsibility for University liaison with the Peace Corps was
transferred to OIE from the University's Office of Special Services (OSS), and on
August 1 of 1968, OIE was assigned responsibility for the advisement of foreign
students when that function was transferred from OSS. After a year of inadequate
staffing with a part-time, acting Foreign Student Adviser, Mr. Eugene H. Smith arrived
to fill that post on July 1 of 1969. Mrs. Ruth H. Purkaple replaced Mr. Clay Bridgford
early in 1968 as Assistant OIE Director responsible for study abroad.
Nevertheless, the implementation of the many other McGuire and Grieder
Committee recommendations appeared to be lagging, although in April of 1969
President Smiley voiced his approval to a Grupp Committee recommendation that a
high-level position for the supervision and coordination of international education,
tentatively called "Associate Vice President for International Education," be
established. President Smiley's departure from the University two months later
precluded his further action on the proposal, but on January 20, 1970 President
Thieme expressed his support for International Education and invited
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the Grupp Committee to submit a proposal.
A report entitled "The Time is Now" was submitted in February, 1970. After a
brief recapitulation of the history of its predecessors and of international education at
the University in general, the Grupp report made nine recommendations, only one of
which has been partially and visibly acted upon. This was that the Office of
International Education be physically located in or near Regent Hall. The other
recommendations can be summarized as follows: That a Dean of International
Education be appointed, and that he be a member of the Administrative Council. That
a greatly expanded Committee on International Education be appointed to assist him
and that a University-wide Study Abroad Committee be created. That the Dean be
given additional resources and sufficient authority to carry out his responsibilities.
To this date the Committee has not received acknowledgement of receipt of its
Report, and is unaware of any action to implement its recommendations.
III.
Current Operations of the Office of International Education
Despite its feeling of a lack of impact, the Grupp Committee, like the Office of
International Education which it advises, has continued to function. A brief review of
the present functions of the OIE might prove helpful at this point.
A. Study Abroad
Under the Study Abroad Director, Mrs. Purkaple, the University now operates or
participates in nine academic year study abroad programs, compared to three in 1965.
These are located in Costa Rica, Egypt, England (two programs), France, Germany,
Italy, Japan, and Peru. Other programs are under consideration in Mexico, Spain, and
Israel. A summer
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program primarily for Mexican-American students in Monterrey, Mexico has operated
successfully for two years. Cooperative semester programs for prospective teachers
(CIPTE) in France (separate graduate and undergraduate programs), Spain and
Colombia have been established with the University of Colorado as one of the
cooperating institutions. Each year hundreds of individual students are counseled on
studying abroad independently or in programs run by other institutions each year,
and are provided with international student identity cards for a small fee. Efforts are
made to provide other CU campuses with similar counseling assistance. Students from
other Colorado institutions are enrolled as space permits.
B. Foreign Student Advisement
The number of foreign students on the Boulder campus has remained about
steady at just over four hundred, despite increased tuition and a sharp drop in foreign
student support from various sources. National Association for Foreign Student Affairs
guidelines call for a professional adviser for each two hundred students, meaning that
OIE is 50% understaffed in this area. Despite this handicap, our foreign students and
faculty members are provided with a range of services and assistance which make
Colorado's program a model of its kind with an international reputation.
C. Fulbright, Foreign Visitors, etc.
The Office of International Education performs a wide variety of other services
connected with its mission of facilitating the University's involvement with other
nations and cultures. Annually scores of faculty members and graduate students are
counseled on opportunities for study, research and teaching abroad under the
Fulbright-Hays Act, Marshall, Churchill and Rhodes Scholarship programs, and a
wide variety of similar plans. Foreign visitors to the University are provided with
assistance
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at the request of University offices, government agencies and others. Liaison with the
Peace Corps, which normally sends recruiting teams to the campus two or three times
each academic year, is another responsibility of the OIE, as is the preparation of
reports on the University's international activities for government agencies.
The OIE has been a mainstay in the continued existence of the Colorado
Association for International Education, and represents the University in the
Southwest Alliance for Latin America, the Council on International Educational
Exchange, the Institute of International Education's regional office, the National
Association for Foreign Student Affairs and other organizations by service on
committees, boards of directors, and in other positions. Advisement of the University
community on work and travel abroad, development of relations with overseas
universities, and providing reference materials on foreign institutions are some of the
additional duties of the Office.
IV.
The Present Situation
Despite its failure to implement many recommendations of the McGuire, Grieder
and Grupp Committee Reports, the University of Colorado has until quite recently
been a leader in the field of international education. Steady progress has been made
since Colorado became one of the first institutions in the nation to establish an Office
of International Education, which it did on a part-time basis under retired Vice
President W.F. Dyde in 1959.
Recently, however, a step that can only be described as moving counter to the
steady progress of the last decade has been instituted as a result of the current crisis
in funding. At the beginning of the current fiscal year, the budget crisis made it
necessary to cut the budget of the Office by nearly 25%, with the proviso that the
funds
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necessary to maintain the current level of staffing and activities should be recovered
by substantially increasing the charge to students participating in the study abroad
programs. The effect would be to remove much of the general fund subsidy for those
programs, resulting in an increased cost to the student of perhaps 15 or 20% the first
year. If a projected cut of similar magnitude is carried out in 1972-73, the increased
costs to students would again be substantial, and many capable students would be
denied the educational opportunities of study abroad simply because of that increased
cost.
That the University faces a difficult situation with regard to revenues no one can
deny. Whether the further reduction of the University commitment to international
education, which flies in the face of the best advice formulated by study committees
over the years, is the wisest way to proceed is at least deserving of a careful and
reasonably public consideration.
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V.
Recommendations to the Faculty Council
In the interest of clarifying the University's goals in the fields of international
education the Committee on International Education wishes to submit the following
three Recommendations to the Faculty Council for its consideration and action.
Recommendation No. 1 - The University's Commitment to International Education
The University has an obligation to provide broad opportunities for international
education which is in many ways as important as its obligation to provide educational
opportunities in any of the traditional academic disciplines or interdisciplinary areas.
In particular the University should
(1) Provide educational programs, opportunities, aid, and assistance to
students and faculty of all schools, colleges, divisions and departments of
all the campuses and centers of the University of Colorado who wish to
carry on educational activities in an international context;
(2)
Support a low-cost comprehensive study abroad program; and
(3)
Support programs to bring students and faculty from foreign countries to
the University of Colorado.
Recommendation No. 2 - The Office of International Education
The operation of the Office of International Education shall be the responsibility
of the Director of International Education. Because the Office provides services to all
schools, colleges and campuses of the University, its Director, like the Director of the
Libraries and Director of the Museum, shall continue to report to the Provost.
The Office of International Education is charged with
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
Operating, maintaining and developing Study Abroad Programs.
Maintaining a central source of information and advising on the
opportunities for educational work and travel abroad, including the
programs of other educational institutions and agencies.
Assisting and encouraging students and faculty who wish to Participate in
foreign educational or exchange programs.
Representing the University by serving as host to students and faculty
from abroad who are visiting the University, and by maintaining
counseling, assistance, and logistical support Programs for these foreign
guests of the University.
Serving as a catalyst and providing support to faculty and students who
wish to develop disciplinary or interdisciplinary programs in international
education here or in cooperation with other institutions.
Maintaining an inventory of the roles and programs in international
education at the University of Colorado and coordinating such activities
within the University.
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(7)
(8)
Cooperating with other institutions of higher education in Colorado and
the region to make available to students and faculties programs and
opportunities in international education on a reciprocal basis.
Carrying on such other activities in support of international education as
may be necessary.
Recommendation No. 3 - The Committee on International Education
A Committee on International Education shall be established as a standing
subcommittee of the University Committee on Educational Policy and University
Standards. The Committee shall be responsible for giving support and guidance to the
University's efforts in the field of international education and for reporting periodically
to the Faculty Council on its work and on the work of the Office of International
Education. It shall report to the faculty through the EPUS Committee.
The Committee shall be a University-wide committee whose members are
representative of demonstrated interest and involvement in international education, to
be appointed by the Provost in consultation with the Director of International
Education. The Director shall serve as ex officio member without vote.