Globalizing Canada’s
Universities: An Overview
Glen A. Jones
Ontario Research Chair in Postsecondary
Education Policy and Measurement
Key Questions:
• Pressures and possibilities: The “Why?”
question.
• Defining internationalization: The “What?”
question.
• Problematic assumptions on going global:
The “Why Not?” question.
• Internationalization, Public Policy, and
Canadian Universities: The “Who” “Where” and
“How” questions.
Pressures and Possibilities
Pressures
• Globalization and global competition:
capital, communication, human resources,
research funding, prestige, rankings
• Repositioning of the University as a key
institution in an increasingly international
“knowledge economy”: a national
instrument of economic development
within a global economy
Possibilities
• Learning about the world: its peoples,
geography, knowledge, and problems.
• Cross-cultural understanding through new
interactions (relationships, partnerships,
collaboration, networks)
• Improving the quality of education (curricular
change, faculty development, student mobility)
• Revenue generation (international students,
research funding)
Why the current interest?
• Ontario Government 2010: international
enrolment will increase by 50%.
• Changing demographics mean that the
domestic demand for PSE will decrease in
some areas – so there is excess capacity.
• International students fulfill a government
promise, fill potentially empty spaces, and
pay tuition.
Defining Internationalization
Internationalization of Higher
Education
is the process of integrating an
international, intercultural and/or global
dimension into the purpose, functions
(teaching, research and service) and
delivery of higher education.
J. Knight (2006)
Internationalization is …
• A process (not a product)
• Integrative
• Multidimensional and complex
– International/comparative/inter-cultural research
approaches and initiatives
– Student mobility
– Faculty mobility
– Curriculum (inter-cultural dimensions)
– Development and other service initiatives
Problematic Assumptions on Going
Global
Problems
• International activities are not innately
good.
– Students can have terrible experiences and
learn little.
– International research projects can be
second-rate and involve problematic power
and status relationships.
– International networks can be nothing more
than an excuse for travel.
Five Myths of Internationalization
• Foreign students as internationalization
agents
• International reputation as a proxy for
quality
• International Institutional Agreements
• International Accreditation
• Global Branding
(J. Knight, Winter 2011,International Higher Education)
Internationalization
• Can exacerbate inequities in power and
economic relations:
– Our brain “gain” is someone else's brain
“drain”
– Can challenge existing relationships, but it
can also reinforce existing inequities
Internationalization and
Government Policy
Internationalization and Higher
Education Policy
• Prominent role in EU, UK, US, Australia,
China, etc.
• Why have Canada’s federal and provincial
governments placed so little emphasis on
internationalization of Canadian higher
education?
Policy Challenges
• Canadianization movement
• Canadian federal arrangements
• Concerns of displacement
Canadianization Movement
• 1967 Canada’s Centennial and Expo
• “What Culture, What Heritage?” 1970
study by A.B. Hodgetts
• “The Struggle for Canadian Universities”
by R. Mathews and J. Steele, 1969
• “To Know Ourselves: Report of the
Commission on Canadian Studies” T.
Symons, 1975
Canadianization
• Problems identified:
– Canadian school textbooks did not provide
enough content on Canada and were largely
published in the United States
– Many new professors in universities were not
from Canada and did not know Canadian
history or culture
– Limited research on Canada
– Need more Canadian content (journals,
music, television, film, art)
Canadianization
• Assumed that Canada was becoming
increasingly international and multicultural
BUT there was a need for a greater
emphasis on Canadian studies
• Growth of nationalism, concerns of cultural
imperialism
• Linked to national strategies and cultural
protectionism of Trudeau era
Canadianization
• Expansion of Canadian graduate programs
• Increased funding for research in social
sciences and humanities
• Canada-first hiring policies
• Funding for Canadian publications (journals,
books)
• Development of Canadian studies programs
inside Canada, and the Canadian Studies
abroad initiative by the Federal Government
Canadianization
• While many countries were focusing on
internationalization in the 1970-1985
period, there was a strong
“Canadianization” emphasis in Canadian
policies
Canada’s Federal Arrangements
• A challenge for the development of
internationalization policies:
– Federal responsibility for foreign affairs and
international trade
– Provincial responsibility for higher education
– Until quite recently, very little federal emphasis on
international initiatives (research, student and faculty
mobility) but Canadian Studies Abroad viewed as key
program
– Some provinces have supported mobility programs
Concerns of Displacement
• Until the 1980s, most provinces did not
have differential fees for international
students
• While Australia was emphasizing revenue
generation, the Canadian policy
discussion was on the level of subsidy for
international students
Concerns of Displacement
• View that international initiatives mean:
– That international students will take the place
of domestic students
– That great Canadian students will leave the
country through student mobility programs
– That international research projects will mean
less money for increasing domestic capacity
– That expenditures on scholarships for
international students is taking money away
from domestic students (Ontario, 2010)
So …
• Federal government policies have not
emphasized internationalization
– Little support for international research initiatives
– Most scholarship programs emphasize Canadian
students and Canadian universities
– No special support to internationalize curriculum,
facilitate faculty mobility, etc.
– Internationalization is seldom seen as a domestic
policy issue
But some signs of change …
• Modest new federal investments in:
– International research initiatives
– Graduate student mobility
• Some provinces have been running
modest programs for some time, and there
has been a growth in new initiatives
(mobility, scholarships, etc.)
Internationalization and Canadian
Universities
Internationalization and Universities
• What we know…
– Common component of institutional mission
statements
– Many institutions have international strategies
– Most institutions report that it is an area of
strategic importance (IAU surveys)
– Some institutions are devoting tremendous
attention – but the level of activity and
approach varies by institution
Internationalization and Institutions
• What we don’t know …
– Little research on internationalization and
Canadian universities
– Few case studies
– Expenditures on internationalization
initiatives?
– Comparative data on institutional experiences
Internationalization and Faculty
Internationalization and Faculty
• Graduate Education
– Individuals holding doctorates born outside
their country of current residence:
•
•
•
•
Germany 12% (2004 data)
United States 26% (2003 data)
Australia 46% (2001 data)
Canada 54% (2001 data)
(L. Auriol, OECD STI Working Paper 2007/2)
Internationalization and Faculty
• 34% of full-time faculty respondents
earned their doctorate outside Canada
(Changing Academic Professions Survey 2007)
• Of 56,115 total university professors:
– 33,220 were Canadian born (59%)
– 20,620 immigrated/non-permanent res (41%)
(2006 Statscan data via CAUT Almanac 2010/11)
Internationalization and Faculty
• Research Activities
– 84% of Canadian full-time faculty respondents
have collaborators on research projects
– 64% collaborate with international colleagues
– 37% collaborate with U.S. colleagues
(Changing Academic Professions Survey 2007)
Internationalization and Faculty
Teaching:
In a national survey, full-time faculty
responded to the statement
…In your courses you emphasize international
perspectives or content:
• Strongly Agreed/Agreed 62%
• Neutral 22%
• Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed 16%
(Changing Academic Professions Survey 2007)
Internationalization and Students
Destinations for International
Students (Atlas of Student Mobility)
Internationalization and Students
• Complex intersections between
“internationalization” and addressing the
needs of an increasingly diverse domestic
student population
• Challenges of categories (today's
international student can be tomorrow’s
Canadian citizen)
International Students
• Total count:
– 1,670,772 all higher education students in
Canada
– 161, 679 international students in Canada
(10%)
(Atlas of Student Mobility – 2008/09 data)
International Students
• University Enrolment
– 873,557 total FTE (2007/08)
– 78,445 FTE International students (2007/08)
• 43,353 Full-time undergraduates
• 11, 265 Full-time master’s degree students
• 8,034 Full-time doctoral degree students
(Statistics Canada via CAUT Almanac)
International Students
• Top sending places of origin:
– China 49,905 (25%)
– South Korea 25,871 (13%)
– United States 11, 275 (6%)
– India 9,570 (5%)
(Atlas of Student Mobility from Citizenship Immigration Canada)
Outbound Student Mobility
• Between 2-3% of students study abroad
(roughly the international average)
• Leading destinations:
– United States (28,905)
– United Kingdom (5,010)
– Australia (4,039)
– France (1302)
(Atlas of Student Mobility – 2007 UNESCO)
So … Where are we?
1.Our universities are quite
international in orientation
• They were built by a nation of immigrants.
• Most faculty engage in international
collaboration and report that they consider
international issues in their teaching.
• Canadian universities attract large
numbers of international students.
• Many of our domestic students bring
considerable international experience.
2. Universities Determine Policy
• No comprehensive government strategy,
so institutions determine strategy and
approach
• Healthy skepticism of internationization.
• Variations in the level of emphasis,
support and approach by institution across
the country.
3. Disconnected Conversations
• New conversation on recruitment (senior
administrators and government) seems
disconnected from conversations on:
– International curricula
– International research and development
– International student support
– Domestic student mobility
• Need for more research and a holistic, strategic
approach.
4. Government Policy
• Internationalization of higher education is an
important area of domestic policy.
• While important steps have been taken, there is
little policy coherence and initiatives are
fragmented and uncoordinated.
• Universities need government support to build
partnerships, international research networks,
and further domestic student mobility.
Thank you!
gjones@oise.utoronto.ca