Internationalising Higher Education

Internationalisation: how are institutions, governments and agencies engaging with this important agenda?
Professor Robin Middlehurst, Director, Centre for Policy and Change in
Tertiary Education, University of Surrey, UK introduces: Perspectives on internationalisation at institutional and national levels: UK and beyond
This presentation will use the outcomes of a recent Higher Education Academy-funded research project as well as insights arising from the Leadership Foundation's international work to discuss developments in internationalisation at institutional and policy levels. At institutional level, the main focus will be on the UK, while making relevant comparisons with other countries. At policy level, the focus will be on how governments, agencies and associations are supporting the internationalisation agenda at institutional and sector levels in a sample of countries (including the USA, Australia and the UK) concentrating on the leadership, management and governance challenges arising from internationalisation.
Professor Nigel Healey, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Dean, University of Canterbury, New Zealand introduces: The internationalisation of higher education: myths and realities
It is a widely accepted maxim that, like business generally, higher education is globalising. For many countries, higher education is now an important export sector, with university campuses attracting international students from around the world. Licensing production - in the form of franchising degree provision to international partners - is beginning to mutate into foreign direct investment as many universities set up campuses in other countries. While there are clearly parallels between the globalisation of business and higher education, this paper examines the supply and demand drivers within the university sector. It argues that an alignment of special factors, rather than an inexorable trend towards commercialisation, has caused the recent internationalisation of higher education and concludes that current trends are unsustainable in the medium-term.