The international imperative
Funds support initiatives in curriculum, services, partnerships

March 26, 2010

By Colleen MacPherson

An injection of funds over the next three years to support curriculum development, faculty workshops, student programs and research signifies a growing commitment to internationalization as a priority at the University of Saskatchewan.

The Provost’s Committee on Integrated Planning (PCIP) recently approved $670,000 from the academic priorities fund to implement some of the recommendations made in Globalism and the University of Saskatchewan: The Foundational Document for International Activities which was approved in September 2003. For the man leading the effort, “this is a big step for us. It’s what I would call the first phase of moving forward on internationalization.”

Tom Wishart, special advisor on international initiatives, said even though “it was a bad time to be asking for money because we know the university has financial issues,” he went to PCIP with a handful of the 60 recommendations contained in his implementation plan for internationalization. What he came away with was three years of funding for some significant projects.

Curriculum Development Fund
Part of an initiative contemplated by Ernie Barber, vice-provost teaching and learning, the fund will provide small grants to instructors over the next three years to support innovative international programming. Wishart said bringing an international perspective to curriculum through cross-cultural or cross-country comparisons will both broaden the education of and better inform students.

International Workshop Series for Faculty
Organized by the Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching Effectiveness, this workshop series will focus on internationalizing curriculum. The objective – “to teach the teachers” – will begin this year, said Wishart.

Student Programs and Services
The International Student Office will receive $15,000 per year for three years to help it deal with services “for our emerging international student body. There’s a recognition that we’ve taken in more (international) students and we will continue to take in more international students, so we have to be prepared.” Some services that have been cut, such as a program to meet new students at the airport, may be reinstated on a priority basis thanks to the new funding. Wishart added that as pressure on services mounts, the university may need to ensure that some of the differential tuition paid by international students (2.7 times regular tuition) is focused in the area of services.

International Partnership Fund
“This is my baby,” said Wishart who wants to see the university support large-scope multidisciplinary agreements with foreign institutions. Like most universities, the U of S has hundreds of agreements for exchanges, study abroad programs or research “but most are paper thin. They’re developed by one faculty member or small group and concentrate on one small activity so if the person leaves, the agreement fails.” With $150,000 and matching funds from applicants, the fund will help establish multifaceted agreements. “The bigger the better,” said Wishart. “The more people who are involved, the more likely it will be to develop a long-term sustained relationship.”

International Research and Development
The International Research Office will receive $200,000 a year for two years to shore up its support for faculty members who are applying for or administering international grants and contracts. Some of the funding will also help to identify and pull together faculty working in common research or geographical areas.

Along with providing funding, the university has shifted responsibility for internationalization to the portfolios of the provost and the vice-president research. In addition, the Global Relations Office will get a new name – “something with international in the title” – to create a more easily identifiable point of contact between administration and faculty and outside agencies and individuals, Wishart said.

Wishart, who is planning to retire next year, believes the new funding and new leadership on the internationalization file will reap significant dividends for the U of S, “and my expectation is that there’s more to come.”