Managing Efforts to Globalize Universities

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Managing Efforts to Globalize Universities
Howard A. Rollins, Jr. Georgia Institute of
Technology

• Risky Business Offshore Adventures in Higher
  Education
• AIEA Annual Conference
• Washington, D.C.
• February 21st, 2007

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Managing Efforts to Globalize Universities

• Why globalize?
• Growth in size, complexity and types of overseas
  partnerships
• Internal and external problems created
• Some solutions taking place at Georgia Tech

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Why Global Universities?

• Friedmans Flat World metaphor.
• Competition among research universities global
  rather than regional or national.
• Competition for resources (faculty, students,
  research dollars) is global
• Top universities can no longer depend on
  local/national resources to compete effectively
• Rating systems going global

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Global Universities What Is Involved?

• Recruit and compete globally for people
• top faculty (41 GT faculty born outside U.S.)
• top students (40 graduate students are
  international)
• Produce graduates that can successfully compete
  in the global job market Take a world-wide
  approach to research to attract and maximize
  opportunities best opportunities may be outside
  U.S.
• Innovation will require international
  partnerships universities, industries,
  governments.

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Growth in Size, Complexity and Types of
International Partnerships

• In the beginning
• Small number of partnerships
• Mainly student/faculty exchange or study abroad
• Processes were usually decentralized
• Responsibility in Academic Departments
• Little to no central administration involvement

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Growth in Size and Diversity

• Exponential growth in the number of partnerships
• Broader representation of academic departments
  (social sciences, sciences, engineering)
• More faculty and students involved and going to
  much broader and more diverse locations
• Doing much wider variety of activities including
  research collaborations

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Increasing Complexity

• Additional types of study abroad
• Addition of research and internships
• Dual and Joint Degrees (BS-BS BS-MS, MS-MS,
  PhD-PhD, etc.

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Changing Types and Complexity of Partnerships

• Joint Colleges
• Off shore campuses
• Off shore research institutes
• Partnerships with local/national governments

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Examples from Georgia Tech of Growing Complexity
of Overseas Programs

• Metz, France Georgia Tech Lorraine (15 years)
• Independent campus (funded locally)
• Initial focus on graduate education research
• Offers dual MS and PhD degrees to students from
  universities in France and across Europe (e.g.,
  Germany, Italy, Portugal).
• Summer undergraduate program (160 GT Atlanta
  students)
• Semester undergraduate program started Fall 2006

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Overseas Campuses/Dual Degrees

• Singapore The Logistics Institute Asia Pacific
• Collaboration with National University of
  Singapore (NUS)
• Graduate degrees and research
• Dual MS Degree in Logistics (Industrial Eng.)
• Collaborative research with NUS and industry
• Undergraduate summer program (GT students)
• Possible future expansion to independent campus
  with broader range of disciplines (computing,
  engineering, management)
• Graduate Education and Research
• Joint venture with Singaporean Government
• Collaboration with Singapore Universities and
  Industry
• Students from Singapore but also from South-East
  Asia

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Overseas Campuses/Dual Degrees

• Ireland.
• Georgia Tech Research Institute's first applied
  research facility outside the United States
• Research only
• Joint venture with Irish Government and local
  industry to conduct research with implications
  for industry (innovation to practice)
• India - Possible Independent Campus Under
  Consideration
• Focus on Graduate Education and Research
  Computing, engineering, and management
• Research collaborations with local and
  multinational industries in India
• MS and PhD programs designed to provide high
  level workforce in industry

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Overseas Campuses and Dual Degrees

• China
• Shanghai Collaborations with SJTU
• Summer undergraduate study abroad
• Dual Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering
• US-Sino Logistics Institute
• graduate education and research
• Dual Masters Degree with SJTU
• Beijing Collaborations with PKU
• Possible joint College of Engineering
• Joint faculty
• Research collaborations and Chinese Government
  funding of basic research
• Dual undergraduate and graduate degrees (in both
  directions)
• Students spend some time in each location

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Problems 1. Internal Issues

• How many overseas operations can a university
  handle?
• Staff, particularly faculty, outside the U.S.
• Maintaining brand and quality.
• Taxes (personal and corporate)
• Overhead (costs on Atlanta campus)
• Global Tech possible U.S. entity to manage for
  GT Atlanta.

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Problems2. Intellectual Property

• Research Collaborations
• Graduate Education involving research
  collaborations- dual Ph.D.s
• Who owns the IP?
• How is it shared?
• How protected?
• More problematic in some parts of the world
  (e.g., China)

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Problems3. Growing Complexity of External
Regulations and Review

• University or System Board of Regents or Trustees
• Accrediting Bodies - University-wide Regional
  Accrediting (SACS for GT) and for various
  professional degrees
• Government Regulatory Agencies
• Export Control (for research or even educational
  programs)

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How To Address These Issues?

• Movement toward higher levels of
• Centralization
• Strategic Planning
• Top Administration Review and Sign Off
• Campus-wide policies and procedures established
  and refined
• Involve relevant parties beyond academic
  administration

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How To Address (continued)?

• Education of faculty and staff
• Meetings of relevant parties to anticipate
  problem areas
• Prioritization of International Efforts with a
  more controlled growth that follows strategic
  goals

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THANK YOU!
/ Copy of presentation http//www.oie.gatech.ed
u/staff/hrollins.html Contact Information howar
d.rollins_at_oie.gatech.edu