The increasing recognition of a global interdependence among our
economies and societies places a significant amount of pressure on
educational institutions to prepare future citizens for successful
participation in this “new world order.” While there might be
general agreement that globalization or internationalization is a
“major trend in education” or a “worldwide
phenomenon,” there are barriers to internationalization, some of
which can be individual—resulting from faculty and student
attitudes; some institutional—caused by long-standing policies,
practices, and traditions; and some reflecting the attitudes and culture
of the wider American society (Green 2003, 11).
There are different ways that institutions of higher learning can respond
to this phenomenon most effectively, including, for example, changes at
the curricular level, broad institutional policies that involve
recruitment of foreign students, experiential partnerships with foreign
institutions of higher learning, and the creation of campuses in other
countries (see Altbach 2002).