Global Brandeis: Toward a Comprehensive Strategy
This online report, updated in summer 2010, serves as a working blueprint for Brandeis as global institution. It was first created in spring 2008 following conversations with the Brandeis community.
While not intended to be a formal strategic plan, the report integrates the Office of Global Affairs' (OGA) current projects with an eye on creating a forward-thinking vision for the university as a whole. We hope that you'll continue to guide its progress by contacting us at oga@brandeis.edu.
Daniel Terris
Vice President for Global Affairs
The global nature of institutions, culture, and information in the 21st century has affected almost every major organization, from the private sector to the public, and from K-12 through higher education. While most universities, including Brandeis, have always had an international dimension, many of our peers are revisiting their strategies and curricula to confront rapid global changes. Some of these initiatives include:
- Examining the foundational competencies that all students need to succeed in an increasingly interconnected world
- Expanding collaborative partnerships with universities, corporations, and organizations to tackle mutual issues of civil society and human development
- Advancing new frontiers of scholarship that cross borders and disciplines
- Forming strategies for navigating a highly competitive and complex student enrollment and service landscape -- catalyzed by demographic changes, technology advances, and the demands of the knowledge economy
Universities like Brandeis have approached such "internationalization" differently; some have pursued large-scale initiatives overseas through development projects and grants, while others have concentrated on the intercultural nature of the home campus. At Brandeis, our global connections are likely to be highly integrated into the fabric of the institution, relationship-driven, and to draw upon our existing strengths as a university founded on the commitment to social justice for people of all faiths, cultures, and traditions.
One of our primary goals is educating ourselves, and our community, about the global higher education landscape. Over the last three years, we’ve invited in experts to spend a few days with us, as part of a regular Global Brandeis Symposium. The latest report from that series will be available this fall.
This process of global engagement is one of collaboration all members of our extended community. We've identified the following development areas as aspects of this work: building an international campus; supporting intellectual frameworks; enhancing student learning and experiences; creating regional strategies and “flagship projects”; and positioning Brandeis as a global university.
One of the goals of any world-class university is to develop a home campus that is truly "global" in nature (encompassing the global, international and intercultural). The development of this aspect creates an ethos of intercultural learning on campus -- often tied to classroom activities and overseas experiences but also deep enough to affect students who cannot go abroad. In addition, a robust international campus effectively integrates international students, scholars, and visitors into an on-going dialogue both inside and outside the classroom.
Brandeis already supports a vast array of globally-themed events and integrated lectures, visiting scholars, interfaith initiatives, and student clubs. Over 1,000 international students and scholars enrich the campus and provide training for future business, government, and civic leaders from developing countries. Many of these students in our graduate and professional schools are Fulbright, Ford, and other sponsored fellows.
Development area goals:
- Support and enhance existing activities, particularly the ability for Brandeis to host and integrate international students and scholars into our core activities of teaching, research, and service
- Build new synergies between campus groups where appropriate
- Set the stage and develop infrastructure for future growth to match the people-to-people energy on campus
Key Global Brandeis projects:
- Communications: In collaboration with the Office of Communications, the OGA produces this web portal, an e-newsletter, brochure, and a collaborative blog site. We maintain an e-list of over 1,500 students, faculty, staff, alumni, and parents of current students.
- Global Brandeis Fund: The OGA and Provost's Office provide occasional seed funding for the development or enhancement of initiatives that enhance the global dimension of the Brandeis campus. The fund is especially focused on sustainable relationships -- both with people and institutions overseas, and between units on campus. The 2008 Fund contributed to the sustainability of nine university projects, many of which are continuing to grow. You can view the progress of these projects at the web site above.
Supporting intellectual frameworks
The global dimension of Brandeis is not just a practical or competitive priority; it should be, at its core, an intellectual and scholarly pursuit. At the heart of any effort to internationalize should be support for faculty to fully explore the implications of global on their work and discipline, in addition to new cross- or multi-disciplinary frameworks. This development area recognizes that the best initiatives are ones that faculty have the time to devote their sustained energies to, rather than add on another new task to an already-full plate.
Development area goals:
- Create spaces (virtual and physical) for faculty to come together and build the intellectual frameworks for internationalization
- Develop funding for faculty to explore innovative ideas and research collaborations
Key Global Brandeis Projects:
- Symposia: A series of cross-campus conversations engage our faculty, staff, and students in intellectual and exploratory dialogues on the shape and scope of our activities over the long term. The first of these, "The Global: Implications for Research and the Curriculum,” was held in April 2008 and featured Brandeis alumnus Arjun Appadurai ’70. Two follow-up symposium were hosted in 2009-10, on issues ranging from academic freedom to the debate over “intercultural competencies.” A full report from the 2008 – 2010 events will be available later this fall. Along with Prof. Chandler Rosenberger, the new chair of International & Global Studies (IGS), we are currently planning another symposium on research.
- Funding: In addition to administering the occasional Global Brandeis Fund, the OGA will work to develop funding and new funding sources for faculty-centered initiatives in this area.
Enhancing student learning and experiences
At Brandeis, we have a long history of educating students for a global world -- and this mission should be further enhanced with additional opportunities for overseas study, research, work, and service. Like many universities, we also have some gaps in how we prepare students for and integrate these experiences into the overall curriculum. We need to ask some complex questions about the nature and methods of "global" learning, and how study abroad, internships, and research fellowships fit in to a larger picture.
Development area goals:
- Communicate the importance of student experiences abroad to our broader community, and promote the excellent work already being done
- In collaboration with other offices, engage faculty directly in integrating these experiences into the fabric of the curriculum and courses
- Engage the university community in a series of conversations about the Brandeis definition of global and intercultural learning, outlining the frameworks of what all of our students need to know upon graduation.
Key Global Brandeis projects:
- Sub-Committee on Global Learning: The OGA is chairing this sub-committee (part of the larger Brandeis Assessment Committee). This university-wide group is charged with defining global learning goals for all undergraduates. The Sub-Committee has come up with a draft framework for these goals, and we will be working with faculty to test out some of the goals in university courses.
- Enhancing summer and short-term opportunities: Over the coming months and years, the OGA will support increased opportunities for short-term academic and experiential programs abroad. These include the new Brandeis in the Hague program, described below.
Creating regional strategies and ‘flagship projects’
To be a truly global university, we need dynamic global partnerships in key regions of the world. While Brandeis has many innovative educational and research partnerships around the world, many of these projects are done as "extras." We need to capitalize on some of our strong regional programs and invigorate others where needed.
Development area goals:
- Lead a strategic process for Brandeis' connections with various regions of the world. This process will be taken sequentially -- one region at a time -- over the next five to ten years. We will take steps to foster meaningful collaborations with institutions in those regions, identify funding sources, support faculty innovation, and encourage cross-school and cross-discipline work. This development area enhances all others by providing better-organized networks for research, student opportunities, and university development.
- In connection to these regional strategies, create a set of "flagship projects" that will provide the foundations for further growth in years to come.
Key Global Brandeis projects:
- Brandeis-India Initiative: Brandeis is pursuing a wide variety of projects aimed at connecting the University more closely with India by deepening student, faculty and alumni relationships with the world’s largest democracy. Projects include partnerships with Indian institutions, hosting campus events, and supporting student involvement in social justice efforts. In February 2010, Brandeis President Jehuda Reinharz made his first visit to India, the longest and most ambitious of his 15-year presidency. View the web site of the trip for details, photos, and blog diaries.
- Brandeis-Genesis Institute for Russian Jewry: The Brandeis-Genesis Institute (BGI) is a new initiative that prepares Russian-speaking students from around the world to become effective community leaders fortified by Jewish knowledge, a systematic understanding of Russian Jewry, and a commitment to the future of the Jewish people. Year two of the BGI begins this fall.
- Brandeis in The Hague: This summer, the Office of Study Abroad and Office of Global Affairs launched a new academic study abroad program in The Hague. Led by Prof. Richard Gaskins (Legal Studies) The program allowed 18 Brandeis to immerse themselves in questions of international law. The program included visits to courts and tribunals, special guest lectures, and appearances by Brandeis alumni in the area. Our goal is to expand the Hague program into a multi-faceted site for intellectual engagement, building upon existing relationships developed by the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life.
- Israel & Middle East: The OGA will continue to support the university's multi-faceted engagement with the Middle East, including strong ties to Israeli institutions and the global Jewish community. We also will continue our partnership with Al-Quds University -- a unique intercultural partnership that has involved student, faculty, and staff exchanges.
Positioning Brandeis as a global university
In collaboration with many other offices and units, we are now in a unique position to look at the long-term goals and structures that will enhance Brandeis' global engagement. These might include creating a formal internationalization strategy, building our leadership capacity, developing fund-raising goals, and supporting innovative projects that emanate from faculty, students, and staff.
Development area goals:
- Position Brandeis as a global university of considerable stature
- Develop a collaborative, shared vision that corresponds to our four pillars and our history
Key Global Brandeis projects:
- Advisory committee: For the past three years, the OGA has assembled a cross-campus advisory committee of faculty, administrators and students who work in the international arena. The Advisory Committee committee helps the Office of Global Affairs on its efforts to enhance the international and global dimension of Brandeis activities and create a long-term strategy for globally-focused engagement.
- At the same time, we are leading a specific strategic process for Brandeis’ overall commitments overseas. Such a process would integrate regional strategies into a larger plan, attempting to build a set of sustained overseas commitments where Brandeis can focus its partnerships and activities.
- External communications: The web portal receives, on average, 12,000 - 16,000 visits a month, and provides the Brandeis community with a tool to communicate our activities to world-wide audiences. The e-list/newsletter have increasingly added international alumni and parents to the list.
- Campus communications: In addition to individual conversations, we've given presentations on our strategic vision at various campus meetings, to encourage interactive conversation about the direction of the office and Global Brandeis activities.
Together, we will use these development areas above to craft and pursue a number of university-wide goals in the coming years. These include:
- Identifying and creating new funding resources
- Creating "flagship" projects that engage faculty and students in new ways
- Exploring strategic partnerships and networks in target regions of the world
- Helping to align the university's various "global" goals involving recruitment, research, curriculum, international experiences and student life
- Sharing and enhancing the university's global profile to key constituencies
In pursuing these goals, we will seek to be inclusive, working with and empowering others, and making decisions in collaborative ways. At this stage, it is important that this blueprint be malleable -- to be shaped and altered where appropriate by the Brandeis community. Please send comments to oga@brandeis.edu or call at 781-736-5642.