Strategic Plan for the Internationalization of Harper College Office of International Education

Global Vision 2020-2025

The purpose of the Global Vision 2025 is to articulate the goals, objectives, and activities of the Office of International Education over the next four years. Through this plan, the Office of International Education will cultivate an environment for global and intercultural educational experiences that promote respect for individual rights and an awareness of the global interdependence of all human groups. This plan will be evaluated at the beginning of each academic year by the Office of International Education team, which includes members of the International Studies and Programs Shared Governance Committee and allied faculty, in order to make updates, additions, and deletions based upon current information, budgetary considerations, and other relevant input.

Mission Statement

The Office of International Education serves as a resource to the College and surrounding communities to celebrate the many contributions of the world’s cultures and traditions, and will foster the continuing global education of its citizenry. We develop international awareness through collaborative programs that enhance knowledge of global dynamics, cultural diversity, and world issues for students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding community. We are committed to educating students for leadership in an increasingly complex global society.

Vision Statement

The Office of International Education strives to be a regional leader in providing campus-wide programming and learning opportunities that foster an inter-culturally competent campus culture through the ongoing and transformative education of Harper College’s students, faculty, staff, and community.

Affirming Statement

The Office of International Education is committed to being an inclusive, respectful, and equitable educational community for students of all genders, sexualities, abilities, ages, socioeconomic classes, nationalities and ancestries, immigration statuses, races, ethnicities, military histories, and religious and cultural identities. Participating students, faculty, and staff are expected to do their part to uphold this commitment so as to ensure that the program remains accessible to all involved.

We also acknowledge that our campus office occupies the ancestral lands of the Ojibwe, Odawa, Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo), Peoria, Bodéwadmiakiwen (Potawatomi), Myaamia, Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Sioux) and other Peoples. Our global programs take place on the ancestral lands of many indigenous peoples. We are ever mindful of our present participation in colonial practices and strive to minimize any negative effects of our programs and through our presence on those lands. We affirm that awareness and ongoing education are the first steps in confronting the legacy of colonialism and in honoring the original custodians of the lands we occupy.

College Context

The strategic priorities of the Office of International Education aligns with and supports a number of the Strategic Directions and Goals of Harper College’s FY 2021-2024 Strategic Plan.

Strategic Goal: CORE VALUES
Statement: Implement practices that promote Harper’s Core Values of Respect, Integrity, Collaboration, and Excellence.
OIE Supporting Statement: As expressed in its Mission, Vision, and Affirming statements, the OIE is dedicated to creating an interculturally responsive and engaged campus. Through the work of its shared governance committee and programs, the OIE fosters a culture that embraces and embodies the Core Values of the College.

Strategic Goal: EQUITY
Statement: Build institutional capacity to support equity, diversity, and inclusion.
OIE Supporting Statement: The OIE strives to offer intentional and transformative campus and international programs that are accessible to all. These programs promote intercultural competence and engage in purposeful interactions through an equity lens. The Office reflects a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the transparency of its policies and practices.

Strategic Goal: STUDENT SUCCESS
Statement: Identify and remove barriers to student success.
OIE Supporting Statement: In order for students to be prepared for a global workforce, instructional methods, curricula, and assessment techniques need to be informed by a global perspective. The OIE promotes global learning outcomes and a variety of assessment tools to create interculturally responsive learning environments that prepare students to succeed in a world marked by interdependence, diversity, and rapid change. The analysis of disaggregated student impact data indicates that while we have been successful in increasing retention and completion rates among students in our programs, we have work to do in increasing participation and success by underrepresented student populations.

Strategic Goal: TEACHING & LEARNING
Statement: Implement innovative and inclusive teaching and learning.
OIE Supporting Statement: Through its programs and faculty professional development initiatives, the OIE strives to achieve a globally-competent faculty who utilize innovative and interculturally competent pedagogies. The student impact data that we have collected from our award-winning Global Region of Focus program has demonstrated that our training initiatives impact student learning directly. Through OIE initiatives, such as the development of Global Learning Outcomes, we promote essential skills for our students to succeed in a multicultural world and workforce.

Strategic Goal: PARTNERSHIPS
Statement: Advance relationships among education, community, and workforce partners.
OIE Supporting Statement: Through its global network of contacts, the OIE strives to build productive academic partnerships with educational and community-based organizations both locally and globally. The goal of these partnerships is to build sustainable opportunities for our students to study, intern, and perhaps work in intercultural environments. Many of our partnerships are built on relationships first established through academic exchange initiatives such as the Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence program and the global network of institutions through Community Colleges for International Development (CCID).

Strategic Goal: AWARENESS & OUTREACH
Statement: Enhance awareness of and access to Harper College programming, resources, events, and partnerships.
OIE Supporting Statement: The OIE’s marketing and outreach plan strives to connect the campus and public with our programs, resources, and services through a variety of social media outlets and includes a public blog on topics related to international education. The OIE collaborates with various campus offices to promote participation in College programs such as the Global Scholars Distinction and a fully online series of mini-certificate programs in business and TESOL.

Implementation of Global Vision 2025
The task of implementing the Global Vision 2025 shall fall primarily to the faculty Director and fulltime Program Assistant of the Office of International Education. In addition, the members of the shared governance International Studies and Programs committee will serve a vital function as implementers of this Strategic Plan and as Ambassadors at-large for the Office. The Responsibility column in the following document reflects primary responsible parties, which in no way precludes the consultation and involvement of other stakeholders. The Office of International Education encourages the wide and vigorous participation of all interested parties.

Global Vision 2025 Strategic Goals

1. Campus Global Education Initiatives
Statement: Increase student, faculty, and staff participation through improved program quality, variety (including virtual), accessibility, and opportunities for intercultural learning.

Corresponds to HC Strategic Goals: Core Values, Equity, T&L, Student Success, Awareness &
Outreach

2. Internationalization of Curricula and Programs
Statement: Promote international, intercultural, and interdisciplinary competencies across range of academic curricula and through campus programming.

Corresponds to HC Strategic Goals: Core Values, Student Success, T&L

3. International Partnerships and Collaborations
Statement: Increase intercultural, multinational, and multilingual partnerships and collaborations through increased sustainable opportunities for local and global community engagement.

 Corresponds to HC Strategic Goals: Core Values, Partnerships, Awareness & Outreach

4. International Student Support
Statement: Increase support for international students before, during and after enrollment.

Corresponds to HC Strategic Goals: Student Success, T&L, Partnerships, Awareness & Outreach