Internationalization efforts increase after ACE lab

The University of North Georgia (UNG) has completed a 20-month stint as part of the American Council on Education's (ACE) 17th Internationalization Laboratory cohort, and the university is taking steps to put the recommendations into practice.

The lab is a collaborative learning community led by a team of internationalization experts that supports institutions in formulating strategies to give students a broader view of the world.

The main recommendations include: incorporate more global learning opportunities for students on UNG's campuses; create and implement professional development for faculty and staff; and focus on fostering diversity, equity and inclusion in all Center for Global Engagement (CGE) programming and services. 

Schulte and Dr. Steven Lloyd, vice provost, co-chaired the ACE Internationalization Lab for UNG. Both noted the more than 40 UNG lab participants agreed that gaining international perspective cannot be limited to students who study abroad.

"We need to think about how to reach all students," Lloyd said.

Dr. Billy Wells, a retired Army colonel who is UNG's senior vice president for leadership and global engagement, said the lab will help UNG reshape its academic and co-curricular offerings.

"The initiative from the Center for Global Engagement to participate in the ACE Internationalization Lab represents a major step forward," Wells said. "It is key to the development of a new internationalization plan that significantly broadens the scope of our international education efforts."

The full ACE Internationalization Lab report is available on the CGE website.

One new effort is the Global Learning Community that will launch in fall 2021 at North Georgia Suites on UNG's Dahlonega Campus. It will pair incoming international students with new U.S. students who have an interest in international affairs. In addition to living alongside each other, these students will take a contemporary global topics course together.

Lloyd is grateful to see early support for the lab's recommendations.

"Faculty and staff realize the importance of internationalization and have an appetite for it," Lloyd said. "They see the benefit to the students and the work that they do. They understand the impact it has on the community."

Leveraging the university's standing as a senior military college has helped UNG expand its academic programs, international focus, and funding sources for all students at UNG by building on the foundations established through military programs.

Also, UNG established the Nationally Competitive Scholarships office in 2014 to assist students in pursing national-level funding for participation in international opportunities. The efforts have paid off as UNG students have won Gilman, Boren, and Fulbright awards and UNG has been named a top producer for Fulbright scholarships four years in a row.

The lab gives UNG a chance to build on these successes in both areas.

Schulte said UNG President Bonita Jacobs, Dr. Chaudron Gille, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, and Wells all played integral roles in supporting the ACE lab.

Schulte was grateful for the assistance of so many colleagues in a process that started in August 2019.

"This shows the resilience, motivation and dedication of our faculty and staff to push through and complete the lab process despite the upheaval from the pandemic," Schulte said. "It's great to work at a university that supports our current programs and also wants to increase our international efforts."