A STRATEGIC APPROACH TO INTERNATIONALIZATION

1. Wesley Hall Slide

The role that a University might play in the greater community is a diverse and multifaceted one. For many years the University of Winnipeg has been a thriving hub of activity set in the centre of one of Winnipeg’s most underprivileged neighbourhoods. As the enrolment at the UW has continued to grow, we were faced with the expected infrastructural difficulties of accommodating an ever more numerous student body. With that in mind we started looking outside of our own walls for solutions. We began looking at possibilities of expanding the University and its services beyond our campus and into the community. We initiated dialogue with community leaders in order to better understand what they would like to see develop. We met with city officials to discuss the potential ideas that were being raised. As a result of this, the University of Winnipeg has been experiencing a type of renaissance in the last while, one filled with potential and possibility. I am most delighted to be able to share some of our experiences with you today, in a venue that is similarly filled with potential and possibility.

 2. SLIDE : TITLE PAGE

We are gathered here at this Conference to confirm our commitment to promoting education cooperation in Asia. In the Annual Forum on Education for Asia 2004, the need to achieve high quality and relevant education for all, as well as skills development for employability, were particularly emphasized.  It is fitting therefore, that in today’s session regarding the strategic development of small to medium sized universities, I will focus on the need to commit to a strategy of internationalization. When referring to “high quality and relevant education for all,” we at the University of Winnipeg understand “all” to include all peoples from all corners of the world.

 3. SLIDE:  CRITICAL FACTORS

•10,000+ students, staff and faculty

•Key downtown economic generator

•$15-20M annual impact downtown

•Major resource for community/business

The University of Winnipeg is 130 years old and home to more than 8,000 students annually, approximately 10% of whom are Aboriginal and a substantial number of New Canadians. We are a liberal arts institution located in the heart of the urban centre. While we are primarily an undergraduate institution, we do have two joint graduate programs and are in the process of expanding to include an additional number of graduate programs.

4. SLIDE: Enrolment History

5. SLIDE: “What Graduating Students Think”

6. SLIDE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES, 2004-2010

We at the University of Winnipeg have attempted to foster a culture of open communication, shared responsibility and collective governance, so that all members of the University community will have a say and a stake in the institution’s future success. We strive to respond to local and immediate conditions, but feel it is important to have a strategic approach to planning, so that decisions about hiring, programming and the allocation of resources are not driven by contingencies, but informed by careful considerations for the long-term productivity and prosperity of the institution.

7. SLIDE: STRATEGIC THEMES:

In referring to the development of smaller sized universities, there are seven (7) areas of which we at the University of Winnipeg consider to be most pertinent. In the interest of time, I will only explain some of them.

8. SLIDE: ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

For a small-medium sized university, accessibility is one of its prized characteristics.

The challenge of course, is to remain accessible while maintaining high standards of quality in one’s academic programs.

An important aspect related to the quality of any academic program, is how much interaction is encouraged between students and between students and professors. At smaller universities, students have a much greater opportunity to foster a relationship with their professors and to become personally engaged in the coursework. This is due, in large part, to the small class sizes that are usual in smaller universities.

According to a Survey conducted by the Canadian Undergraduate Survey Consortium [CUSC] in 2001, 50%of first-year students who attended the University of Winnipeg considered size an important reason. By size, they meant not just physical space, but all the other conditions that go with it, such as small classes and enhanced opportunities to get to know their professors and other students with interests similar to their own. The average class size at our university is, and has been for the past 35 years, approximately 30 students per class.

9. SLIDE: CAMPUS CULTURE

Students and faculty are attracted to a particular university not simply because of the standard of their academic programmes and their reputation for academic rigour. The environment in which the university is situated also attracts them. Smaller universities tend to offer a supportive and friendly community in which to work. This has great importance for the recruitment and retention of faculty and staff. The appeal of this kind of community is critical in helping smaller universities to withstand the attractions of one’s larger competitors.

10. SLIDE: PERCENTAGE  OF 1^ST YEAR STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITY OF FIRST CHOICE

11. SLIDE: IDENTITY AND COMMUNITY

Just as it is important to address our students ’ needs as part of a three, four, or five-year continuity, it is essential to see all members of our community as embedded in a larger continuum that is enriching by virtue of its cultural diversity, and which includes exposure to the arts, music, debate, and current affairs. A stimulating and sustaining culture, shaped by a common sense of purpose, is both a by-product of, and a driving force in, a productive university.

The University of Winnipeg has established the Community Renewal Corporation, which gives community members the opportunity to engage directly with the University, and through the University, with the three levels of Government. Moreover, the University has established a “wireless corridor project” which will give all community centres, inner-city schools, homes, buildings in the downtown area, free internet access. In addition, the University has launched an aboriginal inner-city project, in which a community center will be established [Wii Chii Wa Ka Nak].

12. SPENCE STREET REDEVELOPMENT

13. VISION OF SPENCE STREET

14. VISION OF SPENCE STREET PEDESTRIAN MALL

15. WII CHII WAA KA NAK ABORIGINAL LEARNING CENTRE

16. GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

Internationalization at the University of Winnipeg is about promoting global citizenship. The Association of Universities and Colleges Canada defines internationalization as: “the process by which universities integrate an international/intercultural perspective into their teaching, research, and community service.” Students must be prepared to live and work in a global society, which is increasingly interconnected and interdependent. Further, a commitment to internationalization will diversify the student body, enhance the teaching and research opportunities for faculty, and ensure that the University ’s public mission transcends national boundaries. By expanding its reach internationally, a smaller university may establish itself as leader in its field. They will be better able to compete with those larger universities who perhaps do not feel as pressing of a need to be flexible towards student and faculty interest.

17. GLOBAL COLLEGE

Being a small university translates into the need for strategic academic planning to be a collaborative process, depending on the efforts of the whole community, informed and responsive to the aims and priorities of a wide variety of different scholarly constituencies, yet united in service to our mission.  At the University of Winnipeg, we have established the International Affairs office, which is chiefly responsible for carrying out the strategies adopted for internationalization. The office works closely with the International Office, which focuses upon the recruitment and support of international students on campus.

Further, the University’s Global College, and its Board of local as well as Global Advisors support efforts at internationalization. Described by its Director, the Hon. Dr. Rey Pagtakhan, as “a college without borders,” the College is designed to serve as a center for dialogue and action research. As a result of its establishment, the University of Winnipeg has created new opportunities for its faculty in international work, including the chance to teach at the United Nations University for Peace in Costa Rica and Ahram Canadian University in Egypt. In addition, they are given the chance to participate in inter-disciplinary research centres.

18. 2006 SUMMER INSTITUTE FOR PEACEBUILDING, JOINT

WITH THE UNIVERSITY FOR PEACE

•Joint initiative with the University for Peace in Costa Rica, scheduled for the first 2 weeks of August 2006.

•Will incorporate leading academics and experts from around the world as key note speakers.

•Target audience:

–Students: both UW students and international.

–Government officials.

–Members of the non-governmental and community sectors.

19. GLOBAL EDUCATION

The desire to prepare one’s students for their role as “global citizens” has encouraged the University of Winnipeg, to establish new curricula which focuses upon issues of local and global concern. Flexible majors that allow a student to pursue “global studies” are encouraged as is study abroad as a major component of many degree programs. Similarly, the recent establishment of the Major in Rhetoric and Communications is designed to foster in our students the critical thinking skills, oral and written communication skills, and the understanding of different modes of inquiry that are necessary for all individuals in today’s increasingly globalized world.

Our attempts at internationalization have also emphasized the development of study abroad options. The University of Winnipeg has collaborative relationships with institutions as diverse as l’Université de Bordeaux [France], Universitat Bamberg [Germany], Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro [Brazil], Alexandria University [Egypt], Harbin Institute of Technology [China], Yong-In University [South Korea], and many more. The University is of Winnipeg is also developing joint programs with other institutions. Distance Education offerings (including telecourses) offer opportunities for growth that are not constrained by issues of campus size--or, indeed, by the demographics of Manitoba. We are collaborating with the Business College of Beijing Union University to develop one such program. In addition, while we are primarily an undergraduate university we offer joint graduate programs with the University of Manitoba, and the University for Peace in Costa Rica. For smaller universities, joint programs allow the institution to foster a network and build the campus internationally.

20.CONCLUSION- UW SUMMARY SLIDE

Small and medium sized universities are uniquely suited to adapt and be flexible to student and faculty interests and demands. Being smaller allows the institution to craft a unique identity, offer cutting edge academic and research programs, and foster a sense of community that is attractive to many people from diverse backgrounds. Unlike larger universities, which may choose to isolate themselves, smaller universities do not have that choice. In order to expand their reach, and establish themselves nationally and internationally, they are well advised to network and pursue partnerships with civil society- business, non-governmental, governmental, and private organizations, as well as establish joint programs with other institutions of higher-learning in all corners of the globe.

21.  WESLEY HALL

The University of Winnipeg, as a smaller institution has strived to capitalize upon its strengths. We are actively pursuing the establishment of a global network of scholars, students, and community members. It is our sincere hope that you will join us in this process.

Thank you.