ACE Internationalization Lab

KU is one of 10 colleges and universities participating in the American Council on Education's Internationalization Laboratory. From fall 2020 to spring 2021, KU will develop a strategic action plan to position KU to be a global leader among internationally engaged research universities.

The American Council on Education Internationalization Laboratory provides customized guidance and insights to help higher education institutions achieve their internationalization goals. In fall 2020, the University of Kansas was selected as one of 10 colleges and universities to participate in the ACE's 18th cohort.

Over the next 20 months, KU will develop strategies with the goal of long-lasting institutional change that will situate KU as a global leader among internationally engaged research universities. Working closely with ACE experts, KU will assemble an internationalization leadership team, analyze current internationalization activities and articulate institutional goals, and formulate a strategic action plan to move internationalization efforts forward.

The lab is adapting to the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic by providing learning modules with asynchronous activities for participants on ACE Engage, ACE’s online learning platform, as well as conducting synchronous meetings. Campus site visits will be conducted virtually until it is safe to travel. Nevertheless, networking within and beyond the cohort will still be a core component of the lab. Content will focus on crisis response and a future positive innovation framework to help institutions bounce back stronger than before from COVID-19’s disruption of international mobility around the world.

Lab Timeline & Workflow 2020-21

Fall '20

Identify co-chairs and steering committee members
Establish subcommittees
Develop charges
Site visit from ACE advisor

Spring and Summer '21

Institutional self-assessment
Data collection & analysis
Survey stakeholders
Benchmark against peer institutions

Fall '21

Develop action plan
Self-study reports
Integrate with KU's strategic plan Jayhawks Rising

Spring '22

Produce action plan document
Final site visit from ACE advisor
Community meeting
Finalize action plan

Comprehensive Internationalization

ACE defines comprehensive internationalization as a strategic, coordinated framework that integrates policies, programs, initiatives, and individuals to make colleges and universities more globally oriented and internationally connected. In order to foster sustainable and just global engagement, the comprehensive internationalization model embraces an organizational growth mindset. It frames internationalization as an ongoing process rather than a static goal. To that end, it recognizes that all constituents at a college or university—students, faculty, and staff—are learners and central to the institution's equitable, intercultural transformation. Intentional comprehensive internationalization is not an ancillary enterprise, but a means to advance an institution's distinct teaching-research-service mission. In short, effective internationalization cannot happen in a few siloed offices, confined to certain disciplines, or reserved for a limited number of students. Internationalization is a collaborative, integrated ethos, the meaning of which must be discerned by each institution in the context of its unique mission and culture.

ACE Framework

Results and Recommendations

In spring 2022 ACE Peer Review Team visited campus. The delegation met with campus administrators, deans, faculty, students, staff and Internationalization Lab participants. The delegation's reflections and recommendations from the visit were incorporated into a final report.

Results and Recommendations

Leadership Team

Charles (Charlie) Bankart, Ph.D., MPA
Senior Internationalization Officer

Megan Greene
Associate Professor of History and Director of the Global Scholars Program

Susan Klusmeier
Vice Provost for Academic Success

Jennifer Roberts
Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Graduate Studies

Cheryl Matherly
Vice President and Vice Provost for International Affairs, Lehigh University

Internationalization Lab Information

KU's Internationalization Lab Steering Committee will lead the campus in the process. The committee, led by co-chairs Charles Bankart, Megan Greene, Susan Klusmeier and Jennifer Roberts, will guide KU's direction forward and manage the work of five subcommittees, which were formed around KU's overarching internationalization priority areas:

Curriculum, Co-Curriculum and Learning Outcomes
Mobility (Student, Faculty and Staff)
Research/Teaching Collaborations and Partnerships Abroad
Faculty and Staff Policies and Practices
Administrative Leadership, Structure and Staffing

The charge of KU’s Internationalization Laboratory Steering Committee is to:

Serve as the leadership team for KU’s participation in the ACE Internationalization Lab.
Carry out a comprehensive review of the current state of internationalization on campus through the five subcommittees.
Facilitate a broad campus conversation regarding KU’s internationalization goals.
Articulate clear action priorities for KU’s internationalization and propose a plan to advance those priorities.

Steering Committee

Jessy Ayestas, International Graduate Student, Fulbright Scholar, Student Senate representative and member of the Graduate Student Advisory Board

Melissa Birch, Director of International Programs at the School of Business

Ann Brill, School of Journalism Dean

Tamara Falicov, CLAS Associate Dean for Research

Millinda Fowles, Program Director for Experiential Learning with Academic Success

Paige Freeman, Director of Student Programs at the Alumni Association

Humberto Gomez Salinas, International Undergraduate Alumnus

Virginia Harper Ho, Chair of University Senate International Affairs Committee and Professor of Law

Kevin Joseph, Director of Student Affairs Assessment with Student Affairs

Ani Kokobobo, Chair of Slavic Languages and Literatures

Angie Loving, Assistant Vice Provost of Strategic Planning, Talent, Total Rewards & Operations

Liz MacGonagle, Associate Professor of History and former Director of Kansas African Studies Center

Jennifer Ng, Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Development

Colin Roust, Director of Graduate Studies at the School of Music and Associate Professor of Musicology

Dale Slusser, Associate Vice President with KU Endowment

Belinda Sturm, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Professor of Civil Engineering

Carl Taylor, Director of Global Operations and Security

Marie Taylor, Associate Counsel for the Office of General Counsel

Beth Whittaker, Director of Spencer Research Library and Associate Dean for Distinctive Collections at KU Libraries

Executive Summary

Administrative Leadership Structure and Staffing

Research and Teaching Collaborations and Partnerships Abroad

Curriculum, Co-Curriculum and Learning Outcomes

Faculty and Staff Policies and Practices

Mobility (Student, Faculty and Staff)

Since 2002, more than 150 institutions have participated in the program. The other institutions in the 18th Internationalization Laboratory cohort include:

Albizu University, Puerto Rico
Ball State University, Indiana
Baylor University, Texas
California Lutheran University
Fort Valley State University, Georgia
Jigjiga University, Ethiopia
Pratt Institute, New York
San Diego State University, California
Southern Illinois University

As the subcommittees meet and create opportunities for community involvement, the information will be posted here. Likely opportunities for participation will include town hall meetings and surveys.