Internationalization of the Academic Profession

Internationalization of higher education is defined as the process of integrating an international or intercultural dimension into the teaching, research and service functions of an institution (Knight, 2004). Data collected from faculty at nine public universities in Pennsylvania provide a descriptive and correlational analysis that: explores faculty attitudes, beliefs and experiences relating to internationalization; reviews the extent to which faculty incorporate an international perspective into their teaching, research, and scholarship; determines what relationships exist between faculty characteristics, campus climate, and attitudes, beliefs and behaviors; and examines patterns to describe or predict faculty members orientation to internationalization (Morris 1996). Data show that important differences exist by faculty characteristics and key relationships emerge. Several research findings replicate findings from the Carnegie Foundation for the Profession of Teachings Study of the International Academic Profession (Altbach, 1996). Policy implications are provided for different sectors interested in internationalizing higher education.