INTERNATIONALIZATION IN COMMUNITY COLLEGES: THE IMPACT OF A LEADER’S VISION, CHARACTERISTICS, ACTIONS, AND SUPPORT

Date

2022-12

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Abstract

Internationalization has increased at community colleges, but only 4% of community colleges have hosted 57% of international students over the past decade. Most of the research on higher education leadership in respect to internationalization deals with 4-year colleges, and there is a gap in how community colleges are leading in internationalization. This study examined the impact of the community college Chief International Officer’s vision and characteristics upon the institution’s internationalization actions and support. Furthermore, it asked if any of these factors are related to the population size of the international student body. In this study, the researcher surveyed 100 international educators and interviewed four international managers at community colleges. The survey results revealed that a leader’s vision, characteristics, actions, and support are statistically significantly related. The interview results revealed that international student enrollment was impacted by the institutions’ commitment to recruitment and retention. In conclusion, they demonstrated that it is essential for international leaders to possess global leadership abilities and to develop a strong International Student Program on campus that provides international student services and leads internationalization initiatives. Without institutional support and effort, increasing the number of international students and retaining them is challenging. This study shows that internationalizing community colleges can help attract more international students and increase representation in the international education market, which benefits the local and global community.

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Keywords

community college, internationalization, international students, international enrollment, leadership, recruitment and retention

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