How American Colleges Are Building the Global Campus

Thursday, April 26, at 12 noon, U.S. Eastern Time

David Wippman is vice provost for international relations and a professor of law at Cornell University.

A transcript of the chat follows.

Martin Van Der Werf (Moderator):
    Hello, and welcome to our final Brown Bag chat of this academic year. We welcome David Wippman of Cornell University today to our chatroom. I'm happy to say that there are already a lot of questions for our guest, but keep on sending them. We will get to as many as we can. Let's get started.

David Wippman:
    First: Here's come opening comments from David: Like many universities, Cornell is responding to the challenges of an increasingly interdependent world by seeking to strengthen its international programs and activities. We are expanding our research collaborations with partner institutions around the world, increasing the number of students and scholars from abroad who come to Cornell, and expanding opportunities for our faculty and students to research and study abroad. Our goal is to educate our students as members of a global community, to pursue research and learning opportunities around the world, and to make the benefits of Cornell's research and teaching as widely available as we can. I appreciate The Chronicle's invitation to participate in this brown bag chat and look forward to seeing readers' questions and comments.

Question from Jerry Haenisch, Northcentral Univ student:
    There appears to be tremendous international demand for American style education and for US degrees. What do you see as the key factors keeping US institutions out of widespread delivery of education around the world? Does the accreditation system in the USA limit international expansion by US schools?

David Wippman:
    I think the key limiting factors are constraints on universities' human and financial resources, as well as considerations of quality control. Our principal missions are teaching, research, and outreach, but we cannot do those effectively if we spread ourselves too thinly. Delivering educational programs abroad is often time-consuming and expensive, and if not done carefully, can detract from the university's ability to provide top flight education at home. It can also be hard to ensure that the quality of the program is at a level that enhances the reputation of the university providing the program. So universities have to be highly selective in the programs they pursue.

Question from Kris Olds, UW-Madison:
    The establishment of programs, research units, and campuses in other countries frequently generates concerns about how "academic freedom" in these countries may be restricted, especially if faculty and universities are governed by authoritarian and/or religious states. How should American colleges and universities (a) coordinate the academic freedom discussion on their own campuses before committing to overseas ventures, and (b) deal with the issue when negotiating with potential host governments and collaborating institutions?

David Wippman:
    American universities are strong in significant part because they have a long tradition of academic freedom. Cornell includes in all its agreements with partner universities and other institutions abroad a series of provisions designed to ensure that our principles of academic freedom and non-discrimination are a condition of any collaboration. At the same time, when students study abroad, they are subject to the rules and regulations of the host country and institution. We advise our students to be certain they are familiar with the applicable rules before they go.

Question from Anton Cizmar, U. of Kosice, Slovakia, Europe:
    How important in the internationalization of American colleges is the region of East and Central Europe?

David Wippman:
    Different universities will have different geographic priorities depending on their own strengths and interests. Eastern and central Europe are going through an important transitional period and deserve attention in internationalization efforts. But most universities are probably focused more on Asia, given the size and trajectory of countries such as China and India.

Question from Maxine Kaplan, Austin Community College:
    Internationalizing is not a new concept but rather one that has been discussed over the last fifty years or so. Therefore, we might ask what has changed lately that this topic comes up today. A question that I have is how we get the older instructor to teach or change their manner of teaching today. There is a cost attached to change (curriculum and instruction method) and other associated barriers to change. In addition, will the US loose its best and brightest instructors and students to other countries?

David Wippman:
    Internationalization has been discussed frequently over the past 50 years, but the pace of internationalization has quickened in recent years. American universities are now increasingly competing with universities in Europe, Australia and Asia for the best students. American universities continue to do well in this competition and often rely heavily on international students at the graduate level, especially in the sciences. Inducing curricular change can be done through incentives to include international content, course relief to allow faculty time to develop new courses, team teaching, and similar techniques.

Question from Alan Contreras, State of Oregon:
    My office has had to deal with problems that happen when a U.S. college develops a partnership with a foreign college that doesn't have appropriate degree-granting authority in its home country. Given that U.S. accreditors are only recognized by the Department of Education for their work with U.S. institutions (thus there is no oversight of their accreditation of foreign schools), what should a U.S. college do to make sure that its foreign partners are of sufficient quality?

David Wippman:
    We rely principally on our own faculty with experience in the country at issue to help us assess the quality of a prospective partner institution. We also seek the advice of alumni who are resident in that country. In general, we seek to partner with leading academic institutions abroad, so issues of accreditation usually don't arise in our partnerships.

Question from Doctoral student:
    Would you say profit is the primary motive for American institutions seeking partnerships with other countries? What incentives other than profit can make a sustainable partnership?

David Wippman:
    International partnerships vary widely in form and motivation. Some universities do seek to benefit financially through programs that generate tuition revenue and in other ways, but most partnerships seek mutual benefit in a different form. For example, partnerships may bring together researchers with complementary expertise, facilitate application to funding agencies looking to support international collaboration, or expose students and faculty to different perspectives and ways of learning. In some cases, American universities may provide information or expertise to international partners without seeking any reciprocal benefit because doing so is part of their outreach and educational mission; at Cornell, for example, outreach is an important part of its mission as a land grant university.

Question from John Riccardi, Boston University:
    What role do you expect distance education to have in your international strategy?

David Wippman:
    Distance education currently plays a relatively small but growing role in our international strategy. We do deliver course content in various programs in the developing world through distance learning, and we are looking to expand those programs. Our business school has developed an innovative boardroom MBA program, that allows students to continue to work in their home city while participating in classes through state of the art video-conferencing. I expect that use of the internet and video-conferencing to deliver educational content abroad will increase.

Question from Venu Dasigi, Southern Polytechnic State university, Atlanta:
    Do you see the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) enabling joint degrees in Engineering, Technology, and the Sciences? It appears that this kind of collaboration (articulated programs in higher education from bachelors to doctoral levels) would be of interest, based on some of the articles that have appeared in the news, and yet there seems to be policy-related blocks.

David Wippman:
    Cornell is often approached about the possibility of offering either joint or dual degrees. Joint degree programs are jointly operated and administered by the partner universities and result in the award of a single degree; in dual degree programs, each university accepts some number of credits toward the award of its own degree for courses taken at the partner university. Students then receive degrees from both universities. Joint degree programs are considerably more difficult for universities such as Cornell to approve; at present, we have only one joint degree program, with a university in Singapore. Dual degree programs, usually at the masters or professional level, are easier to implement because the university retains full control over the criteria for the award of its degree. But the university still has to be sure that dual degree programs do not dilute the integrity or value of its degree. As a result, dual degree programs usually make sense only in limited circumstances where there is a strong academic rationale.

Question from Lisa Krieg, Carnegie Mellon University:
    I note with interest (and witness first-hand) the administrative supports that are required from the central campus to support overseas and global initiatives. How can universities best balance the needs "at home" with the growing needs to be focused overseas as well?

David Wippman:
    Striking that balance is difficult, because there is always a competition for scarce resources, including money and administrator and faculty time. International programs usually require fairly substantial administrative support. At the same time, the international and central campus programs should be seen as complementary. Internationalization enriches what happens on the central campus, as faculty share the results of their research and students who have studied abroad return to share their perspectives. Deciding how to allocate resources between international and on campus programs requires careful planning by the central administration, working with deans and faculty, and the outcome will depend on how international programs are prioritized.

Question from Prof. Arturo Vazquez Jr.:
    The community college is increasing the tuition base programs for international students, What can we do to better recruit international students to our community college?

David Wippman:
    We are adopting a number of techniques to improve our ability to attract international students. We are expanding our web presence, enlisting the help of our international alumni, looking for ways to publicize our programs in foreign media, and developing programs aimed at high school and college students from abroad who might then choose to apply to Cornell.

Question from Patty Croom, Michigan State University:
    Cornell is one of many U.S. institutions opening branch campuses, with its medical school in Qatar. Please reflect on why Cornell decided to pursue such a strategy at this time, and what, more generally, you see as both the benefits and potential problem areas for institutions opening up campuses abroad.

David Wippman:
    Many American universities (and also European) are opening branch campuses abroad. Our medical school in Doha represented an exceptional opportunity for us to participate in the new Education City there. We did very careful due diligence first to be certain that we could run a program that would be of the same quality as our medical college program in New York City, that we attract qualified students, and that the program would be financially viable. We often receive requests from countries around the world to develop additional campuses abroad. So far, we have declined. We do not want to franchise the university. It is hard to maintain the same level of quality abroad as we do at home and we do not want to risk diluting the quality of the education we provide at home by stretching ourselves too thinly. Moving too quickly to establish a branch campus poses financial and reputational risks.

Question from Riall Nolan, Purdue University:
    The introduction to the chat mentions that globalization offers "plenty of rewards, but also some risks." Tell us about the risks, please.

David Wippman:
    The risks vary with the country and type of program. There are financial risks, since operating programs abroad is expensive and most foreign nationals cannot afford to pay U.S. tuition prices. There are also reputational risks if a program abroad does not meet the same quality standards as those offered at home. There may be regulatory risks, if foreign law is not well understood or changes. In addition, universities have to consider potential trade-offs. A faculty member teaching in a study abroad program, for example, is not then available to teach students back on the central campus.

Question from Elizabeth Adams, Northwestern University:
    How do U.S. universities balance increasing their international research activity with laws governing export controls?

David Wippman:
    As a major research university with substantial federal grants, we have to make considerable efforts to be sure we are in compliance with export control and various other laws that limit foreign nationals' access to research done at the university and that restrict what we can take abroad. As we internationalize further, those compliance efforts have to keep pace. It is important that faculty be made aware of the restrictions and that compliance is carefully monitored.

Martin Van Der Werf (Moderator):
    The Chronicle in March published a cover story about Cornell looking into establishing a presence in India. http://chronicle.com/weekly/v53/i26/26a03801.htm Several people have asked questions specifically about India.

Question from Tarun Bhatia, CFO of Alliant International University in CA:
    What has been your experience in dealing with educational institutions in India?

David Wippman:
    Cornell has had substantial academic collaborations with India for many years. Our College of Agriculture has partnerships with at least five of India's state agricultural universities, and other colleges have partnerships of their own (e.g., our Engineering College has a partnership with IIT Kanpur). Cornell's President, David Skorton, visited India in January in part to look for ways to increase our engagement with India. We are engaged currently in a planning process intended to enhance our collaborations with Indian universities and with government agencies.

Question from Pankaj Sharma, Purdue:
    I hear that other regions around the world (e.g. EU, France ) are allocating specific funding to work with India to foster interaction. Are there any plans from USA.

David Wippman:
    There is an Indo-US Knowledge Initiative in agriculture, and various U.S. government agencies (e.g., USAID) sometimes support joint research and development projects. Our planning in connection with India does not rely much on anticipated US government funding, however. We are focusing instead on developing research and exchange partnerships that will be mutually beneficial, and also talking to foundations and alumni who may be willing to support our programs there.

Question from Robert Downing, Penn State:
    Any suggestions on engaging alumni who live overseas, especially if you don't have enough who live in a particular city to have an active club?

David Wippman:
    We hold periodic all alumni gatherings when the President or another senior university official visits a particular country. Our alumni affairs office tries to keep in touch with our international alumni through mailings and organizing in country events (e.g., talks by visiting faculty), and we are seeking to expand our web presence so alumni and others can find out more easily what the university is doing in a particular country. And we support Cornell clubs abroad wherever there is a critical mass and sufficient interest.

Question from Ward Caldwell, Pennsylvania College of Technology:
    What do you believe to be the key factors in determining whether to create a free standing program overseas or to partner with an existing overseas educational institution?

David Wippman:
    It depends on the university's objectives for the program and the availability of an appropriate partner. We have both free-standing programs and partnerships, but our emphasis has been on the latter. One of our goals is to develop strong relationships with academic institutions abroad, to share resources and intellectual expertise, so partnerships are an attractive model for us.

Question from Patty Croom, Michigan State University:
    You mention outreach as an important part of the international mission of institutions such as Cornell. Yet, you also note Asia (China, India especially) as hubs of interest lately. Other areas such as Africa and other developing regions are attracting much less attention. Branch campuses and joint programs are arising where there is clearly more money. What is your assessment of this scenario?

David Wippman:
    Cornell is also focusing on other parts of the world, particularly Africa. Cornell's President, David Skorton, announced in his state of the university address this past fall that Cornell was launching a new Africa Initiative to strengthen and better coordinate the university's many existing programs there. Under the direction of the Provost, I am drafting a white paper to identify ways in which we can expand our efforts in Africa. We do have a strong outreach mission, and have made a strategic decision to make particular efforts in Africa, through poverty alleviation programs, capacity building efforts, and the like.

Question from Pankaj Sharma, Purdue:
    Recently there was an article about Cornell visiting India and fatigue experienced by Indian Institutions with no tangible results. The article listed a lack of strategy and resources needed to partner. Is there anything being done at the government level to assist with the resources?

David Wippman:
    The fatigue referenced in the article was a reflection of the fact that some top Indian academic institutions have seen a parade of American university officials visit, discuss prospective collaborations, but then have not seen many of those collaborations materialize. This is a reflection of the fact that when university officials visit, they identify a variety of collaborative opportunities, but must then prioritize based on available resources and faculty interest. The primary constraint has less to do with government assistance than simply the fact that universities cannot pursue all the opportunities they find. They have to focus on those that are mutually beneficial and that attract the requisite faculty commitment to be sustainable. Cornell has already had substantial follow-up conversations with many of the institutions visited on the January trip to which you refer, but of course not all of the visits will yield programs.

Question from Dao Luu:
    For Cornell, what does it mean to be a "global campus"?

David Wippman:
    For us, it means being globally engaged. We do this in many ways, e.g., through bringing international students and scholars to campus, through sending our students to study abroad, and through engagement in collaborative research activities with partners abroad.

Question from Susan Carney, Yale University:
    Could you please outline your approach to the Universtiy as an employer of some employees who are based primarily overseas, and who may be either US or foreign nationals. What approach would you recommend for hiring and supervising such individuals? Could you share any general thoughts about how to assess the relative risks and benefits of hiring US nationals in the US and sending them overseas vs hiring foreign nationals in their home countries, assuming there are qualified individuals of each profile?

David Wippman:
    We have engaged both US and foreign nationals to work for Cornell both at home and abroad. Many of our Ithaca-based faculty and staff are or were foreign nationals. Our international programs also employ a mix of US and foreign nationals. Supervising employees abroad can be challenging but systems for regular reporting and periodic visits can facilitate understanding by administrators on the home campus of the issues and management concerns involved in running programs abroad. Deciding whether to hire locally or send someone from the home campus for a particular position really depends on what the position is and how important local knowledge or knowledge of the university might be for that particular position.

Question from Timothy Maciel, Excelsior College, New York:
    What can we do to attract students from other nations to online degree programs based on U.S. campuses? Do you know of any exceptional models of truly global online degree programs? What are some pitfalls to avoid?

David Wippman:
    We are still experimenting with various models of distance learning. The boardroom MBA program run by our business school in partnership with Queens in Canada, which uses high-tech video-conferencing for most of the instruction is a model that is working well and could be expanded, but the tuition level may make it hard for many students from abroad to participate. Most of our distance learning programs do not entail degrees.

David Wippman:
    Here's some final thoughts from our guest, David Wippman. of Cornell University:The scope and pace of internationalization will necessarily vary widely from university to university, depending on its objectives, history, and resources. For major research universities, it is no longer enough to be engaged regionally or even nationally; universities have to be international in their orientation to remain fully competitive, to attract the best students, to take full advantage of research opportunities, and to educate their students to be able to function well in a globalizing economy. When internationalization is done well, everyone benefits. Figuring out how to do it well is the challenge.

Martin Van Der Werf (Moderator):
    Thank you to David for being our guest today, and thank you to you for looking into today's Brown Bag chat. Commencement is just around the corner at most college campuses. The race to wrap up projects, grading, admitting the next class, and just about every other activity has reached a frenzied pace. With that in mind, today's chat concludes the Brown Bag series for this academic year. We will continue to have some chats over the summer on various topics in the news, and please join us again just after Labor Day when we will resume our weekly Brown Bag chats on Thursdays.