Inclusive Internationalization: Improving Access and Equity

Abstract

In higher education, we are faced with two main paradoxes. First, while we may be striving to increase internationalization and global engagement, in many countries isolationist and nationalist trends result in a disconnect between local and global. Second, while credit and degree mobility is increasing globally, this billion-dollar industry reaches only a small student elite, leaving 99 percent of the world’s student population behind. An inclusive approach must address the issue that current internationalization
policies and practices leave out the great majority of students in the world. Internationalization for all should be the starting point for institutional strategies, reflecting an awareness that all students must be engaged in this agenda to prepare for their future lives as citizens and as professionals.