George Mason University Provost S. David Wu speaks at an American Council on Education Internationalization Laboratory launch. Photo by Lathan Goumas.
George Mason University has joined an 18-month initiative to review and improve its internationalization programs and efforts.
Monday, August 19, marked the official launch of the Mason cohort of the American Council on Education (ACE) Internationalization Laboratory.
"Our world is global, our economy is global, our politics are global—our students all need to be global," said Michelle Marks, vice president for academic innovation and new ventures.
Marks will serve as an executive sponsor along with Rose Pascarell, vice president for University Life. The executive committee chairs include Rick Davis, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts; Karyn Kessler, interim academic director of INTO Mason; and Pam Patterson, associate vice president for University Life.
"I'm very excited to be here because I get to play more than one role, not only as the university provost but also a former international student,” said Provost and Executive Vice President S. David Wu, who completed his graduate studies at Pennsylvania State University.
Wu offered some advice for the new committees as they embark on ways to promote internalization at Mason: encourage students to be brave and to participate in sports and the arts to form connections and acclimate to the new country.
Six committees make up the Mason team – curriculum, faculty development, student and campus life, enrollment, education abroad and research.
The committees, which include faculty and staff, are responsible for carrying out a review of the current state of internationalization at Mason and help designate priorities internationalization and propose a plan to advance them. Additionally, they will be asked to help frame the conversation for the Mason community.
Mason will receive guidance from ACE Internationalization Lab experts. The university is working closely with ACE advisor Susan Carvalho, associate provost and dean of the Graduate School at the University of Alabama.
"Globalization is a fact, it has positives and it has negatives, but it's a reality," said Carvalho. "Internationalization is higher education's response to that reality. Internationalization is an institution's planning for creating students who can be successful in a globalized world."
Mason enrolls more than 37,000 students from 130 countries and 50 states. Additionally, the university offers multiple study and research abroad opportunities in Africa, South America and Europe. Mason Korea also gives students both in Fairfax and Korea the opportunity to study abroad.