Road Map team updates internationalization efforts

The Internationalization Strategic Priority team presented on its goals to the Road Map Steering Committee on Sept. 19.

SP6 continues to focus on six main goals: creating a diverse and inclusive community that promotes the integration of international students on campus; promoting meaningful cross-cultural, extra- and co-curricular interactions between domestic and international students; preparing international students for successful career pathways; ensuring students, faculty, staff and alumni have a positive impact on the global community; providing opportunities for individuals to develop a broader understanding of the world; and making Binghamton University a premier choice for international students.

The committee is tracking how many international students are participating in at least one long-standing, cross-cultural program coordinated by either International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS), the English Language Institute (ELI) or the Multicultural Resource Center (MRC). During the 2023-24 academic year, those programs recorded 610 unique international student participants, a 26.6% participation rate among the University’s 2,293 international students per data provided by Student Affairs Assessment and Solutions for Engagement (SAASE). That exceeded SP6’s goal of 25%, and the committee has set a new target goal of 35% participation for the 2024-25 academic year. Events for students include conversation pairs and International Coffee Hour.

The committee also highlighted the ELI mentoring program, which, in addition to engaging domestic and international students as leaders for new international first-year students with lower English assessment scores, has shown to positively influence student retention. Of the first-year students who participated in the fall 2022 semester, 89% were enrolled in spring 2024.

Efforts are being made to promote meaningful cross-cultural interactions between domestic and international students. The SP6 committee has set a target of 10% of the student body participating in a long-standing, cross-cultural program coordinated by the Student Association (SA) or the Graduate Student Organization (GSO). The committee selected to track attendance at the GSO’s Halloween Mixer and the SA’s Multicultural Extravaganza. While participation has so far fallen short of the 10% goal — 2% of students were tracked participating in these events in 2023-24 — the committee is investigating opportunities to increase activity offerings, encourage collaboration between hosts and partners and improve tracking mechanisms to better capture the interactions between domestic and international students.

International students are being prepared for successful career pathways through several experiences including on-campus work, serving as teaching, resident, graduate and student assistants, and through curricular practical training and optional practical training. The University has seen a 95.4% increase in participation in all these categories, meeting the SP6 goal and rising from 1,058 experiences during the 2021-22 academic year to 2,067 in 2023-24. International student success has also been measured through their recognition at the Graduate Student Excellence Awards in March, as those students represented 36% of the recipients in teaching, 20% of the recipients in service/outreach and 63% of the recipients in research. The Fleishman Career Center is also increasing its reach to international students, counting 3,927 total contacts during the 2023-24 academic year. That marks a 203% increase from 2021-22.

The fourth goal of the priority has slightly revised its metrics to measure the number of presentations, international professional service and exhibitions, performances and screenings. It aims for faculty to engage in at least 2,500 globally impactful events each year based on data from annual faculty reports. The primary examples of faculty professional service include manuscript review, editorial service, society membership and conference organization. Through this new metric, the committee recorded 2,139 examples of international engagement from faculty and it hopes to see that figure grow in future years. Additionally, between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024, Binghamton University entered into or renewed 30 international agreements with foreign institutions, further enhancing opportunities for faculty to connect with peers abroad.

Students participating in education abroad and international internships has continued to rebound after a pandemic-related decline in these programs. A total of 495 students studied in credit-bearing education abroad programs during the 2023-24 academic year, similar to the 553 students who did the same in 2018-19. Since summer 2024, 290 students have either participated in or are currently engaging in an education abroad program for the 2024-2025 reporting period. Additionally, on Sept. 18, the office of International Education and Global Initiatives (IEGI) hosted its semi-annual Education Abroad Fair, which welcomed 475 students.

Other initiatives the committee is pursuing include hosting a passport fair and expanding opportunities through the provost’s international internship for undergraduate students. Students have recently assisted faculty research initiatives in Ghana, South Korea, Chile, Gambia and Belize.

SP6’s sixth goal, the University as a top choice for international students, is making headway despite some challenges with international enrollments due to visa appointment delays and visa denials. The University is benefiting from its partnerships with institutions around the world and outreach efforts to encourage more international applications. Binghamton has seen applications from African students double over the past two years and the University is looking at ways in which it can bring more students from Africa to campus.

At the conclusion of the meeting, chairs from the other strategic priorities gave updates about progress in their areas.

SP1: A research development specialist has been hired through the Creative Activities priority and has already worked on more than 30 proposals and led workshops for faculty. Sponsored Programs hired a graduate student assistant, and the office has seen an 11% increase in proposal development. The Graduate School has hired a professional development specialist to help with opportunities and training for doctoral students and post-doctoral students.

SP2: More than 80 students participated in faculty-mentored research during the spring and summer of 2024, with a majority of students being first-generation, transfers or those receiving financial aid. Also in the Learning Community priority, the Student Transition and Success Office has expanded staff and capacity to better address first-year student retention, which has rebounded to 90% after dipping by one point last year.

SP3: The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion hired a coordinator to expand workshop offerings on topics including racial healing and restorative practices. A search for someone to lead the Male Scholars Initiative will relaunch in spring 2025.

SP4: Tcommittee is continuing to target support for community engagement through initiatives, including grants and stipends for course development, as well as community partner awards. The University ty Engagement Awards event for the first time earlier in the week. The Carnegie Community Engagement self-study will be submitted in April.

SP5: The Strategic Investments committee has rented two apartments in Johnson City to support new employees who need short-term housing for periods of two to six months. Additionally, it has created a Johnson City Home Buyer Assistance Program that will provide $10,000 to assist with closing costs for first-time homebuyers who are University employees.