Accomplishments: Goal 5
GOAL 5: Achieve distinction in globalizing the university.
INITIATIVE: Enhance the global competency of students, faculty and staff.
The Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies in Global Studies was established in 2014 in the College of Arts & Sciences. The degree focuses on pressing international problems and opportunities through collaborative research programs, outreach activities and international centers.
Since the strategic plan was adopted in 2011, the number of international students studying at Georgia State and the number of students studying abroad have increased. International students at Georgia State have increased from 1,574 in fall 2011 to 2,081 in fall 2015. Following the university’s consolidation with Georgia Perimeter College in 2016, the university enrolled 3,076 and 3,199 international students in 2016 and 2017 respectively, providing students with the opportunity to live and learn with students from 176 countries.
The largest numbers of Georgia State’s international students come from China, India, and Korea, mirroring national trends in international student enrollment.
Expanding Study Abroad Opportunities for All Students
Through the strategic plan and support programs to expand opportunities for all students to study abroad, Georgia State has made study abroad a reality for many students who would otherwise not have the opportunity.
As befits the university’s reputation as one of the most diverse universities in the United States, Georgia State leads the way in participation in study abroad programs by students from underrepresented backgrounds. Nearly 50 percent of Georgia State students who studied abroad in 2018-19 were students of color, compared to the national percentage of 17 percent.
The number of students who participate in study abroad opportunities has increased since the start of the strategic plan, from 636 in 2010-11 to a high of 1,153 in 201819. As of the spring semester of 2020, approximately 769 students have participated in study abroad opportunities during the 2019-20 academic year; this number will rise after Maymester and summer semester 2020 programs conclude for the academic year.
Georgia State faculty-led study abroad program offerings have increased from 32 in 2011 to a high of 75 in 2018-19. As of the start of the spring 2020 semester, a total of 77 faculty-led programs are slated for AY 2019-20.
Study Abroad Programs award more than $1 million in Georgia State study abroad scholarship support to allow those students who have limited opportunities to live and study abroad, thanks in part to the mandatory student international education fee approved by Georgia State students. The number of study abroad scholarship awards has increased from 356 International Education Fee scholarship recipients in 2011 to 541 in 2015, and from four Global Experience Scholarship recipients in 2011 to 54 in 2015.
Faculty-Led Programs & Students Abroad, AY 2010-2018
Students Abroad
Hover over graph to view numbers. *2017 figures do not include exchanges, third-party programs or consortium programs. **2018 figures are as of the end of the Spring 2018 semester and do not include Maymester or Summer 2018 semester programs.
- Students Abroad
Faculty-Led Programs
Hover over graph to view numbers. *2018 figures are as of April 2018; the final number for 2018 is subject to change.
- Faculty-Led Programs
Source: Office of International Initiatives
A Larger International Educational Footprint: Welcoming the World
New international programs have been created to increase Georgia State’s international educational footprint, including the Guangzhou Overseas High School Program, the Southwest Jiaotong University 2+2 Biology Program, the University of International Business and Economics 1+1 MBA and MPA Dual Degree program and the Brazil Scientific Mobility Program.
A Faculty Mentoring Program for Visiting Scholars was created to assist interested partners with professional development for their faculty. The program encourages cross-cultural exchange and builds research networks for mentees and mentors. Since 2013, more than 20 international faculty scholars have been mentored on campus by their Georgia State peers.
A four-week Summer Institute was created in 2012 to give opportunities to more than 40 Georgia State faculty to teach international students at Georgia State. Since its inception, more than 300 international students have come to Georgia State during the summer semester to participate in the program. Hundreds of Georgia State students also have participated in the Global Ambassador Program, where 70 students each summer serve as cultural liaisons between the international students and Georgia State, attend special events and local excursions, facilitate small-group outings and host “Dinner in America” in homes. Global Ambassadors earn a leadership certificate and strengthen their intercultural communication and leadership abilities, increase global networks and learn more about different cultures and languages.
INITIATIVE: Create an International Consortium of Universities for Critical Issues Challenging Cities.
This consortium was established in 2015 and is called the Global Partnership for Better Cities (GPBC). It includes faculty from partner universities in South Africa and Hong Kong. The first Global Partnership Symposium on Better Cities occurred in Atlanta during the spring of 2016. The GPBC is founded on joint-research projects taking place in Atlanta, Hong Kong, Johannesburg and Cape Town to advance understanding of western, eastern and southern hemisphere conceptual frameworks for studying cities and addressing their challenges. The partnership has started student exchanges, scholar visits for completing research and development of joint courses across universities.
INITIATIVE: Promote externally funded research on the challenges facing emerging nations.
Two initiatives have provided internal seed grant funds to deepen partnerships and prepare research grants for external funding:
• The highly successful International Strategic Initiatives Grant Program established earlier in the 2010s has been succeeded by the Faculty International Partnership Engagement (FIPE) grant. Hosted by the Office of International Initiatives, FIPE was started to further international engagement at Georgia State. The objectives of the annual program are to increase strategic collaborations and partnerships through interdisciplinary and other programming with existing partners, and to leverage external funding for international research and projects.
The grant provides a total of $50,000 in seed funds to support these two major objectives and faculty are encouraged to increase engagement in areas such as student mobility, faculty exchange, international research collaboration and other innovative and new ideas and projects through this program.
• The Global Partnership for Better Cities program provides grants to internal faculty groups to travel to partner universities in South Africa and Hong Kong and develop proposals with local scholars who have a unique focus on cities in their urban areas. These grants leverage external funding in support of internationalization of university urban research in relationship to goal four. Topics have centered on urban resilience, transnational and migrant wellbeing, urban health, housing, infrastructure and municipal government finance.
International Students, 2010-2018
Hover over graph to view numbers. Note: Figures for 2016 through 2018 include the international student population after the university’s consolidation with Georgia Perimeter College.
Top 5 Countries of International Student Origin, 2018
Hover over graph to view numbers.
- International Students
- India
- China
- South Korea
- Vietnam
- Nigeria
Source: International Student & Scholar Services
INITIATIVE 3: Establish a Georgia State University International Center.
Georgia State established a new International Center, which opened in 2015 in Dahlberg Hall. Its location in the center of campus brings space, visibility and coordination to international programs, activities and services. It houses the Office of International Initiatives, which is responsible for the strategic integration and coordination of the university’s international initiatives, partnerships, grants, program development and management, events and activities, study abroad programs and the Confucius Institute.
Since 2011, the office has organized hundreds of events during International Education Week (IEW). IEW is a joint U.S. departments of State and Education initiative to promote international education at U.S. schools, colleges and universities. In 2015, the Office of International Initiatives was named the International Education Program winner in the Governor’s International Awards.
Atlanta Global Studies Center
In 2018, Georgia State became a founding partner of the Atlanta Global Studies Center (AGSC), in collaboration with Georgia Tech. The center, designated as a National Resource Center and a Foreign Language Area Studies Fellowship program, is supported by a $2.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
The interdisciplinary center will focus on research and instruction geared to student populations that are underrepresented in international and advanced language studies.
The AGSC will engage college students throughout Atlanta, including science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students, community college students and minority, first- generation and low-income students, with a goal to serve areas of national needs in educating these college students for careers in business, education, security and defense, and public and governmental sectors.
AGSC will foster specialized instruction in international education and less commonly taught languages, such as Arabic, Korean, Portuguese and Hindi. In addition, the AGSC will manage FLAS fellowships for undergraduate and graduate students. Prospective Fellows must enroll in language programs and will receive a full-tuition waiver and stipend.
Learn more about the center here: https://news.gsu.edu/2018/09/18/georgia-state-and-georgia-tech-awarded-2-25-million-grant-to-establish-atlanta-global-studies-center/.