Campus News - Special Edition on Strategic Planning - December 2000

Globalization/International/Latin America

Committee Charge:

The University of New Mexico will strive to achieve excellence globally through various educational programs, increased collaborative efforts with a variety of partners, and extensive outreach initiatives on an international scale. The maintenance and expansion of endeavors with Latin America and Iberia should continue to be areas of emphasis. However, the continuation and establishment of programs that highlight other areas of the world should be incorporated in a plan to encourage a greater presence. A comprehensive array of educational and community initiatives should bring greater attention to UNM as an institution of international prominence because of these excellent academic programs with a global emphasis and our outstanding multiple partnerships in the international arena. Describe broadly: What are we now doing that enhances UNM's global stature? What are we now doing to develop academic programs and encourage collaboration and partnerships internationally? What should we be doing? How does it all fit together? How well are we doing it?

Summary of Report

1. UNM should make internationalization an integral part of the University's mission and strategic plan.
2. UNM should provide coordination and direction of its international activities through an administrative reorganization and the appointment of an Associate Provost for International Programs.
3. UNM should establish, under the new Associate Provost for International Programs, a new Center for International Research and Studies (CIRS) to promote the development of international research and study of world areas other than Latin America.
4. The support of the international community at UNM (such as foreign students and faculty) should be the primary function of a new unit called the Office of International Student and Faculty Services (OISFS) that would replace OIPS and report to the new Associate Provost for International Programs.
5. A new Office of International Study Abroad and Student Exchanges (OISASE) should be established and staffed with existing OIPS personnel.
6. Support for international research and faculty development should be a specific charge of the new Center for International Research and Studies.
7. Mechanisms should be introduced to insure faculty and student involvement in the new Center for International Research and Studies.
8. The new Associate Provost for International Affairs should be given some type of authority over international recruitment and admissions, the nature of which should be recommended by a faculty/staff committee, based on an investigation of procedures employed at universities with high success rates in enrolling foreign students.
9. An International Studies major and minor should be established, following the Latin American Studies model, with administrative support provided by CIRS and academic supervision provided by the College of Arts and Sciences.
10. Support for grant development should be provided through CIRS with initial assistance from the Office of Research Services (ORS).
11. UNM should develop methods to give priority (other things being equal) in new faculty hires to persons with international expertise.

Working Committee Membership

Gil Merkx, Director of LAII, Chair
Rebecca Digman, International Programs
Guillermina Engelbrecht, Education
Gladis Maresma, OITEC
Susan Tiano, Sociology
David Wolfe, Physics & Astronomy and Radiology
Scott Obenshain, HSC Student Affairs
Jon Tolman, Spanish and Portuguese
Peter Pabisch, Foreign Languages and Literatures (German)

Strategic Planning Task Force Liaisons

Lawrence Roybal
Nancy Middlebrook

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