ACADEMIC AFFAIRS | On September 18, the members of the ACE Internationalization Laboratory (ACE Lab) convened to reset, reframe, and reinvigorate our work together based on the ever-evolving social, economic, and political landscape that continues to impact our local and global communities. The meeting was intended to relaunch our efforts as we navigate the ACE Lab review process in a new world created by a convergence of interdependent global-local issues, including the coronavirus pandemic, systematic racism/racial justice protests, a severe economic downturn, and a controversial presidential election on the horizon in the U.S. Acknowledging that our new context will, undoubtedly, shift our current and long-term internationalization goals, we contemplated how the new circumstances will inform our process and recommendations to advance LMU’s mission.
We were joined by Provost Poon, Dr. Gil Latz (Ohio State University; LMU’s ACE Lab advisor), and Dr. Kara Godwin (Director for Internationalization at the American Council on Education), who all enriched our Relaunch conversation. With an eye toward viewing our current crisis as a portal to new opportunities, Provost Poon stressed the importance of developing a shared vision for our future global-local strategies. Dr. Latz encouraged us to tailor the process to LMU’s mission and recognize our agency, especially as a faith-based institution with shared values, to innovate and problem-solve together. Finally, Dr. Godwin introduced us to ACE’s new model of comprehensive internationalization to reground our work, emphasizing “diversity, equity, & inclusion; data-informed decision-making; and agility & transformation” throughout all targeted areas of our review.
With a newly found energy and lens to recenter our work, the working groups have quickly moved forward with engaging the community in intentional discussions regarding internationalization. The working group focused on Articulated Institutional Commitment, Structure, and Staffing has been conducting focus groups last week and this week, and the remaining four working groups will rotate into IRB-approved data collection during the month of October. We hope you will lookout for the recruitment messages and find a way to share your experiences and expertise with us so that together we can build a sustainable internationalization plan for LMU.
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