Two new higher education internationalization publications support student affairs/services

Interest in student affairs and services has been expanding throughout the world and this has been complemented by a growing commitment to providing students a more informed entry into the global world in which we live.  The challenges and opportunities that higher education staff and advocates are expected to address are more effectively addressed when ideas are shared, models are developed and modified, and when educators cooperate across borders to support the improvement of each other’s practice.

Two new publications are now available to help shape the future of international higher education. These two books are unique in their complementarity; they share several key authors and their content reinforces a shared message about enhancing student learning and development. These books are also distinct from each other, making them useful for different audiences and for different purposes.

Enhancing Student Learning and Development inCross-Border Higher Education (Roberts & Komives, Eds., 2016) is available through the New Directions for Higher Education series.

This book is relatively short (115 pages) and offers an overview of why and how institutions might look more deeply into the prospect of enhancing students’ learning and development both in and out of class. Comparative analysis of educational practices and modifying approaches across environments is advocated including examples from authors in four international settings. The book concludes with the two research and theory bases that are important to enhancing students’ experiences – student development and campus culture – as well as provides guidance on research, evaluation, and assessment, building staff capacity, and mutual partnerships. This book will be of interest to all those who value quality higher education no matter what their role. The intent is to convince broader constituencies of the merit of enhancing the student experience so that students worldwide will benefit from intentional learning and development opportunities.

Supporting Students Globally in HigherEducation (Osfield, Perozzi, Bardill Moscaritolo, & Shea, 2016) is available through the NASPA (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education) website.

Written for both new and seasoned student affairs professionals around the world, Supporting Students Globally in Higher Education, co-led by leaders from IASAS (International Association of Student Affairs and Services) and NASPA lays the groundwork for improving the lives of students. As globalization continues to flatten our world and internationalization efforts press forward, student affairs and services practitioners are uniquely positioned to assist students with attaining high-quality, holistic higher education, which in turn leads to the improvement of global society overall.

In Supporting Students Globally in Higher Education leaders from all parts of the globe contribute their expertise, presenting a variety of concepts in detail and with specificity, capturing nuance and country-specific flair, while also providing paradigm-changing examples. Overarching issues include:

• Rapidly growing numbers of international students
• An increasingly diverse and mobile student population
•  Expanding diversity of the campus at home
• Intensified cross-border cooperation in research and teaching
• More and different staff exchange programs
• Closer and more intensified cooperation of state actors