Academic isolation

The Association of American Universities recently considered building its own metaphoric wall to the north in retracting membership to the prestigious group for two Canadian universities - McGill University and the University of Toronto. Philip Altbach and Liz Reisberg ask the question if U.S.A. educators are withdrawing from cross-border partnerships, a move that would be one more step toward isolation. Higher education in the U.S.A. positions itself as the world leader in scholarship and innovation which is accepted by many educators and consumers. However, isolation and protectionism results in cutting off the opportunity to both model and learn from others.