Creating Global Connections: Model Programs from Across the US and the World

Collaborative activities and programs with colleges in other countries are an excellent way to internationalize your community college, but it is often hard to know where to begin. This issue provides examples of what community colleges in other states are doing, the name of the college, and their international partner. Please contact the college or Neil Bolick at World View (919-843-5332, nebolick@email.unc.edu) for more information about these programs. The examples of international activities are provided by the American Council on International Intercultural Education on its member colleges.

 

AUSTRALIA

Austin Community College hosted a delegation and arranged a program, which focused on education partnerships with technical colleges in Australia. Linkages focused on travel and tourism, business studies, computer science, and technology. Austin Community College (Austin, TX) / Austin-Adelaide Sister City (Adelaide, Australia).

One-semester faculty exchange. Swinburne faculty exchanged with Crowder faculty for one semester, exchanging homes and automobiles. They were paid by their home institutions. Crowder College (Neosho, MO) / Swinburne University, (Melbourne, Australia).

BELIZE

Annual international service activity whereby CCBC - Cantonsville students lead and participate in an education service learning project in Belize. Community College of Baltimore County (MD) / Big Falls (Belize).

CANADA

Student study abroad trip for culture immersion in French-speaking Quebec City. Trip taken during quarter breaks. Columbus State Community College (Columbus, OH) / Quebec City, (Canada).

Through the North American Mobility Program in Higher Education, schools collaborate on education and exchanges in hospitality, tourism, and culinary arts. Activities include joint curriculum development, DBCC students studying at Holland College for up to a semester and HC students doing the same at DBCC, development of Web-based courses, and other activities. Daytona Beach Community College (Daytona Beach, FL) / Holland College (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island) and New Brunswick Community College (St. Andrews, New Brunswick).

Faculty/student exchange in agribusiness program. Fox Valley Technical College (Appleton, WI) / Institut de Technologic Agroalimentaire de Staint-Hyacinthe (Quebec).

Technical/economic development. Conducted teleconference to promote development of trade relations between companies in Orange County and Canadian companies. Rancho Santiago Community College District (Santa Ana, CA) / Canadian Companies.

CHINA

American students teach English to Chinese teens; American professors teach intercultural communication to high school English teachers; Sichuan students attend County College of Morris. County College of Morris (Randolf, NJ) / Wenjiang School (Chengdu, Sichuan).

Since 1998, Highlane Community College has participated in a faculty exchange with Jiao Tong University. Jiao Tong sends a faculty member from their English department to HCC for one academic year. This professor teaches HCC's Chinese language and culture courses. A Highline faculty member from the Humanities division travels to Shanghai to teach English and special enrichment seminars to Jiao Tong students. Highline Community College (Des Moines, WA) / Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Shanghai, China).

Exchange of students and teachers, especially in technology and business. Johnson County Community College (Overland Park, KS) / Zhejiang Wanli University, (Ningbo, China).

K-12 teacher and administrator professional development course in Lakewood. Program helps Chinese teachers and school officials improve their English and learn about the U.S. K-12 system and teaching methods. Pierce College (Lakewood, WA) / Country Garden School (Shunde, China).

COSTA RICA

Students live with Costa Rican host families and study intensive Medical Spanish at CONVERSA. Prior to departure for Costa Rica, program participants participate in on-line, area-specific projects that prepare them for an on-site practicum in clinics and hospitals. Georgia Perimeter College (Clarkston, GA) / Centro Linguistico CONVERSA (Santa Ana, Costa Rica).

EL SALVADOR

USAID/ALO funded project to develop early childhood education programs in coordination with the university and various government agencies. Metropolitan Community College (Omaha, NE) / Universidad Centroamericana “Jose Canas Simeon” (San Salvador, El Salvador).

ENGLAND

Canterbury students attend an intensive one-month summer program at Crowder College focusing on Native American studies. Students from Crowder spend a semester studying in Canterbury. Faculty member accompanying students teaches for a semester at the university. Crowder College (Neosho, MO) / Christchurch Canterbury College University (Canterbury, England).

Students from Iowa Central and the other community colleges of Iowa have the opportunity to study in London. An instructor from the participating community colleges accompanies the group and acts as a lead teacher. Courses have been articulated through the Iowa system and each student pays tuition and fees to his/her home institution. Iowa Central Community College (Fort Dodge, IA) / American Institute for Foreign Study and the Iowa Community College Study Abroad Consortium (Cambridge).

On-line e-commerce certificate and study abroad program. Northcentral Technical College (Wausa, WI) / University of Central England (Birmingham, England).

Agreement offering faculty and student exchanges in agricultural and equine studies. Parkland College (Champaign, IL) / Bishop Burton College (East Yorkshire, England).

FINLAND

A one-for-one student exchange lasting one semester that enables American and Finnish students to become immersed in another culture. Participants enroll in a variety of academic courses and study alongside regular students. The exchange includes a foreign language component. Georgia Perimeter College (Clarkston, GA) / South Carelia Polytechnic Institute (Imatra and Lappeneranta).

FRANCE

Memoranda of Understanding; faculty exchanges; internship exchanges; student exchanges; study abroad, joint curricular projects; FIPSE grant partner. Black Hawk College (Moline, Il) / The University of Claude Bernard (Lyon).

Short-term international business study abroad; short-term language and art study abroad. Cape Cod Community College (W. Barnstable, MA) / Ecole National de Commerce (Paris).

Two week exchange for cultural and technical experience for faculty/staff and students. Crowder College (Neosho, MO) / Béziers Technical Institute (Béziers).

Faculty/student exchange in agribusiness program. Fox Valley Technical College (Appleton, WI) / Institut Rual de Richemont (Richemont).

Short-term study abroad in culinary arts. Grand Rapids Community College (Grand Rapids, MI) / Various Schools.

GERMANY

This EC-US program Computerized Processes in Enterprises Involving Emerging High-Technology Occupations included a three-month work-study exchange program in the areas of high technology training and welding. Five Austin Community College students were assigned to the Handwerkskammer in Koblenz. This included visits to local business and industry. Nine German meisters in a variety of professions spend a month assigned to local Austin business and attended special courses at ACC. Austin Community College (Austin, TX) / Koning Willem I College and Hogeschool Holland (The Netherlands); Bildungszentrum Dresden gGmbH (Dresden, Germany); Maine Technical College System (ME); Tarrant City Jr. College (TX).

Exchange program. Occupational internship exchange. Delta College University Center (MI) / Berufsakademe (Lorrach).

Periodic exchange of faculty and students to tour environment installations in both countries. Discussions between faculty are ongoing regarding the development of environmental science programs. Harford Community College (Bel Air, MD) / Hans Schwier Berufskolleg (Gelsenkirchen, Germany).

Student/faculty exchange; team-taught collaborative course between Muskegon Community College instructor and Kaufmannische instructor. Muskegon Community College (Muskegon, MI) / Kaufmannische-Nord Vocational School (Stuttgart, Germany).

ITALY

Culinary internships where students spend 6 to 8 weeks in summer learning and working at premiere hotels at various locations on Italy 's Amalfi coast. Anne Arundel Community College (Arnold, MD) / WorldLink Education Inc. (Salerno, Italy).

JAPAN

Hosted a Japanese teacher from Yamanashi Women's Junior College for six months. She was studying the community college system. Iowa Central Community College (Fort Dodge, IA) / Yamanashi Women's Junior College and Japanese Government.

KENYA

Sister college computer technology development and exchange of administrators, faculty, and students. Delta College University Center (MI) / Rift Valley Institute of Science and Technology (Nakuru).

MEXICO

Student study abroad programs (all semesters) and faculty/staff development activities (2-week exchanges and semester teaching assignments). Joliet Junior College (Joliet, IL) / Institute of Language and Culture (Cuernavaca, Mexico).

Faculty exchange; student exchange; Spanish/ESL course collaboration via Internet and distance education; sister school agreement. Skagit Valley College (Mt. Vernon, WA) / Universidad Latin de Americas, Morelia (Michoacan, Mexico).

NETHERLANDS

Nursing student exchange. Two-week exchange of nursing students between colleges. Community College of Baltimore County (Baltimore County, MD) / Nova College (Haarlem, Netherlands).  

Student/faculty exchanges in accounting, automotive technology, computer information systems, banking/financial services, office technology, child care, and marketing. Fox Valley Technical College (Appleton, WI) / I.D. College (Zoetermeer/Soetermeer). 

RUSSIA

Two schools are exploring ways to share teaching methodology. A unique project under discussion is the development of an Internet-based program. The project would pair public school teachers in IRCC's service district with teachers in Russia, as well as IRCC faculty with Russian postsecondary teachers. Indian River Community College (Fort Pierce, FL) / Kaliningrad State University (Russia).

SOUTH AFRICA

Training professionals in HIV/AIDS prevention strategies. Middlesex Community College (Middletown, CT) / Province of Natal (Kwamsashu Soweto).

Workforce development partnership; community college sustainability project; community college technology enhancement. Prince George's Community College (Largo, MD) / Vista University.

SPAIN

Study abroad summer program in Spanish culture/language, beginning and intermediate. Kirkwood Community College (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) / Modern Language Studies Abroad (Madrid, Spain).

TAIWAN

Visiting scholars through a Rotary International Group Study Exchange. Columbus State Community College (Columbus, OH) / National Huwei Institute of Technology, National Chiayi University (Chiayi, Taiwan).

UKRAINE

Provide Ukrainian legal, government, and business professionals with peer internships in the Wausau community for periods of three to four weeks (60 participants to date). Northcentral Technical College (Wausau, WI) / USIA Community Connections Program (Washington, DC).

URUGUAY

Staff member served as Fulbright Scholar and established several cultural exchange programs and other initiatives. Oklahoma City Community College (Oklahoma City, OK) / Fulbright Commission (Montevideo, Uruguay).

UZBEKISTAN

Community Connections Program. Faculty / professional exchange. Pima Community College (Tucson, Arizona) / U.S. State Department.

VIETNAM

One-to-one faculty visits and a group visit from TCC faculty and students to Hong Duc University. Faculty will study the language and culture of Vietnam, and students will participate in a service learning program. Tidewater Community College, (Portsmouth, VA) / Hong Duc University (Thanh Hoa City).

ZIMBABWE