Developing, Implementing and Promoting International Student Mobility through Bilateral Exchange Agreements: A Case Study of the Forsyth Technical Community College - Niels Brock Copenhagen Business College Global Education Connection

Author: 
Yevin, Bernie
Publisher: 
CONAHEC
Year of Publication: 
2008

At 11:37 P.M. on January 5th, 2008, Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina opened it's academic doors to the world of Global Education by welcoming its first four international exchange students. As finance majors from the Niels Brock Copenhagen Business College in Denmark, they were required to spend a semester in residence at a college in a foreign country to complete their degrees. This session will present a case history of the development and use of the formal Bilateral Exchange Agreement as a vehicle for international student mobility. The Agreement allows partner schools to internationalize their student bodies and present opportunities for international study tied directly to degree programs. Included in this presentation will be a discussion of issues associated with establishing bilateral exchange programs, the mechanics of the Bilateral Exchange Agreement itself, and logistics of hosting international students at a non-residential community college. Attendees will leave with an understanding of how this program is structured, managed, and how it can be used at their home institutions.

Event Information
Event Title: 
CONAHEC's 12th North American Higher Education Conference - Monterrey 2008
Event Description: 

Join leaders and practitioners of higher education, business, government and students in the city of Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico for CONAHEC’s 12th North American Higher Education Conference! North Americans share many historical, cultural, and linguistic bonds and many common issues to face. With the signing of NAFTA in 1994, our region has become inextricably linked by growing economic ties. Leaders in North America recognize that regional and individual community prosperity depends largely on the global competencies of our future professionals -- today's students. Governmental and educational leaders acknowledge that higher education institutions in North America must be more proactive and offer students opportunities to gain international expertise by becoming more internationally oriented while strengthening local connections in their teaching, research and public service functions.More than a decade after NAFTA was launched, it is increasingly evident that our region cannot isolate itself, but must rather develop stronger and more productive linkages both internally and with other world regions. Higher education has an important role to play in connecting North America with the rest of the world. Together, we will revitalize the North American higher education collaborative agenda for the new political, economic and educational context in which we live today.