May/June Issue Contents: Volume 20, Issue 2

Editor’s Note

Frank Shushok, Jr.

In the television drama Criminal Minds, a favorite of the Shushok family, there is an episode in which a former FBI agent, Max Ryan, returns from retirement to work a cold case known as “the Keystone killer.” Ryan, the original investigator, is a grumpy sort. The regular FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) crew is irritated by his return and seemingly arrogant disposition, especially related to the case at hand that they believed they had firmly under control. Who needs Max Ryan!

Feature Articles

A Conversation with Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice and Frank Shushok, Jr.

From university administration to the White House, Condoleezza Rice has a unique perspective on the pressures of globalization on higher education. Before sharing some of the pedagogical strategies she uses to prepare her students for the challenges and ambiguity of our shrinking world, she notes some of the current successes of American colleges and universities on the internationalization front; namely, attracting and serving international students as well as providing study abroad opportunities for American students. But there is still room for improvement. She decries the isolation of the humanities and recommends STEM majors make more time for them, especially writing. Finally, she calls on colleges and universities to continue to provide opportunities for all types of students to reach their full potential.

Internationalizing Higher Education and Student Affairs
Dennis C. Roberts

Recently returned from seven years in the Middle East, Dennis C. Roberts shares how his international experience has changed his perspective on the potential of higher education to serve the needs of a global society. He explains the difference between the homogenizing (potentially dominating) imposition of globalization versus the mutually respectful process of internationalization and argues that many 21st century problems are going to require those with an education that has prepared them to deal with complex problems from a multicultural perspective. He suggests that to provide an authentically internationally informed education, U.S. colleges and universities must reach beyond domestic diversity to include issues regarding broader national and cultural dynamics; then he ends with some suggestions on how to do so.

Black Within Black: The Perceptions of Black Immigrant Collegians and Their U.S. College Experience
Chrystal A. George Mwangi and Sharon Fries-Britt

While research on diversity has made great strides in identifying differences across groups (and their significance to the learning process), Chrystal A. George Mwangi and Sharon Fries-Britt argue that the next stage of this research needs to attend to more refined demographics and explore differences within a group. They report on significant differences between Black immigrant and Black American students that emerged from their research, identifying and discussing three key themes for Black immigrant students: (1) adjusting to a racial minority status, (2) encounters with racial and ethnic otherness, and (3) learning in a community of diverse peers. They conclude with a discussion of how campuses can respond to the now-identified needs of this student population.

Views from Campus

Global Nomads: A Resource Hidden in Plain Sight
Maggie Appel-Schumacher

You can’t always tell international students by their passports. As the child of military parents, Maggie Appel-Schumacher is American but didn’t visit the United States until she came to college at the age of 18. Having grown up in Germany, she identifies herself as a “global nomad,” an American with extensive international experience. Appel-Schumacher suggests that this group of often-overlooked students is a valuable resource in providing an international perspective on their campuses if only they are invited to share their rich world views.

Pracademia: The Future of the Lifelong Learner
M. D. Wilson

M. D. Wilson decries the deep division between the “thinking” academy and “doing” professionals. He suggests integrating the practical and the academic in the “pracademic,” one who draws from theory and practice to inform his or her work. Wilson points to projects such as Purdue’s Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) as the ideal of the “pracademy,” a process of learning through doing. He argues that such practices will truly engage students in their own learning and create well-rounded, lifelong learners.