This year marks the fifth anniversary of Internationalizing the Campus: Profiles of Success at Colleges and Universities, a report on international education in the United States developed by NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Profiling institutions selected to receive the Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization, the report cites exemplary practices, model approaches, and major trends, describing the current state of international education on U.S. campuses.

We believe this annual publication serves to highlight the power of international education to advance learning and scholarship, build respect among different peoples, and enhance constructive leadership in a global community.

NAFSA in 2007 received many outstanding nominations for the Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization from a diverse group of distinguished institutions throughout the United States.

In seeking out institutions where international education has been “broadly infused” across all facets of the institution, the 2007 Selection Jury was tasked with looking for some or all of the following characteristics:

• The campus has been widely internationalized across schools, divisions, departments, and disciplines.
• There is evidence of genuine administrative or even board-level support for internationalization.
• The campus-wide internationalization has had demonstrable results for students.
• The institution’s mission or planning documents contain an explicit or implicit statement regarding international education.
• The institution’s commitment to internationalization is reflected in the curriculum.
• The campus-wide internationalization has had demonstrable results within the faculty.
• There is an international dimension in off-campus programs and outreach.
• There is internationalization in research and/or faculty exchange.
• The institution supports education abroad as well as its international faculty, scholars, and students.

Each of the four institutions chosen by the panel to receive the Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization is profiled in this report. Among the 2007 winners are schools of widely varying sizes and resources: Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Elon University in Elon, North Carolina; Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia; and The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma.

Two other institutions are spotlighted in this report for their outstanding accomplishments in specific areas of internationalization. Shoreline Community College in Washington state is recognized for its International Program Advisory Committee, and Valparaiso University in Indiana is acknowledged for its substantial, distinctive commitment to integrating international issues into the curriculum.

All four Simon Award—winning institutions were recognized in May 2007 in Minneapolis at a special ceremony held during NAFSA’s 2007 Annual Conference. It was there that the four institutions selected for their overall excellence in internationalization were presented with NAFSA’s Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization. The late senator served Illinois and the nation as a strong voice for civil rights, peace initiatives, and international education. He was a strong advocate throughout his career for international education, using his positions on various committees in the Senate to advocate for exchange. His leadership in this area was especially evident in his robust support, along with Senator David Boren of Oklahoma, for the creation of the National Security Education Program, which addresses critical national security deficiencies in language and cultural expertise. It is especially fitting that one of this year’s Simon Awards goes to the University of Oklahoma, now led by Senator Simon’s close colleague and collaborator, David Boren.

We hope that international educators will share this report with their institution’s top leadership—including their trustees—in order to document and underscore the value of international education. Internationalizing the Campus is also of great value in communicating with wider communities and regions. Legislatures and government agencies may find it helpful in discussing and understanding international education and exchange. Finally, we hope that it  not only presents knowledge and resources to help improve the practice of international education but also that it inspires new insights and activities in years to come.