In our seventh edition of Internationalizing the Campus: Profiles of Success at Colleges and ­Universities, we feature the 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 these outstanding U.S. campuses.

This annual publication serves to highlight the power of international education to advance learning and scholarship, develop a globally competent workforce, enhance constructive leadership in the global community, and promote a more just and peaceful world.

Again this year NAFSA 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 2009 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 five institutions chosen by the jury to receive the Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization is profiled in this report. Among the 2009 winners are schools of widely varying sizes and resources: Boston University; Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut; Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington; Portland State University in Portland, Oregon; and the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities.

Three other institutions shown in this report received the 2009 Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award for their outstanding accomplishments in specific areas of internationalization. Berklee College of Music is noted for its robust, in-person, interview-based admissions process on six continents; Fairleigh Dickinson University is recognized for innovative use of technology for faculty development and curriculum internationalization; and the University of California, Davis is acknowledged for groundbreaking academic diplomacy related to Iran and Cuba.

The five institutions winning NAFSA’s Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization were presented with the award at a special ceremony held during NAFSA’s Annual Conference in May 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The late senator served Illinois and the nation as a strong voice for civil rights, peace initiatives, and international understanding. Throughout his career, he was a dedicated advocate 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, and his advocacy for legislation to enact the recommendations of the Commission on the Abraham Lincoln Study Abroad Fellowship Program.

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.