Canada Should Take an Ethical Approach to Internationalization

Source: University Affairs via Academica | February 6, 2015

In an op-ed for University Affairs, Carleton University Provost Peter Ricketts and Canadian Bureau for International Education VP Membership, Public Policy, and Communications Jennifer Humphries call for an ethical approach to internationalization. Their piece argues that a lack of a coherent federal strategy for internationalization left Canada lagging behind other developed nations. Ricketts and Humphries cite the report of an Internationalization Leaders Network advisory panel that emphasizes internationalization cannot be pursued at the cost of quality or participants’ well-being. The ILN also advocated a set of 7 core ethical principles that should guide internationalization. These include that internationalization should be integrated into the core mission of an institution; that it be student-centred, equitable, and inclusive; that its agenda should not be dictated by fiscal imperatives; that there be mutual benefit to all parties involved; and that it be used as a means to achieve global-level civic engagement, social justice, and social responsibility.