International Services at Higher Education Institutions

February 10th - 16th, 2008

The Fulbright Center organized a study tour for Finnish university and higher education institution international service specialists to the U.S. in February 2008. The Institute of International Education (IIE) arranged the practicalities in New York and the tour was also funded by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture. The purpose of the tour was to increase Finnish-American exchange of students and scholars as well as boost cooperation between Finnish and American institutions of higher education.

Agenda

Participants travelled to the United States for a five-day international education study-tour. The program consisted of a two-day workshop at IIE headquarters in New York and two days of site visits to public and private universities to observe international education operations in action.

During seminar sessions, the participants learned about the U.S. higher education system and specific areas such as graduate admissions, the application process, selection, financial aid, etc., and the role of community colleges. Other topics covered included transatlantic academic exchange, the international education profession in the United States, strategies for attracting U.S. students to Europe (and to Finland specifically), and strategies for internationalizing the campus.

The week-long study tour concluded with a special one-day workshop on trends in transatlantic academic exchange and the impact of the Bologna process. U.S. campus representatives invited to attend workshops, provided the visiting Finnish delegation the opportunity to share their knowledge and to contribute to the advancement of closer transatlantic linkages and to promote Finland as a study destination for U.S. students.

Study Tour Report

Read the Study Tour report (in Finnish, Swedish and English, PDF).

The study tour report includes thoughts and analysis on the tour's most central themes. The authors have compared American and Finnish practices and analyze the effects of the differences and similarities on practical work in international services at higher education institutions. The report also reflects on how to apply the newly acquired information in a concrete manner into Finnish-American cooperation. (These sections are in Finnish and partly in Swedish)

The report also includes a summary of IIE's 2007 survey on expanding the capacity of host countries to accommodate more U.S. students at higher education institutions. The same report also analyzed the willingness and ablities of American higher education institutions to properly school and send their students abroad. The IIE realized the survey in Finland in cooperation with the Fulbright Center. The study tour report includes only the section regarding Finland. (IIE summary in English)