Abstract:
This study explored one university's response to the internationalization of higher
education. Case study methodology was employed through a review of current and
archival documents and interviews with key actors in the international spheres of the
university. The historical, current, and future contexts were considered to situate the case
study on a time line. Data analysis revealed that there were several points of division
among the university community related to the response to internationalization, but also a
major point of coherence in the centrality of inter-cultural understanding in efforts to
internationalize. Other key findings included strengths, areas for improvement, and future
directions of the university's response to internationalization. All of these findings were
contextualized in findings related to the history of the university. In addition to these
major findings, three themes in relation to the vision for internationalization at the
institution were revealed: ( a) intercultural understanding, (b) the comprehensive status of
the university, and (c) the financial benefits of internationalization. Recommendations
are made for practice at the university in order to clarify this vision to develop a clear
foundation from which to further build a response to internationalization that is solidly
based on inter-cultural understanding, and recommendations for future research into the
process of internationalization at the institutional level in Canada are suggested.
