Utilizing a National Association to Increase Access to Education Abroad

Abstract

Today, community colleges seek to internationalize amid an environment of widespread internal budget cuts and restricted resources. It has become increasingly common for community colleges to incorporate a global mission into their strategic plan despite current economic realities dictating that funding get allocated to priority projects such as student enrollment and academics before they reach international activities. A common misperception is that international education is a costly endeavor that has the potential to put a strain on the institutional budget. In reality, international education operations can be set up to be self-supporting and generate revenue for the institution through strategic study abroad pricing models. This chapter constructs a scenario to explore how community colleges can do more with less to expand their international agenda while navigating a climate of internal budget constraints and institutional downsizing.