| Living in a post-modern era where globalization has impacted the world's economy, students, faculty and administrators in higher education today are exposed to global forces in their daily lives which influence the way they express their views in and outside of the classroom (Suarez-Orozco, 2004). This study is important for practitioners, policymakers and researchers to gain a better understanding of how leadership plays a role in making an institution more global and meeting the needs of graduating students academically and professionally, a phenomenon not well understood in the field of higher education (Armstrong, 2007 Scott 2000 Suarez-Orozco, 2004). One of the difficulties in studying this trend is that the term globalization is hard to define in respect to the field of education (Armstrong, 2007 Spring, 2008). Also, integrating globalization into mission statements proves difficult for senior leaders at public research institutions because mission statements have been historically tied to locale (NASULGC, 2004). Furthermore, universities are complex organizations and studying leadership can be a daunting task for researchers in higher education (Birnbaum, 1988).This study examines the senior leadership at a land-grant research university in the United States whose efforts went into integrating globalization into its institutional mission, global partnership and overseas program. A single case study approach was used to investigate senior leadership roles at the University of Waterside (UW) in globalizing the institution. The purpose of performing a qualitative study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon of globalization in higher education in a natural setting (Patton, 2002 Merriam, 1998).Findings revealed that UW has not yet become a top-ranked global research university, as projected in the institution's mission. Senior leaders have different interpretations of the term globalization and apply it differently to the field of higher education. Up until today, senior leaders at UW have not demonstrated support for its international programs and activities across campus. And although individual faculty, departments and centers are internationally involved UW is still faced with many challenges that stand in the way of it becoming a global research university. |
