Cal Poly Pomona has joined the American Council on Education's (ACE) Internationalization Laboratory (IZN Lab) to dramatically increase opportunities for students to learn from diverse sources, immerse in new environments, and learn to be successful in a global world.
Cal Poly Pomona is one of 12 colleges and universities worldwide launching the initiative this fall 2022, and the campus held a kickoff event on Wednesday, Nov. 30.
President Soraya M. Coley, Provost Jennifer Brown, ACE Lab Advisor Penelope Pynes, as well as the five lab Steering Committee and 24 lab Strategic Planning Task Force subcommittee members attended the event.
"Through international exchange and study abroad programs, we wish to have a global presence, which will in turn expose our students to different cultures, views, ideas, and approaches of diverse peoples of the world," President Coley said. "The ACE Internationalization Lab aligns with the CPP Strategic Plan and Academic Master Plan.
Provost Jennifer Brown said the Internationalization Lab initiative is important to the future of Cal Poly Pomona. "Global learning has become essential in higher education. In order to prepare the next generation of students to compete successfully in a global economy and to tackle the grand challenges that our world is facing, we must educate and train our students to be global citizens."
While specific strategic goals will be developed by the steering committee and subcommittee, the lab's overall goal will be to increase opportunities for Cal Poly Pomona students, faculty and staff to have international polytechnic experiences and engagement. The lab will also seek to increase enrollment of international students, broadening cross-cultural interactions on campus.
Provost Brown also recognized each of the Lab Steering Committee members. They are:
- Richard Navarro, Interim Dean of College of Professional and Global Education (CPGE)
- Lisa Xue, Director, Director of Global Education Institute, CPGE
- Meihua Koo, Professor of Accounting and Director of Graduate Programs, College of Business Administration
- Hend Gilli-Elewy, Interim Dean, College of Education and Integrative Studies
- Brianne Dávila, Professor of Sociology Department and Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Student Success, College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences
Dean Richard Navarro reported that five Strategic Planning Task Force sub-committees have been formed to address CPP's most critical areas of growth. The sub-committees are:
- Organizational Structure and Campus Culture
- Student Experiences, Study Abroad/Away, and Global Learning Outcomes
- Faculty Development and Academic Cooperation, Research Collaboration, and Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL)
- International Students and Scholars Recruitment and Retention
- Institutional Collaborations and Partnerships
As part of the process, ACE has paired Cal Poly Pomona with Pynes, who is currently an ACE Senior Associate for Internationalization. She will work with the Steering Committee and the Strategic Planning Task Force subcommittees. Over the next year and a half, they will develop strategies and goals for campus internationalization, work on strategic planning and student outcomes, and create action plans based on an analysis of current campus activities.
