Global Cities, Global Citizenship: An Urban-Themed Mobility Project

1. Global Cities, Global Citizenship: An Urban-Themed Mobility Project Kathi A. Ketcheson, Ph.D. Portland State University Portland, Oregon USA

2. Description of the project • Excellence in Mobility Project. • European Union-United States Atlantis Program from 2008 to 2012. • Partners: University of Bologna, Italy; University of Nottingham, UK; University of Denver, USA; Portland State University, USA. • Faculty and student exchanges focused on the study of cities in the 21st century.

3. Atlantis Program • Transatlantic Declaration on EU-US Relations. • First agreement signed 1995. • Renewed 2000 until 2005, the 2006 to 2013. • US funding ended in 2012.

4. Types of projects • Transatlantic Degree Consortia Projects (TD): dual/double or joint degree programs; included mobility funds for students and faculty. • Excellence in Mobility Projects (EIM): short-term, transatlantic mobility, students and faculty. • Policy-oriented Measures (POM): collaboration in higher education and vocational training.

5. Funding • Six EIM, eight TD, and two POM projects funded in 2008. • Global Cities: $180,000 divided among four partners; no-cost extension to 2013. • Students: €5000 or $5,000 for four months. • Faculty: $3,500 up to two weeks. • Administrators: $3,000 up to two weeks.

6. Themes • Demographic • Socioeconomic • Spatial • Ecological • Aesthetic

7. Goals • Inter-institutional and interdisciplinary learning and community engagement. • Interdisciplinary perspectives on sustainable urban futures. • Common curricular focus. • Continuing relationships.

8. Student mobility • 48 students over four years, divided evenly among institutions. • Courses within five urban themes, offered in English. • Internship or community-based learning component. • US students complete two weeks of language training in Bologna.

9. Faculty mobility • Five faculty members from each institution. • Stipends for up to two weeks’ stay abroad. • Lectures and presentations. • Establish collaboration beyond the grant period.

10. Proposed student mobility • Denver Bologna • 6 6 • 6 6 • Portland Nottingham • 6 6 • 6 6

11. Actual student mobility • Denver Bologna • 9 4 • 0 7 • Portland Nottingham • 9 2 • 3 2

12. Actual faculty mobility Denver Bologna 2 1 2 1 Portland Nottingham 3 0 2 1

13. Successes • Bologna: development of new course, envisioning the possibility of interdisciplinary courses. • Nottingham: curriculum review of interdisciplinary courses, new systems to support internationalization strategy. • Portland: lasting impact on students, signing of formal agreements. • Denver: new internships, transformation of courses.

14. Assessment • Required of US institutions only. • Pre-departure and post, returning questionnaires and interviews. • Journals & reflections, weekly log of learning and extracurricular activities.

15. At PSU…. • Exchange students completed power point presentations and reflected on their learning within the urban themes of the project.

16. Learning in the community • “Lorenzo has been awarded this Certificate of Appreciation for making a valuable contribution to his project team in the development of a unique water passport and also for providing his cohort with an international perspective on drinking water.” • Michael P. Stuhr, Chief Engineer, • Portland Water Bureau

17. What students had to say • “Not only did the education I received…fit in with my educational • goals, but the substantial financial support allowed studying • abroad to become a possibility…” • “I was thrown head-first into Italian culture, as well as other • cultures…These connections with Italians and people around the • world became priceless to me.” • “I can say with absolute surety that the city itself has been the • most informative classroom of all.”

18. Challenges • Bologna: Limited resources and time; establishing interdisciplinary collaboration among faculties. • Nottingham: Negotiating departmental cultures; short funding period. • Portland: Limited funding and short funding period; assessing organizational differences among institutions. • Denver: Ambiguous learning environment; administrative transitions.

19. Overall challenges • Competing study abroad opportunities for students. • Lack of urban-themed courses. • Difficulty in engaging faculty across disciplines. • Not enough courses in English. • Small number of students. • Students’ language competency.

20. Overall challenges--continued • Semester vs. quarter systems. • Transferability of credits to specific programs of study. • One-semester internships. • Staff changes. • Loss of influential leader.

21. Lessons learned • Designate coordinators. • Involve faculty from the beginning. • Facilitate and host faculty visits. • Obtain campus leadership and international affairs’ support.

22. Postscript: Is Europe Passé’? • Atlantis “de-funded” by USDOE. • “…as Western universities struggle to establish substantial partnerships and branch campuses in emerging nations, traditional partners may regain some appeal.” Chronicle, Aug. 2, 2013. • Go beyond bilateral agreements to rethink the “global century.” • Trilateral or multilateral agreements? • What do you think? Examples?

24. Questions? • Please contact • Kathi A. Ketcheson • ketchesonk@pdx.edu