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The conceptualization and development of a global community college: a case study examining the perspective and roles of Pasadena City College leadership and management

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The conceptualization and development of a global community college: a case study examining the perspective and roles of Pasadena City College leadership and management

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THE CONCEPTUALIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF A
GLOBAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE: A CASE STUDY EXAMINING THE
PERSPECTIVE AND ROLES OF PASADENA CITY COLLEGE
LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

by

Noosha Ghandkhar Malek

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

August 2012

Copyright 2012 Noosha Ghandkhar Malek

ii

DEDICATION
I dedicate this dissertation to three generations of strong and progressive women;
my sister, my mother, and my late grandmother. Secondly, I dedicate this dissertation to
my husband for his patience, support, and encouragement.

iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to first express my deepest gratitude and appreciation to my
dissertation committee chairs; to Dr. Mike Diamond and Dr. Mark Robison for your
guidance, support, attention to detail and purpose, and for teaching me to reflect and
reach deeper. I am equally grateful to my committee member Dr. Tatiana Melguizo who
provided me with tremendous insight about the structure and condition of community
colleges.
I would like to acknowledge all of the participants at Pasadena City College for
opening their doors and minds to this study, in particular President Mark Rocha. I
sincerely hope you find value in this study.
Although writing a dissertation can be a solitary endeavor, there are numerous
friends, classmates, colleagues, and supervisors who make the experience richer. Thank
you to my Thursday night cohort and Global University thematic group for your
intellectual insight, support, and laughter. Thank you to my colleagues and supervisors in
Student Affairs and Undergraduate Programs for your patience, advice, and
encouragement.
Lastly, this journey would not be possible without the contributions of my family.
To my mother Mahrokh, thank you for instilling in me the value and importance of
education from a young age. To my husband Brian, thank you for everything; for your
love, your support, and your patience. You have encouraged me, listened and lived with
my stress over the last 3 years, and provided countless hot meals to keep me sustained
and focused! You have my deepest gratitude and love.
iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dedication ii
Acknowledgements iii
Abstract vi
Chapter 1: Introduction of the Problem and Key Concepts 1
Background of the Problem 2
Statement of the Problem 8
Purpose of the Study 9
Research Questions 9
Significance of the Study 10
Organization of the Study 11
Definitions 12

Chapter 2: Review of the Literature 13
Globalization, Internationalization and Higher Education 13
Motivations and Approaches of Internationalization 16
Community Colleges: Overview, Internationalization, and Globalization 19
Community Colleges: Development, Mission, and Structure 20
Community Colleges: History of Internationalization 27
Community Colleges: Motivations and Approaches of Internationalization 30
Community Colleges: Measuring Globalization and Internationalization 31
Organizational Analysis 33
Table 1. Internationalization Index 33
Chapter 2 Summary 36

Chapter 3: Research Methodology 37
Research Design 38
Population and Sample 39
Instrumentation 44
Interview Protocols 47
Institutional Documents 49
Data Collection 50
Data Analysis 50
Validity and Reliability 51
Limitations 52
Delimitations 52

Chapter 4: Findings 53
Major Findings by Research Questions 54
Descriptive Analysis of Findings by Internationalization Index 56
v

Dimension 1: Articulated Commitments 58
Dimension 2: Academic Offerings 67
Dimension 3: Organizational Infrastructure 81
Dimension 4: External Funding 88
Dimension 5: Institutional Investment in Faculty 90
Dimension 6: International Students and Programs 96
Satellite Campus 103
Analysis of Findings by Research Questions 104
Chapter 4 Conclusion 118

Chapter 5: Discussion 120
Synthesizing Results 121
Implications for Practice 127
Recommendations for Research 130
Conclusion 131

References 133

Appendix 137

vi

ABSTRACT

Higher education institutions worldwide seek ways to adapt to the unique
demands of the 21
st
century global economy through their mission statement, policies,
and services. The scholarly focus on global institutions is often on four-year-institutions.
However, Pasadena City College is a case of a community college that seeks to retool
their institution in the context of cultural and economic globalization. This case study
examined the global community college vision of Pasadena City College in order to
analyze how key actors at the institution conceptualize and seek to achieve the vision
through their policies, practices, and funding. A mixed methods qualitative approach,
including interviews and document analysis, was conducted to identify common methods
and key internationalization themes of the global community college vision. This study
analyzed the practices and perceptions of 13 institutional leaders, managers, and faculty
through the lens of the Internationalization Index framework produced by the American
Council on Education. The interviews focused on questions related to vision statement,
strategic planning, funding, international students, and academic offerings of study
abroad, foreign languages, and courses with an international focus. Overall, the findings
indicate strong economic, academic, and cultural motivations to internationalize in
response to globalization. The findings also highlight similarities and differences to
internationalization between community colleges and four-year institutions. This study
provides a basis to explore mission and funding implications for community colleges that
seek to internationalize.

1
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION OF THE PROBLEM AND KEY CONCEPTS

Globalization is an international phenomenon that produces a reaction in
economic, political, and academic sectors of society (Altbach, Reisberg & Rubley et al.,
2009). The globalization movement both in terms of economy and culture increases
interaction and exchange on a worldwide scale (Wildavsky, 2010). It simultaneously
heightens competition at a global level, but also invites collaboration across national,
political, and cultural boundaries (Wildavsky, 2010). Globalization is driven by
knowledge, information, and technology, which places a demand on higher education
institutions as purveyors of knowledge and information to adapt to the movement (Scott,
2002; Armstrong, 2007). Institutions of higher education respond to globalization not
only because of worldwide economic demands, but also to nurture the individual skills
required for success in a global economy, and to promote societal advancement
(Robertson, 1992; Altbach & Knight, 2009).
The response of higher education varies across institutions with the impetus
placed on institutions to interpret and define what it means to be global (Vaira, 2004).
Although there is no universally accepted definition of the global university, there are
common threads that help to identify global institutions (Vaira, 2004).
Internationalization approaches are one common path through which institutions
transform to thrive in a global economic environment (Qiang, 2003). International
activities occur at all levels of higher education institutions, including community
colleges. As providers of academic, vocational, and community education, the role of
community colleges in society is large and complex. The phenomenon of globalization
2
adds a layer of complexity to a college system that traditionally serves a local population.
By examining one institutional example of a global community college through an
internationalization framework, this study seeks to understand how community colleges
are adapting their traditional community mission as they respond to cultural and
economic globalization. Pasadena City College, self-described as a “global community
college for the 21
st
century,” offers the opportunity to study one case of a global college
by investigating its administrative practices, and the perspective of those involved in
leading and implementing the institutional mission (KPCC, 2011).
Background of Problem
Globalization and internationalization are two terms associated with the notion of
a global institution of higher education. The broader definition of globalization often
refers to the economic movement that blurs national boundaries (Scott, 2000). In the
economic context, globalization is described as the development, distribution, and
exchange of goods which transcend national boundaries (Armstrong, 2007). A
globalized economy is driven by information, leveraging technology to produce goods in
the form of knowledge (Levin, 2001; Armstrong, 2007). In order for a society to be
competitive in the global and information era, it depends on an appropriately educated
work force (Altbach & Knight, 2009). Thus, higher education institutions, as purveyors
of knowledge and workforce preparation, play an important role in contributing to and
competing in a global economic environment (Levin, 2001, Wildavsky, 2010).
Although definitions of globalization typically focus on its kinetic nature, a few
researchers also utilize the term as a model. Armstrong (2007) describes globalization as
3
a model of modularization commonly applied in the corporate world. In the
modularization model, institutions establish worldwide operations described as modules
that are financially beneficial and operate at a desired quality. The few higher education
institutions that adopt this model set up offshore degree programs, establish twinning
partnerships, and franchise their educational services (Armstrong, 2007). Armstrong
states that this model is a relatively new practice in higher education, thus few institutions
operate on this basis.
Internationalization, on the other hand, is more universally associated with the
actions and practices at higher education institutions in response to globalization (DeWitt,
2002, Qiang, 2003). It is a more common practice on many campuses today in
comparison to the modularization model (Armstrong, 2007). Although the approaches to
internationalization vary, higher education leaders increasingly understand the
importance of embracing and adapting to global changes. As a result, they establish
campus-based policies and practices in response to challenges and effects of
globalizations. These include programs that foster cultural understanding and knowledge
exchange through programs such as study abroad, the recruitment of international
students, an internationalized curriculum, foreign language study, and faculty exchange.
More so, institutions establish broader and comprehensive visions as enacted by policies,
mission statements, and strategic planning (Qiang, 2003; Raby & Valeau, 2007).
The connection between globalization and higher education is increasingly
evident. The phenomenon of globalization invites institutions of higher education to
respond to its demands through internationalization practices and policies, but the
4
question remains of how different institutional types such as community colleges respond
to this force.
Community Colleges: Globalization and Internationalization
In 2000, the American Association of Community Colleges and Association of
Community College Trustees issued a joint report which in part addressed the importance
of global initiatives for community colleges in the United States. In this report, they
stated "community colleges should develop strategic plans for global awareness and
competence that respond to the needs of the community’s learners, businesses, and
institutions" (p. 2). The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) holds
the belief that international education is not only in service to national advancement in a
global economy, but also to the individuals and the local community the colleges serve.
The root of this value lies in the belief that the majority of jobs in the 21
st
century will
require some postsecondary education and a skilled workforce with technological and
intercultural competence. These are educational services and outcomes that community
colleges can provide. Pasadena City College is a member institution of the AACC that
offers community, vocational and academic programs with the goal of fostering the
necessary global competencies. Their vision is to prepare students for a global economy
by creating an academic environment that is technologically, intellectually, and culturally
stimulating (PCC, 2012).
Pasadena City College’s mission is in accordance with the vision of the AACC.
As stated in their vision statement, “AACC will be a bold leader in creating a nation
where all have access to the learning needed to participate productively in their
5
communities and in the economy. Through AACC's leadership, community colleges will
increasingly be recognized as the gateway to the American dream – the learning resource
needed to sustain America's economic viability and productivity.”
From their founding, American community colleges served a purpose for the local
community, whether it was through collegiate level education, vocational training, or
civic service (Pederson, 1994; Cohen & Brawer, 2008). In addition, many scholars
consider community colleges as a provider of equitable access to higher education
(Dowd, 2003). Scholars contend with whether globalization of community colleges is
beneficial to the student, the community, and question if it diminishes access to higher
education. However, proponents such as the AACC believe adaptation to globalization is
the path by which community colleges will continue to effectively serve students and
community, and in turn, the economy.
The AACC proposes to meet this vision through the following objectives:
 Promoting community colleges as the premier workforce development providers
in America and influencing government and corporate funding policies to support
the colleges in this key role.
 Supporting community colleges to prepare learners to be effective in a global
society.
 Empowering community colleges to grow as a global force for learning by
disseminating information and promoting international partnerships between
American community colleges and countries seeking collaborative opportunities.
6
 Creating a deeper and broader sense of connectedness among community colleges
through technology.
The AACC articulates a vision that positions the organization as a national leader
for the global community college movement. Noting two of the community college’s key
public and private partners, AACC believes the internationalization of community
colleges requires external support from the government and corporations, whether it is
symbolic or financial support. The vision objectives also highlight the importance of
student learning and workforce preparation. As argued by scholars of higher education
and globalization, today’s students must have the necessary competencies to succeed in a
global community. The community college is as responsible as any other institution of
higher education for meeting these objectives through its educational services. Among
these services includes activities that support exchange of knowledge, language, and
culture. Furthermore, in a global economy, the use and development of technology,
especially for communication, is vitally important for interpersonal and intercultural
connections.
Pasadena City Colleges (PCC) shares similar objectives to the AACC. The
college strategizes to meet its global college objectives by diversifying its program
offerings, curriculum, and providing a stimulating technological environment. Moreover,
as one of 112 California Community Colleges, PCC strives to be first “truly global”
California community college (PCC, 2011). Despite PCC’s goal of establishing itself as
a premiere global college among California’s two year public institutions, there is an
absence of similar objectives in the vision statement, and strategic plan of the California
7
Community College system. Two guiding planning principles of the vision statement
pertain to the community college role of local economic training and student preparation:
“California’s Social, Civic and Economic Development”; and “Regional and Local
Circumstances” (CCC, 2011). However, they do not explicitly connect local economic
and civic development to a need derived from globalization. The vision statement and
strategic plan also support one other initiative which broadly relates to globalization; they
aim to increase capacity for a diverse student population which includes international
students. However, they do not state if the intent of this goal is to foster intercultural
competence. The State of California holds an important geographic position along the
Pacific Rim, an area of global economic activity, yet this global geographic significance
is not directly supported by the California Community College’s vision statement.
Given that the system-wide vision does not include a global dimension,
Pasadena City College (PCC) demonstrates unique leadership by expanding beyond a
traditional role. The college’s geographic location also provides an incentive for
studying the institution. PCC is located in Southern California in close proximity to the
City of Los Angeles, an urban core along the Pacific Rim with global economic and
cultural significance. PCC is a mid-sized associate degree granting public community
college consisting of approximately 26,000 undergraduate students (NCES, 2011). As
with most community colleges, PCC offers a variety of community, vocational, and
academic programs. The college is also noted for its success as an academic transfer
institution (NCES, 2011). PCC’s structure, location, and mission create an environment
8
that is beneficial for delving further into understanding the meaning of a global
community college.
Statement of the Problem
At the national level, community college leaders encourage institutions to respond
and adapt to globalization for the benefit of individuals and society. Although
researchers and practitioners contend with what it means to be a global community
college, institutions adopt multiple internationalization approaches in response to
globalization through their programs offerings, campus administration, and institutional
brand.
There is little literature available to understand the relationship of community
colleges to globalization. However, recent scholarship indicates a gradual shift in
mission statements and culture of community colleges that embrace international
activities and a global vision (Levin, 2000; Zeszteroski, 2001). More recently, the
American Council on Education demonstrated an interest in international activities of
community colleges, and established a framework for measuring internationalization.
Unfortunately, this nationwide study of over 200 community colleges indicates that the
majority of colleges are not engaged in internationalization activities (Green & Siya,
2005).
The notion of a global community college is relatively new in comparison to
global four-year universities. Furthermore, community colleges also demonstrate low
level of internationalization activities. The problem for this study is to understand the
meaning and shape of global community colleges. With few community colleges
9
identifying themselves as global, Pasadena City College provides an unusual example for
a case study.
Purpose of the Study
This study broadly addresses how community colleges respond to a globalized
economy. Furthermore, it seeks to understand how this change manifests in
administrative and organizational practices and perceptions. Utilizing an
internationalization framework, the purpose of this study is to provide a descriptive case
analysis of Pasadena City College, specifically focusing on its programs, policies, and
practices through the lens of institutional actors such as senior administrators, faculty and
staff, and other affiliates including board of trustees.
A study by Green and Siya (2005) of internationalization at community colleges
provides the framework for the analysis of internationalization activities at Pasadena City
College. This case study utilizes qualitative methods of analysis through formal and
informal interviews with college administrators, faculty, and staff to identify how
Pasadena City College defines and establishes itself as global community college through
its programs, policies, and practices. Furthermore, data collected from written documents
including institutional mission and policies, and information on student programs serve as
an additional measure of internationalization activities at PCC. The goal is to reveal how
organizational practices of internationalization demonstrate a response to globalization.
The following research questions address this topic through the lens of one community
college.

10
Research Questions
I. OVERARCHING QUESTION: How is the notion of a global community college
conceptualized and achieved at Pasadena City College?
a. SUB-QUESTION A: Who are the key actors in the development and
implementation of the global community college vision?
b. SUB-QUESTION B: How do key actors structure the institution, and manage
policies, programs, and funding to achieve the global community college
vision?
Significance of the Study
Levin (2001) and Zeszotarski (2001) assert that community colleges are changing
their mission and purpose in response to globalization. However, there is little research
available to understand the shape of these changes, in particular what it means to be
‘global’ in the community college sector of higher education. This study contributes to a
broader understanding of the nascent trend of global community colleges, especially in
terms of the development of the concept and institutional practices. While the results of
this study are not generalizable to all community colleges, the study contributes broadly
to the literature on the relationship between community colleges and globalization. In
terms of scholarly purpose, this study is of benefit for analyzing internationalization
practices at community colleges as well as the validity of a framework that examines
internationalization. Furthermore, it can encourage additional research in this area of
study. Existing research examines globalization and internationalization at community
colleges on a meta-scale. This study provides an in-depth analysis of one community
11
college that defines itself as global, and enables practitioners to understand and utilize
one model of internationalization and global vision statement in the American
community college system.
The study provides a framework for the analysis of internationalization activities
and initiatives at community colleges, in particular for the conceptualization and
development of a global college. Other public community colleges seeking to
internationalize their campus and educational services can use Pasadena City College as a
model, benchmark, and point of reference. Community college leaders, including
presidents and administrators, can use this study as a framework for advancing a global
agenda at their respective colleges.
Organization of the Study
This dissertation is organized into five chapters. The first chapter introduces the
problem, key concepts, and provides the purpose and significance of the study. In
addition, the first chapter introduces Pasadena City College and its significance for the
case study. In Chapter Two, the literature review examines topics related to globalization
and higher education. The latter part of this section focuses on the history and mission of
community colleges, concluding with a review or literature that seeks to understand both
globalization and internationalization at community colleges. Chapter Three details the
qualitative methodology of the study and provides additional context for PCC as the site
of analysis. Chapter Four provides a descriptive analysis of the interviews, written
documents, and other data collected. Chapter Four also provides a detailed response to
12
the research questions. Chapter Five synthesizes findings with literature, and concludes
the study with implications, and recommendations for future research.
Definitions
Global Citizen: One who relates the identify of self more to a global cultural or economy
than a local one.
Intercultural/Cross-Cultural Competence or Literacy: To possess knowledge of
cultures different than one’s own, the cognitive ability and social skills to communicate
effectively with diverse populations, and have openness to different ideas (Baxter
Magolda & King, 2004).
International Education: Policies, practices, and programs instituted at universities or
colleges with the intent of fostering global citizenship and intercultural competence
(Raby & Tarrow, 2008). These types of programs traditionally promote cultural and
knowledge exchange, such as study abroad, foreign language study, a curriculum with an
international perspective, and the enrollment of international students (Raby & Valeau,
2007).

13
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

This chapter examines topics related to the response of higher education in
general, and community colleges specifically, to the phenomenon of globalization. The
first section examines and defines globalization and internationalization in the context of
higher education. This section includes motivations of higher education institutions that
are responsive to globalization, and the implications on practices at institutions.
Additionally, approaches and traits of global institutions of higher education are
reviewed. The second section explores at length the relationship of community colleges
to globalization by first understanding the history of community colleges, their traditional
role within the American higher education structure, and current governance and
financial structures. Following the historical overview is an examination of the evolving
role of community colleges in a global economic context.
The section concludes with an analysis of two community college studies by
Levin (2000) and Green and Siya (2005) that provide a framework for understanding
internationalization activities at community colleges, and serve to define the term global
community college. These studies help to understand whether community colleges are
consciously moving toward globalization, and how institutional practices change as a
result.
Globalization, Internationalization and Higher Education
The emergence of the global university is rooted in response to the characteristics
of a global economy, presented in this section as globalization. Distinct from
globalization, is the process of internationalization, an approach utilized by higher
14
education institutions in response to globalization. In order to better understand the
motivations, approaches, and practices of global universities, it is first important to
examine these two concepts in relationship to higher education. Globalization, a
worldwide economic phenomenon, links nation-states in fundamental ways such that no
national or societal systems can viably exist independent from one another (Robertson,
1992). It transcends nation-states to challenge notions of physical boundaries, national,
community, and personal identity (Scott, 2000). Globalization is associated with
economic competition, market-orientation, the acquisition and exchange of knowledge,
and the expanding use of communication technologies (Dennis & LaMay, 1994; Scott,
2000; Teichler, 2004). The interdependent and borderless characteristics of a global
world economy challenges the way higher education institutions deliver and design their
educational services. Furthermore, globalization results in the investment of capital into
producers of knowledge, primarily universities, which places increased expectation on
institutions to change from their traditional operations (Altbach & Knight, 2007). Higher
education institutions also perform an important function in developing an educated
workforce, and serving as engines of economic activity (Altbach & Knight, 2009;
Wildavsky, 2010).
The terms globalization and internationalization are often used interchangeably in
literature. However, there are distinctions in their definitions which are important to
clarify for the purpose of this study. Globalization is often described as an advancing
phenomenon linking economies, cultures, populations, technologies, and communication
(Robertson, 1992; Scott, 2000; Altbach & Knight 2007). In the corporate realm,
15
globalization changed the way industries operate and produce goods (Armstrong, 2007).
The globalized corporate model deemphasizes national trade boundaries, but utilizes
technology, and multinational locations that are optimal to production (Armstrong, 2007).
Armstrong (2007) posits that most of higher education does not operate according to this
globalization model. While a few institutions adopt what he calls the multinational mode
by establishing offshore branch campuses and programs, most universities operate
according to a “hub and spoke model of industrial internationalization” (p. 132). In the
globalization model, institutions operate through modularization – developing worldwide
partnerships that provide what is needed through modules at the desired cost and quality.
One example of modularization in higher education is twinning, wherein offshore
institutions provide the first two years of education through an approved curriculum, and
the degree is subsequently completed at the onshore institution. Another example of
modularization is franchising an institution’s program in such a way that it is distributed
to another institution to provide the service. In the internationalization hub and spoke
model, modules do not work in a complimentary manner. Rather, raw materials or in the
case of higher education, students and faculty, are sent overseas for learning and
enrichment, but return to the home institution with new knowledge. Examples of
internationalization activities include development of study abroad programs, faculty
pursuing research overseas, and the recruitment and enrollment of foreign students.
Scott (2000) asserts that the term internationalization implies a passing nation-
state world order, whereas globalization is a more modern movement of international
exchange emphasizing collaboration rather than segmentation. However,
16
internationalization in the higher education context is viewed by many as the response to
the phenomenon of globalization (De Witt 2002; Qiang, 2003). Moreover,
internationalization indicates an increase of activity across borders whereas globalization
blurs boundaries (Teichler, 2004). This study will use the definition of the terms as
described by De Witt (2002) wherein globalization is the “catalyst while
internationalization is the response, albeit a response in a productive way” (p.143).
Motivations and Approaches of Internationalization
Globalization is an interdependent worldwide movement, the underlying
motivation for action, whereas internationalization is the response practiced at an
organizational level. Institutions adopt various approaches to internationalization, rooted
in economic, political, and cultural rationales (Qiang, 2003).
The movement of people across national and cultural boundaries for the benefit of
education is not a new phenomenon (Teichler, 2004). However, the forces of global
movement and the motivations that guide them have evolved. Teichler (2004) states that
academics have long valued “cosmopolitan” ideals by engaging in cross-cultural
communication, and gathering and exchanging knowledge from around the world (p. 8).
He adds that internationalization was once a practice of elite institution, but is now an
established part of higher education in general. In the United States, internationalization
of higher education intensified during the post-World War II and Cold War era (De Witt,
2002). During this period of international conflict, one national aim was to promote
peace and understanding through educational exchange with cultures different than one’s
own (De Witt, 2002; Qiang, 2003; Wildavsky, 2010). Thus historically in the United
17
States, a traditional motivation of internationalization in higher education has been to
promote cultural exchange and human understanding through study abroad, student and
faculty exchange, foreign language study, and a curriculum with an international
perspective (Altbach & Knight, 2007; Armstrong, 2007; Qiang, 2003). Academic, social,
and cultural exchanges remain an important motive for internationalization of higher
education, especially with students increasingly viewing themselves as global citizens
(Wildavsky, 2010). Furthermore, interaction of students from different nations can foster
cross-cultural understanding, an important competency for functioning in a global
economic environment (Wildavsky, 2010).
The present globalization movement places greater emphasis on economic ties
over political and cultural affiliations (Qiang, 2003). With this shift, internationalization
of higher education is increasingly motivated by economic and financial rationales
(Qiang, 2003). National productivity, an indicator of global economic competitiveness,
is linked to the education services and output of a nation (Raby, 2000). Economic and
financial profits are a motive often associated with global activities at for-profit
institutions, however non-profit institutions also benefit financially from
internationalization (Qiang, 2003; Altbach & Knight, 2007). Davis stated that public
non-profit institutions can generate additional revenue by charging international students
higher non-resident fees (as cited in Altbach & Knight, 2007). Universities that enter the
international market through branch campuses, franchising, and twinning can also
generate income from overseas tuition and contracts (Armstrong, 2007; Wildavsky,
2010). Although a current trend in internationalization emphasizes financial and
18
economic gains, Qiang (2003) asserts that in most internationalization cases, rationales
are interlinked and encompass four overarching dimensions; political, economic,
academic, and social/cultural.
As described in the literature, internationalization activities at institutions of
higher education take on many forms. Qiang (2003) summarized internationalization
strategies into three basic approaches; activity, competency, and process. The activity
approach involves creating programs that have an international perspective such as in
curricula and course offerings, study abroad, recruitment of international students, and
student activity programs. In the activity approach, these efforts are often disjointed and
not part of a comprehensive institutional plan toward internationalization. The
competency approach focuses on the learning aspect through the development of skills,
attitudes, and values pertaining to international and intercultural competence. The
process approach changes the ethos of an organization by integrating the international
aims of an institution into its policies, practices, and procedures. An institution adopting
the process approach would create a comprehensive plan of internationalization by
integrating the activity and competency approaches. Examples of the process approach
include articulating an institution’s aims through its mission statement, publications, and
strategic planning activities.
In summary, globalization affects higher education in the United States in a
manner that institutions apply internationalization strategies in order to change and thrive
in a competitive global economy (Wildavsky, 2010). Although the rationales and
approaches of internationalization vary, institutions find overlapping and common
19
threads among strategies (Qiang, 2003). Among the motivations includes efforts to foster
intercultural competence for the student population, create financial opportunities for the
institution, and garner institutional prestige, while creating a global institution name.
Although not specifically stated in the literature, the perception is that internationalization
in higher education is an activity of four-year institutions. However, a closer
examination of community colleges reveals that all types of institutions are both affected
by and responsive to globalization.
Community Colleges: Overview, Internationalization, and Globalization
According to a 2009 Carnegie Classifications fall enrollment report, publically
funded two-year colleges made up approximately 40% of higher education institutions,
enrolling approximately 40% of the undergraduate higher education student population in
the United States (Carnegie, 2009). Given the large population they serve, community
colleges, as institutions of higher education, also play a critical role in preparing students
to perform in a global economy (ACIIE, 1996; Green & Siya, 2005). Community college
leaders at the national level recognize the importance of adapting their mission and
services in response to globalization (AACC, 2000). While few community colleges
nationwide are highly engaged in responsive internationalization activities, there is
notable change in the ethos and practice of a few colleges throughout the Pacific Rim that
are leading a movement oriented toward globalization (Levin, 2001; Green & Siya,
2005). With globalization affecting community colleges, researchers and practitioners
question what this means for two year public higher education institutions that
traditionally serve the local community. This section of the literature review aims to
20
understand this issue by examining the history, purpose and structure of community
colleges to understand their development and evolving purpose from community toward
global orientation. Throughout this section, special emphasis is placed on the structure of
California’s community colleges in order to provide context for Pasadena City College.
Community Colleges: Development, Mission, and Structure
The development and growth of community colleges is attributed to several
factors. Early in their inception up until the mid-20
th
century, community colleges were
referred to as junior colleges (Cohen & Brawer, 2008). They offered postsecondary level
coursework, and a curriculum that was responsive to civic, social, and vocational needs
of the community in which they were located (Cohen & Brawer, 2008). In the 1950s and
1960s the term junior college was used mainly for private two-year colleges, while the
term community was more commonly applied toward publically funded colleges (Cohen
& Brawer, 2008).
Cohen and Brawer (2008) state that early scholarship on the development of
community colleges credits a national movement for access to higher education as the
reason for their rapid growth. Population growth in the early 1900s resulted in higher
enrollment in secondary schools, and consequently a stronger demand for continuance
into higher education (Cohen & Brawer, 2008). Presented with a demand that was not
readily supported by four-year universities, educational leaders, to an extent, relegated
the first two years of college coursework as well as vocational training to the expanding
two year college system (Cohen & Brawer, 2008). In more recent scholarship, Pedersen
(1994) examined primary sources of local schools records, newspapers, and other public
21
information to argue that community college were often born of civic and community
interests with the intent of creating regional leadership through higher education. In
either historical account, community colleges were local-serving institutions.
Mission.
Today’s community colleges continue to serve a significant role in workforce
preparation as well as access to higher education (Murphy, 2004; Bailey & Morest, 2006;
Vaughan, 2006; Cohen & Brewer, 2008). They are multi-faceted institutions with a
diverse set of missions unique to community colleges in the higher education sector. The
basic services offered at community colleges can be organized into three categories of
education; academic and transfer, vocational and technical training, and community
education (Vaughan, 2006; Cohen & Brewer, 2008). Academic and transfer education
programs offer a general education curriculum of the first two years of college in the
humanities, mathematics, sciences, and social sciences (Vaughan, 2006). Some
community colleges offer academic courses outside of the traditional general education
curriculum such as in the arts (Vaughan, 2006). Similar to four-year institutions,
community colleges do offer a degree in the form of an associate of arts or science.
However in the case of transfer students, some may choose to complete the associate
degree while others have the option to transfer to a four year institution without it.
Community colleges may emphasize academic and transfer education, or specific
colleges may also focus their services on technical and vocational training or community
education programs as disparate as early childhood education or software training
(Vaughan, 2006; Cohen & Brewer, 2008). Through a breadth of programs, community
22
colleges serve a wide range of community interests, needs, populations and age groups
including older adults who return to education for new skills or job training (Vaughan,
2006).
Another aspect of the community college mission that sets it apart from other
higher education institutions is its commitment to access and equity. Access and equity
are practiced in the basic form of low tuition, open admission, and comprehensive
academic and community services available for the local population (Vaughan, 2006). In
principle, a community college education is open to everyone who is interested and able
to attend as long as they meet minimum age or educational enrollment requirements
(Vaughan, 2006). Bailey and Morest (2006) describe equity as “college preparation,
access to college, and reaching college goals” available to people from all demographic
backgrounds (p. 2). As a result, community colleges, perhaps more often than four year
institutions, enroll students with financial, educational and socio-cultural disadvantages
in American society (Bailey & Morest, 2006). While this practice has opened
opportunities to postsecondary education for people from all backgrounds, community
college proponents are concerned that public colleges face new challenges such as
increased enrollment, diminished financial resources, and privatization, that may
undermine the traditional mission of access and equity (Levin, 2001; Down, 2003; Baily
& Morest; 2006; Vaughan, 2006).
Funding.
Most community colleges today are funded primarily by state funds and local
taxes (Murphy, 2004; Vaughan, 2006). The ratio of state to local funds varies
23
nationwide. In the case of California, the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978 limited
property tax on local residents thus significantly diminishing funds available from local
government tax revenue, and increasing dependence on the state as the primary funding
source (Murphy, 2004). In 1998, Proposition 98, a bill that required 41% percentage of
the state’s general fund to be spent on public education, increased revenue provided to K-
12 and community colleges after a period of diminished funding for education (Murphy,
2004; Ed Source, 2011). Although Proposition 98 guaranteed an equal share of the
state’s general fund to both K-12 education and community colleges, the state legislature
continually defers the money designated for community colleges, routing a larger
percentage toward K-12 education (Murphy, 2004). This practice further compounds
budgetary concerns within the California Community Colleges system (Murphy, 2004).
Today, approximately 60% of the community college revenue in California comes
from the state’s general fund, and another 30% from the local property tax revenue (Ed
Source, 2011).
The remainder of funds derive from resident and non-resident student enrollment fees,
federal sources, and the state lottery (Murphy, 2004; Ed Source, 2011). Community
colleges, in particular at the district or college-level, also receive financial resources
through gifts, and private contracts and grants (Murphy, 2004).
In California, students pay one of the lowest resident student fee structures in the
country (Murphy, 2004). Although student fees are not a significant portion of the
California community college revenue source, colleges do to an extent depend on
revenue from resident and non-resident student fees. Most of the funding community
24
colleges receive is based on the number of full-time equivalent students enrolled and not
necessarily the cost of educational programs (Murphy, 2004; Ed Source, 2011). The
revenue received from in-district student fees factors into the state’s funding formula, and
can be deducted from the state apportionment to community college districts. However,
revenue generated from non-resident fees remains in the district’s funds, providing a
financial incentive for community colleges to enroll students from outside of the local
community by recruiting students from other states or countries (Murphy, 2004). This
practice is relevant to the discussion on the internationalization activity of recruitment
and enrolling international students. Increased funding reductions and recruitment of
non-resident and international students may affect the availability of classes for local
residents, and the community college’s mission of access and equity. However, this
practice can also bring in a new revenue source needed by community colleges during a
financial downturn.
Governance.
Although major funding for California’s community colleges is centrally
managed by the state and distributed through the chancellor’s office, the districts retain
considerable autonomy over the management of their colleges (Murphy, 2004; Ed
Source, 2011). Nationwide, governance structures in community colleges vary in culture
and practice, although most community college systems involve some degree of state-
level coordination (Vaughan, 2006). The common model of community college
governance includes a state-level governing board and chancellor, and a local governing
board with an appointed leader (Knoell, 1999; Vaughan, 2006). Many community
25
colleges are organized into the district model similar to the K-12 systems, which includes
single college districts or multi-college districts (Knoell 1999; Vaughan, 2006).
The California Community Colleges are one segment of the tripartite public
higher education system in California as outlined by the Master Plan which includes the
California State University and University of California (Knoell 1999; Murphy, 2004).
Unlike their higher education counterparts, the 112 community colleges are organized by
72 districts and retain a certain level of autonomy over the management of their
operations (Knoell et al., 1999; Murphy, 1994; CCCO, 2011). The state-level governing
board typically sets direction, policy, and provides leadership for the system of districts
while the chancellor serves as chief executive officer of the system. Although the
chancellor and governing board oversee the system, their role leans more toward political
activities (Knoell, 1999; Murphy, 2004). In this role, the board interacts with state and
federal officials, and other advisory and policy groups including state legislature,
education boards and commissions (Knoell, 1999).
At the district-level, locally elected boards set direction for the district while
superintendents serve as executive officers and presidents lead single colleges. In single
college districts such as Pasadena City College, the executive officer is both the
superintendent and president (Knoell, 1999; CCCO, 2011; PCC, 2011). The interaction
between state and district governing board varies with some state governing board
exerting more influence on curriculum, services, and finance than others. In California,
the governing board and system chancellor have little direct control over the districts
(Murphy, 2004). Districts have authority over the direction and management of their
26
colleges, while the system’s board and chancellor serve as an intermediary between the
system, the districts and state and federal government agencies (Murphy, 2004).
However, the state indirectly has control and influence as the primary provider of
funding.
In addition to state and local governing structures, community colleges participate
in the notion of shared governance in which all members of the community college
including administrators, faculty, staff, and in some institutions even the students and
local residents have a voice in the management of the college (Vaughan, 2006).
Community colleges also connect with the local community through the governing board
which in theory serve as the representatives of the community (Vaughan, 2006).
Summary.
The complex structure, mission, and diversity of community colleges provide a
unique backdrop in higher education to study the changes brought about by globalization.
Recently, in particular as early as the 1990s, a paradox emerged for community colleges.
Although community colleges historically focused on serving their local community, the
identity and definition of local is evolving and many community college leaders and
professionals are orienting their practices toward international activities (Zeszotarski,
2001). A few factors influence this shift, primarily due to a global economy, changing
workforce needs in technology and communication, as well as demographic shifts and
decreased public funding of education (Levin 2001; Zeszotarski, 2001). As businesses
expand across national boundaries, immigration and worker mobility change the cultural
and ethnic make-up of towns, and technology diminishes the constraints of time and
27
space, what is local is also becoming global (Raby & Tarrow, 1996). While community
colleges continue to serve local students for academic and vocational education, they can
no longer serve their populations well if they do not respond to globalization – a
phenomenon that reaches all systems of society.
Community Colleges: History of Internationalization
An historical overview of internationalization efforts at community colleges
demonstrates a growing movement toward the development of the global community
college. In some of the literature, reference is made to global education or intercultural
education. According to Raby & Tarrow (2008), global education at community colleges
has two meanings. The first is related to multicultural education and ethnic diversity.
The second definition, utilized in this study, refers to international education activities
and programs such as study abroad, faculty exchange, international students, and an
internationalized curriculum.
Community colleges began to set a foundation for international education in the
late 1960s (Raby & Valeau, 2007). The American Council on International and
Intercultural Education (ACIIE), an association for community colleges founded during
this period, provided the philosophy behind the significance of these new cultural efforts
– students needed to learn how to thrive in an increasingly complex social, political, and
economic world (Raby & Tarrow, 1996). The first cooperative efforts of
internationalization were through study abroad programs in the 1960s and 70s (Adam,
1979). The internationalization of community colleges continued to expand over the next
three decades. As an addition to study abroad programs, many community colleges
28
internationalized their curricula, in some cases through the support of national grants
(Raby & Tarrow, 1996). By the 1990s, the recruitment of international students became
a growing component of internationalization at community colleges (Raby & Valeau,
2007).
In the latter part of the 1990s, community colleges began to reevaluate their
institutional purpose within the context of globalization (Zeszotarski, 2001). As the
development of international programs continually expanded, community college leaders
discussed the institutionalization of global efforts into their mission statements (Raby &
Valeau, 2007, Zeszotarski, 2001). Despite the rhetoric of internationalization, Green and
Siya (2005) found that among 233 community colleges surveyed, internationalization
remained a peripheral activity rather than an institutionalized one with 61% of the
participating colleges scoring low on their internationalization scale. In Levin’s (2000)
study of Pacific Rim community colleges, he found that a vast majority of community
colleges did not change their mission statements in the 1990s to reflect
internationalization. However, he made a distinction in his study between institutional
mission and organizational behavior, the latter of which demonstrated that institutions on
the Pacific Rim oriented their activities and educational services toward international
initiatives. Community college faculty and administrators working in this region adopted
the assumption that community and society benefit from a college that is responsive to a
global economy (Levin, 2000).
While community colleges continue to adapt to global change, there is also
resistance to the movement. Community college researchers call for greater investment
29
toward equity outcomes in the face of private market forces (Dowd, 2003). While there
is no conclusive research on the exact impact of privatization forces on community
college as an effect of globalization, it is evident that colleges are becoming more
entrepreneurial (Dowd, 2003; Harbour & Jaquette, 2007). There is concern amongst
advocates of equity and access that prioritizing institutional resources toward private
global economic interests will diminish community college resources for public and local
needs. Accordingly, Levin (2001) asserts that community colleges are losing their
humanist core as they become more oriented toward the market-driven global economy.
The focus is less on developing the individual, but rather on industry and preparing
student skillsets for the workforce. Levin provides the example of “the authenticity
project” at Maricopa Community College as a counter response to globalization. Faced
with what was described as an “existential crisis,” Maricopa members paused to
understand the impact of globalization on their college, and to find new meaning by
reprioritizing their purpose toward student learning (Levin, 2001, p. xvii).
Harbour and Jaquette (2007) argue that community colleges can maintain their
traditional role of fostering social equity while responding to the global market economy.
The community college systems must rethink their financial incentive structure and
create a funding system that would provide incentives to colleges to increase enrollment
in priority areas, including equity funding, and programs that respond to economic
pressures (Harbour & Jaquette, 2007). The implication is that the new system would
create a balance among the competing roles and new priorities of community colleges.
30
Despite challenges, the advancement of global education at community colleges
remains an important topic among leaders and partners of community colleges. In 1996,
the ACIIE and the Stanley Foundation convened a group of community college
educators, industry partners, and governmental representatives for the purpose of
advancing the global community college agenda. A report published from the meeting
simply stated, “If community college educators care about the communities they serve,
global education is an imperative not an option” (p. 2). The statement cautions that if
community colleges do not respond to globalization, they will in effect neglect their
mandate to serve the needs of the local community.
Community Colleges: Motivations and Approaches of Internationalization
As with the rationales articulated for all higher education institutions, community
colleges are also motivated to pursue internationalization as a result of economic,
political, academic, and social/cultural rationales (Qiang, 2003; Raby & Valeau, 2007).
According to Raby and Valeau (2007), policymakers view international education as a
method of remaining competitive in global commerce with community colleges serving a
role in preparing their students to compete in this environment. The social/cultural
rationale, referred to as the humanist rationale by Raby and Valeau (2007), echoes the
belief that people must be educated to develop intercultural competence in order to
succeed in an increasingly diverse and interconnected society (Qiang, 2003). The
academic rationale asserts that an education is not complete without an international
perspective (Raby & Valeau, 2007). International education also plays a significant role
economically, suggesting that at the time of the study 1 out of 5 jobs had an international
31
component. An additional economic or financial rationale is similar to four year public
universities. During times of fiscal challenges, community colleges have a financial
incentive to seek new sources of revenue from international non-resident student tuition
(Murphy, 2004).
For a multitude of reasons rooted in altruistic and extrinsic motivations, Raby and
Valeau (2007) assert that community colleges must develop international education
opportunities on and off-campus as well as create campus procedures and environments
conducive to internationalization for the benefit of individuals and society.
Community Colleges: Measuring Globalization and Internationalization
While a historical overview of international activities at community college is
available for review, there is a lack of research that specifically examines the effect of
and responses to globalization by community colleges. One such study was conducted by
Levin in 2000 which analyzed organizational behavior and change in a global economy,
specifically examining altering mission statements in the 1990s. The study focused on
community colleges in the Pacific Rim of the United States and Canada, taking into
account the geographic and economic significance of this region. The on-site studies
were conducted over a multi-day period using extensive qualitative methods of
interviews, conversations, and observations. Levin (2000) utilized globalization
frameworks to find patterns in institutional behavior and change.
After coding the data, three top categories of change and behavior emerged:
internationalization (students, curriculum, delivery); workforce training; and electronic
technology-real time communication. As stated earlier in the review, community
32
colleges perform an important function both in workforce preparation and academic
education, and both of these responsibilities emerged as the top areas of change and
behavior in community colleges that were responsive to globalization. Academic
education was framed as internationalization with the goal of infusing a global dimension
to the curriculum, study body, and delivery of educational services. Lastly among these
top three categories, technology and communication surfaced as an important change that
aligns with one of the common characteristics of globalization; technological innovation
and use. Furthermore, the study demonstrated the complexity of community college
administration and community relationships. They have a public governance and
financial structure, but private partnerships and interactions. These are relationships that
can potentially create tension in the mission and behavior of community colleges. On the
one hand, a college earns more state funds by enrolling more students. On the other
hand, they want to be productive, efficient and externally competitive and innovative in
the community college market which may not be feasible with a larger student
population. Regardless of these tensions, Levin (2000) posits that a new mission
emerged in the 1990s. Community colleges shifted their mission and resources toward a
structure, curriculum and delivery that prepared students for the new global and
knowledge economy in the form of technical training, and transfer education for future
scientists, engineers, bankers, and developers (Levin, 2000).
The vast majority of participants in Levin’s study expressed that they did not
change their actual mission statement; however, organizational behavior indicated an
ethos change to the mission of community colleges. Community college members,
33
including administrators, faculty and staff, became more market and economy oriented.
Administrators pursued more external funding, and viewed students as “economic
commodities” (Levin, 2000, p.11). Curriculum design was also influenced by private
sector and economic interests. The study showed a decrease in non-credit community
college courses, but increased attention to internationalism, and multiculturalism through
curricula, out-of-classroom activities, and hiring practices. Levin (2000) suggests that
community college missions have shifted to serve economic interests, and will continue
to internationalize despite (or in favor of) their community-oriented history.
Organizational Analysis
With the exception of Levin’s study of Pacific Rim community colleges,
relatively few researchers conducted analyses on internationalization and global activities
at community colleges. However, a study by Green and Siya (2005) sets a strong
foundation for the analysis of internationalization activities at community colleges, and
elucidates the emerging patterns, trends, and gaps. Furthermore, the study lends well to
developing a framework for understanding the meaning of a global community college in
terms of its administrative polices, practices, and programs.
An American Council on Education report asked the question of “how are
community colleges internationalizing their curricula” (Green & Siya, 2005, p. 2). In
order to determine and measure the characteristics of an internationalizing community
college, they created a six dimension Internationalization Index (Table 1).

34
Table 1.
Internationalization Index (Green & Siya, 2005)
Dimension Characteristics
Articulated Commitments International education referred to in
mission statement, strategic planning, and
recruitment literature. Factored into tenure
and promotion. Study abroad offered with
delay to graduation.
Academic Offerings Foreign language requirement, courses
with international focus, study, volunteer
and internship abroad opportunities
Organizational Infrastructure Internationalization taskforce, international
program administrators, communication
system (web, email, print) to promote
international programs.
External Funding Seek federal, state, private or other funds
specifically for international program and
activities.
Institutional Investment in Faculty Earmark funds for study, teaching and
conferences abroad. Funding toward
internationalization of curricula.
International Students and Programs Funding for recruitment of full-time
international students. Funds for programs
that promote interaction among students.

The dimensions highlight traditional activities of internationalization such as
study abroad, overseas research, and international students. The framework also places
importance on internationalization practices that are culturally and structurally integrative
such as mission statements, strategic planning, and adequate internal and external
funding. This comprehensive view of internationalization enables community colleges to
become highly internationalized.
Green and Siya (2005) calculated the dimensions on a 5-point scale ranging from
zero to high level of activity. They found that the majority of participating community
35
colleges ranked in the 2
nd
level as low in internationalization activities. The most
common type of internationalization activity for all colleges was study abroad programs
followed by incorporating an international perspective through coursework and foreign
language study, and lastly on-campus international activities for students. Articulated
commitments and investment in the form of internal and external funding were all
positively correlated to creating effective strategies for internationalization. The
strategies least likely to be employed at colleges were related to articulated commitment
in the form of institutionalizing and prioritizing international activities into mission
statements, curriculum requirements, and faculty promotion and tenure. The majority of
community colleges were not likely to invest in international students, with only 11% of
233 colleges having an international student population at or above 5% of their total full-
time student population.
Overall, the data suggest a lack of institutional, financial, and human investment
in internationalization activities and practices at community colleges. However, the
study illustrates how community colleges can create effective internationalization
activities through institutional planning, student enrollment and activities, academic
offerings, direct funding of internationalization programs, and an articulated global
mission. Qiang (2003) described this strategy as the process approach to
internationalization by which organizations integrate their internationalization goals into
the institution’s policies, practices, and procedures. The design of Green and Siya’s
(2005) framework offers the depth, range and flexibility necessary for a qualitative case
study of internationalization at a global community college. The dimensions provide a
36
basis by which to examine the way that leadership and management at Pasadena City
College administratively conceptualize and develop a global community college.
Summary
The literature demonstrates that globalization affects all of higher education,
including community colleges. Four-year institutions of higher education are advancing
in the globalization model by establishing twinning agreements and offshore branch
campuses, while community colleges are further developing their internationalization
activities and institutional missions. The traditional role of community colleges is in
question, and resistance to the global college movement has developed, however the
forces of globalization are seemingly unalterable. Community colleges are adapting to
meet the demands of a global economic market.
The notion of a global community college is relatively new, however the
acceleration of internationalization began in a post-World War II era, during which
activities that promoted intercultural exchange and understanding came to fruition.
Community colleges today are moving beyond developing pockets of international
activities and programs by integrating the practice of internationalization into their
institutional policies and practices. Existing research provides introductory insight into
development of global community colleges, while creating opportunity to more closely
examine how a single college responds through its administrative practices and
organizational policies and programs.

37
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Higher education institutions worldwide seek ways to adapt to the unique
demands of the 21st century global economy. Often through the practice of
internationalization, institutions develop programs and engage in activities that meet the
demands of community and society in a global economy. Within these parameters,
institutions often define and develop their own concept of being global. Pasadena City
College (PCC) is one such institution defining itself and its services in the context of a
global economy. The purpose of this study is to analyze how key actors at PCC create a
global institution, specifically interviewing participants who are involved in the
development and leadership of the global vision as well as professionals who manage
international education programs. This chapter explains the methodology utilized to
address the research topic. First, it restates the research questions and describes the
design of the study and sample population, then provides a description of the
instrumentation and methods of data collection and analysis. The chapter concludes by
stating the validity, reliability, delimitations, and limitations of the study.
Research Questions
I. OVERARCHING QUESTIONS: How is the notion of a global community
college conceptualized and achieved at Pasadena City College?
a. SUB-QUESTION A: Who are the key actors in the development and
implementation of the global community college vision?
38
b. SUB-QUESTION B: How do key actors structure the institution, and manage
policies, programs, and funding to achieve the global community college
vision?
Research Design
The purpose of this descriptive case study is to examine and analyze how key
actors of the PCC global mission seek to develop and meet this vision through
administrative policies and practices. A qualitative case study allows the researcher to
openly interpret the practices and perceptions of PCC’s senior administrators, strategic
planners, and faculty and staff directly involved in the development and management of
international education programs and other global initiatives. A single case study
approach captures the complexity and depth of a topic by gathering information and data
from a range of individuals and units, then connecting that data for interpretation (Patton,
2002). By focusing on one case and a small sample group, the qualitative approach of
this study will produce more rich, detailed and in depth information about the place of
study (Patton, 2002).
According to Patton (2002), there are three basic methods of qualitative data
collection in a case study; interviews, observations, and documents. Interviews are open-
ended and solicit detailed responses from the participants about their opinions,
knowledge, experiences, and emotions (Patton, 2002). Observations involve fieldwork
and allow the researcher to note, in descriptive detail, the activities, behavior, and actions
of people and organizations. Although observation is an important source of data, the
researcher did not seek to understand the observable physical setting of PCC or to
39
conduct a behaviorally-oriented analysis, which are common outcomes of an observation
study. The third method of data collection is an analysis of written organizational
documents provides themes and context. For this study, the researcher primarily
collected data through interviews and documents, and applied the conceptual framework
of Green & Siya (2005) to organize the analysis process and present the data.
Population and Sample
The case study was conducted at Pasadena City College (PCC), a mid-sized
public community college located in the City of Pasadena in Los Angeles County,
California. It is the only college in the Pasadena Area Community College District,
serving the San Gabriel Valley communities of Altadena, Arcadia, La Cañada Flintridge,
Pasadena, San Marino, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena, and Temple City as well as
sections of El Monte and Rosemead. The city of Pasadena is 10 miles northeast of
downtown Los Angeles, a city of geographic importance in the economy of the Pacific
Rim. Pasadena is a mid-sized city with population of over 137,000 residents (City of
Pasadena, 2011). According to the American Community Survey, between 2005-2007
over 35,000 people were enrolled in school and of those over 13,000 in college (City of
Pasadena, 2011). Pasadena is only one of the cities with students enrolled in local
colleges. The number of students enrolled at PCC is far greater given the larger regional
area they serve. In 2009, student enrollment for credit programs (which excludes
community education) at Pasadena City College was over 26,000 (PCC, 2011).
PCC is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The
college offers academic, vocational and technical, and community education programs,
40
and Associate in Arts and Science degrees. PCC is particularly successful in its academic
programs, boasting a high transfer rate to four year institutions (PCC, 2011). Among its
notable international programs are semesters abroad in Italy and the United Kingdom as
well as summer study and travel programs to Austria, the Czech Republic, Costa Rica,
Germany, Mexico, Peru, and Spain. The study abroad programs are managed by the
Study Abroad Office.
PCC (2011) has an ethnically diverse population, publishing the following
percentages on student ethnicity: 35.0% Hispanic, 4.3% Filipino, 26.0% Asian or Pacific
Islander 0.5% American Indian, 18.6%, White 1.12% Other, 5.8% Black, and the
remaining 7.7% declined to state their ethnicity. In addition, a total of 1,000 students
enrolled in PCC are categorized as non-resident alien, indicating a large international
student population (NCES, 2011).
As of May 2011, PCC employed approximately 435 administrators, faculty,
counselors and librarians, 625 adjunct faculty, and 382 professional, managerial and
maintenance staff (PCC, 2011). Of the total population of faculty, staff and
administrators, this study focused on a sample population of approximately ten to fifteen
administrators and professionals for purposeful sampling.
Purposeful Sampling
Purposeful sampling is a research design strategy commonly utilized in qualitative
inquiry, in particular for case studies (Patton, 2002). It is a sampling method that is
considered “information rich” and is intended to provide insight into a particular inquiry,
but it is not intended for generalization (p. 40, Patton, 2002). The common units of
41
analyses in a purposive case study are individual and groups of people at study sites
(Patton, 2002). Accordingly, it is important to consider the purpose of the study when
selecting a unit of analysis (Patton, 2002). Given that this is a study of administrators and
professionals who are actively involved in developing a global community college, this
study focused on a specific population sample of administrators, faculty, and staff in
management roles as well as other PCC actors such as board of trustees member. The
intent is to have a few key participants who provide in-depth and pertinent information
from a broad range of perspectives. Based on an initial review of prospective participants
whose positions related most to the research topic, the researcher estimated to have
approximately ten to fifteen people for the interview protocol, and resulted in a total of
thirteen interviews.
Snowball sampling is a method of purposeful sampling by which the researcher
receives recommendations for other participants at the study site (Patton, 2002). In
addition to recommendations, the researcher can identify other participants by collecting
names that are repeatedly mentioned (Patton, 2002). Snowball sampling allows the
researcher to find any participants that might otherwise be missed, and to receive
recommendations for professionals whose work is related to the study (Patton, 2002).
The planned protocol for this study was to interview two primary groups; senior
administrators and professional, and a third interview group for other recommended
participants. The study began with interviews of the president/superintendent, and three
senior administrators at PCC. Participants in the second group were in part been selected,
and also be identified through the method of snowball sampling. The purpose of the final
42
interview group is to capture any other important actors who were not evident at the time
of initial research. The researcher asked senior administrators and professionals for
recommendations, in particular seeking out personnel who manage international
education programs and work to advance the global vision of PCC. The Study Abroad
Office and International Student Office directors were the initial participants identified
for the second cohort.
First interview group.
President-superintendent.
The study commenced by interviewing Dr. Mark Rocha, the President and
Superintendent of PCC. He was unanimously appointed by the Pasadena Community
College District Board of Trustees, and started his position on July 1, 2010 (PCC, 2011).
Dr. Rocha has previous experience in community college leadership. Prior to leading
PCC, he served in leadership positions in the Los Angeles Community College District.
First as Vice President of Academic Affairs at Los Angeles Mission College, then as
president of West Los Angeles College for four years. Dr. Rocha’s twenty five years of
experience in higher education includes leadership positions in the California State
University system and provost at Seton Hall University. In addition to his leadership
positions, Dr. Rocha has international experience as a Fulbright Fellow, for which he
spent a year in Caracas, Venezuela teaching at the Universidad Simon Bolivar (PCC
President’s Message, 2011).

43
Senior administrators.
During the time of data collection, PCC underwent a hiring process for four senior
administrator positions, three of which were pertinent to this study. All three position
were filled at the time of interviews. Based on their charge to lead PCC’s global vision
and to implement the master plan which supports this vision, these participants provided
the perspective of leadership working to conceptualize and develop a global community
college. In all of the position bulletins, PCC states its motto as “Proud Past, Global
Future” further expanding on its vision by describing their aspiration as a “truly global
California community college in every sense of the word” (PCC, 2011). According to the
position descriptions, the administrators will be involved in the leading the vision,
strategic plan, budget management and student services of PCC. The Vice President of
Students Services, and Instruction work with faculty, staff, and students to manage
matters related to student learning and also to implement the college’s master plan. The
Vice President for Educational Services provides leadership to all college units for
institutional effectiveness and for the implementation of the master plan.
Second interview group.
In addition to leadership at the university, professionals, including faculty and
staff, involved in the direct planning and management of programs related to
international activities can elucidate the conceptualization and internal perception of a
global college. This includes managers from the Study Abroad Office and International
Student Office. Additional participants were identified through snowball sampling. The
selection of faculty and staff were finalized after consulting with the
44
president/superintendent and senior administrators of PCC on who can contribute to the
study.
Third interview group.
At the time of the proposal defense, the origin of the global community college
vision was not identified, and thus the key actors involved in driving the global mission
are currently unknown. To account for this unknown, this study provided an open
interview protocol to utilize for other PCC actors identified through snowball sampling,
including former senior administrators and members of the board of trustees.
Instrumentation
For this study, the researcher serves as the instrument for data collection using the
inquiry method of interviewing. Qualitative interviewing allows the researcher to receive
a participant’s perspective and gather data which is not observable (Patton, 2002).
Interview design, subject knowledge, and listening skills are all factors which affect the
quality and outcome of an interview (Patton, 2002). Patton (2002) describes three basic
approaches to qualitative interviews; standardized open-ended, general, and informal
conversation. The standardized open-ended interview is the primary approach for this
study. It consists of a pre-arranged set of questions used for each participant cohort. This
approach minimizes variation in questions, and focuses the interview time as well as the
analysis process (Patton, 2002). Although the primary method of data collection is from
formal scheduled interviews, informal conversational interviews may occur as a result of
snowball sampling. In case of this situation, the interviewer will use the interview
protocols as a guideline, which is recommended for the general guide interview approach.
45
The interview protocol is divided into two sets of standardized open-ended interview
questions. The first interview protocol is for the cohort of president-superintendent and
senior administrators. The second interview protocol is for professionals such as faculty
and staff, and other key actors gathered from snowball sampling. This protocol set
includes general questions for both faculty and staff as well as questions specific for both
populations. In addition, the set includes thematic questions relevant to the topic of this
study. The use of thematic questions depended on who was recommended for interviews
and whether the questions suited their responsibilities. Each interview set is designed to
answer all three research questions, including the overarching and sub-questions. The
estimated time per interview was 30 – 45 minutes.
Organization of interview protocol for analysis.
As explained in Chapter 2, Green & Siya (2005) utilized an internationalization
index to examine the type and scope of international education and global activities at
community colleges. It serves as a tool of analysis to examine comprehensive
internationalization according to six dimensions; articulated commitments, academic
offerings, organizational infrastructure, external funding, institutional investment in
faculty, and international students and programs. Each dimension has a list of
characteristics (Table 1). The data will be coded from the interviews according to the
characteristics, and sorted and categorized into the table of six dimensions (Table 1.) To
facilitate this analysis, the interview questions are organized by the internationalization
categories in Table 1.
46
Table 1.
Internationalization Index (Green & Siya, 2005)
Dimension Characteristics
Articulated Commitments International education referred to in
mission statement, strategic planning, and
recruitment literature. Factored into tenure
and promotion. Study abroad offered with
delay to graduation.
Academic Offerings Foreign language requirement, courses
with international focus, study, volunteer
and internship abroad opportunities
Organizational Infrastructure Internationalization taskforce, international
program administrators, communication
system (web, email, print) to promote
international programs.
External Funding Seek federal, state, private or other funds
specifically for international program and
activities.
Institutional Investment in Faculty Earmark funds for study, teaching and
conferences abroad. Funding toward
internationalization of curricula.
International Students and Programs Funding for recruitment of full-time
international students. Funds for programs
that promote interaction among students.

47
Interview protocol for senior administrators and governing board.

Opening Question:
 How did the global mission for Pasadena City College originate? What is the source
of the mission?
o Probe Question: Does it stem from the board of governors? The president or
senior administrators? Faculty committee?
Articulated Commitments
 What does it mean to be a global community college in terms of institutional mission?
o Probe Question: Are there measures used to define and assess the global
mission? If yes, what are they?
 What are the strategic initiatives and polices implemented with regard to the global
mission?
 What is your role at PCC in relationship to achieving the global mission?
 Is the global mission factored into hiring practices, tenure, and promotion? Please
describe how, and if any awards and incentives are utilized.
o Note: Also relevant to Institutional Investment in Faculty
Academic Offerings
 How are academic program offerings such as study abroad and curriculum managed
to achieve the global mission?
Organizational Infrastructure
 How are budgetary resources allocated to advance the global mission of PCC?
 Is there a taskforce responsible for leading the global mission? What activities are
they specifically engaged in?
External Funding:
 In what ways, if any, do funding sources such as federal, state or private, factor into
the development of a global community college?
International Students and Programs:
 What role does international student recruitment and enrollment play in a global
community college?
Final Question:
 Who else in units you oversee would you recommend I interview for the global topic?

48
Interview protocol for faculty and staff.
Opening Questions:
 How did the global mission for Pasadena City College originate? What is the source
of the mission?
o Probe Question: Does it stem from the board of governors? The president or
senior administrators? A faculty committee?
 From your perspective, what makes Pasadena City College a global community
college?
o Probe Questions: Is it student service programs? Curriculum? Student
population? Other activities?
 (Thematic) What are the primary global activities at PCC?
Articulated Commitments
 What does being a global community college mean in the context of your position?
What is your role at PCC in relationship to achieving the global mission?
o Note: Also relevant to Institutional Investment in Faculty
 How, if at all, does the global mission as described in the Educational Master Plan
affect the work you do?

 (Thematic) What are the written documents and policies at PCC that articulate the
global mission?
Academic Offerings
 (Staff Only) What programs and activities have you participated in that relate to PCC
being a global community college? Are you working with administration to develop
your programs? If yes, please describe.

 (Faculty Only) What teaching, research or other activities have you participated in
that relate to PCC being a global community college? Are you working with
administration to develop your curriculum/programs? If yes, please describe.
o Note: Also relevant to Institutional Investment in Faculty
 (Thematic) How is the global mission infused into the curriculum?
o Probe Questions: Are there courses that have an international dimension? Is
there a committee, taskforce or system in place to internationalize the
curriculum? If yes, please explain.

 (Thematic) How are study abroad programs managed to achieve the global mission?
49
o Probe Questions: Is there an increase in funding? Number of programs? Staff?
Organizational Infrastructure
 (Thematic) What are the incentives and awards, if any, in place to promote the
advancement of the global mission among managers, faculty, and staff?

 (Thematic) What are the primary sources of funding related to international activities
at PCC?
o Probe Questions: Are they institutional funds? Government grants and
contracts? State and local funds? Private funding sources? Non-resident
student fees?
o Note: Also relevant to External Funding
International Students and Programs:
 (Thematic) What role does international student recruitment and enrollment play in a
global community college?
o Probe Questions: How does PCC recruit international students? What services
does PCC provide to international students
Final Question:
 Who else would you recommend I interview that could contribute on the topic of the
global mission?
Institutional Documents
In addition to the interviews, the researcher collected institutional data on
international activities, and written documents and budgets relevant to the global mission
using Green & Siya’s (2005) Internationalization Index as a guideline. This includes
program information for study, research and volunteer abroad, and international student
recruitment and enrollment. Other documents which indicate an institution’s articulated
commitment to a global vision such as mission and vision statements, strategic planning
documents, and position descriptions for new hires were also gathered for analysis.
These documents provided additional data for the study.

50
Data Collection
The researcher traveled to PCC for interviews and data collection. The timeline
design took into consideration the availability of participants on the basis of the academic
calendar. The researcher gathered documents fall semester, and conducted interviews
during the winter intercession and spring semester when the institution was fully
operational. As permitted by participants, the researcher used a digital recorder during
interviews. This method allowed the researcher to completely and accurately capture a
participant’s perspective (Patton, 2002). Furthermore, the recordings allowed the
researcher to focus on the interview rather than on note taking. However, the researcher
also took notes for observations, insights, and as a backup to the tape recorder. After the
interviews, the researcher reviewed recordings and notes to ensure data is in order. The
immediate review of data gathered permitted time for the researcher to follow-up for
clarification or additional information.
Data collection timeline.
1. November, 2011: Gathered institutional data and documents.
2. February, 2012: Scheduled and conducted formal interviews with thirteen
participants.
Data Analysis
Data analysis for a qualitative case study involves making sense of a large amount
of raw data and turning interviews, notes, and documents into findings (Patton, 2002).
The first step in this process is to transcribe, code, and organize the interview data. By
immersing oneself in the transcription process, the researcher begins the first stage of
51
analysis by looking for patterns in the data. In addition, the researcher will seek patterns
in other documents collected. This sense-making process is referred to as content
analysis (Patton, 2002). Content analysis involves identifying words, phrases, and
themes that frequently occur, assuming importance in recurring themes. As described
under instrumentation, the study will use the conceptual framework by Green & Siya
(2005) to identify thematic patterns connected to the Internationalization Index. In
addition, the study will allow for detection of other patterns and themes through the
coding process. The categorization of data will inform the researcher about the different
types and range of internationalization activities occurring at PCC, thus offering a tool of
analysis for how key actors at PCC conceptualize and implement a global college.
Validity and Reliability
With a qualitative study, the human as the research instrument is both the study’s
strength and weakness. The challenges, experiences, emotions, and background of the
researcher can influence observations, data collection, and outcomes, and affect the
overall validity of the study (Patton, 2002). Thus, researcher bias becomes a threat to the
validity with the risk of researcher subjectivity and interpretation. The validity of the
study depends not only on the researcher, but also the methodology of research.
According to Patton (2002), there are no standard tests for reliability and validity in
qualitative research except to reasonably represent data and communicate it in relation to
the purpose of a study. One approach to creating a value free study is to emphasize
empirical findings and provide detailed descriptions and analyses. For this study, the use
52
of a theoretical framework provided a consistent and neutral tool for the collection and
analysis of data (Patton, 2002).
Limitations
As a qualitative case study dependent on interaction and openness from the
college’s administrators, faculty and staff, some participants might be hesitant to share
their opinions openly if they believe their job or status is at risk. Similarly, participants
might only share content they believe the researcher wants to gather or limit their
responses to preserve self and institutional identity. Additionally, the researcher might
not have access to important documents and participants which could result in a less
complete or accurate analysis.
Delimitations
This is a case study of one community college that self-identifies as a global
community college. The intention of this study is not to assert that PCC is a global
community college nor does it intend to provide a singular explanation of all global
community colleges. This study is not designed to be generalizable to all of community
colleges or higher education, although it has utility in these areas. This study is not a
longitudinal study that accounts for long-term growth or change in global and
internationalization activities and practices at PCC. This is a short-term study that
provides an illustration of PCC at the time of its observation and analysis. Lastly, this is
not a behavioral or cultural study. The researcher will record, utilize, and analyze written
and spoken words, but not emotions or assumptions.

53
CHAPTER FOUR
FINDINGS

This chapter presents findings derived from interviews conducted with thirteen
participants at Pasadena City College (PCC), and supplemented by institutional
documents related to the mission statement, strategic planning, international initiatives,
and international student programs. The participants included leadership at the college,
specifically one Board of Trustees member, the president/superintendent, and two of the
president’s senior administrators. In addition, the researcher interviewed four managers
of divisions from student affairs, counseling, languages, and admission, and two program
managers, one from the international student center and the other from study abroad. The
participants list also included faculty from the English as Second Language (ESL)
department, the Institutional Effectiveness Committee, and the director of the college’s
foundation.
As noted in Chapter Three, the researcher identified participants and sought
recommendations from the president/superintendent, senior administrators, and other
participants. The recommendations provided by participants were consistent with the
initial list developed by the researcher with the exception of two additional
recommendations to interview the Dean of Languages and one Board of Trustees
member. All but two of the interviews were held at PCC during winter intercession. The
remaining interviews were held off-campus. The president was the first interview
participant followed by senior administrators, then division and program managers.
This chapter examines the results of the interviews and document analysis in three
parts: major findings by research questions, descriptive analysis of findings by
54
Internationalization Index, and analysis of findings by research questions. The first
section has a summary of the significant findings organized by research question, and
lays a foundation for the subsequent sections. The Internationalization Index section
provides a detailed description of all findings based on the framework’s six dimensions.
Lastly, the third section draws major themes from the framework to provide a more in-
depth analysis and response to the research questions.
Major Findings by Research Questions
The literature examined in Chapter Two demonstrates that internationalization is a
common response to globalization, and in effect, a common method to creating and
defining a global institution. In order to answer the research questions on how key actors
at PCC define and manage the global vision for their institutions, it is important to first
understand how the institution internationalizes. In Chapter Three, the
Internationalization Index was presented as a useful tool to examine global activities at
PCC by utilizing the framework to analyze the activities, curriculum, funding, policies,
and services of institutions engaged in developing a global vision. The interview
protocol, resulting data, and themes were organized by the six dimensions of the
Internationalization Index: articulated commitments, academic offerings, organizational
infrastructure, external funding, institutional investment in faculty, and international
students and programs. The major findings from this collection and analysis process
resulted in the following responses to the research questions.

55
OVERARCHING QUESTION: How is the notion of a global community college
conceptualized and achieved at Pasadena City College?

In summary, the global community college vision is conceptualized and achieved
most strongly through: (a) academic offerings of curriculum, in particular foreign
languages, and study abroad; (b) international students and programs; and (c) articulated
commitment of achieving a global community college for the 21
st
century, and providing
academic offerings that are transferable or meet degree requirements. The least
developed dimensions of internationalization are: (a) organizational infrastructure; (b)
institutional investment in faculty; and (c) external funding. Although unrelated to the
Internationalization Index, technology and diversity are other emergent characteristics of
the global community college, and are more so themes of the global community college
rather than institutional dimensions or components that achieve the vision of a global
community college.
SUB-QUESTION A: Who are the key actors in the development and implementation of
the global community college vision?

The key actors are primarily institutional leaders, including the
president/superintendent and senior administrators of educational, instruction, and student
and learning services. The deans of the divisions of counseling and languages are also
involved in overseeing programs for international students, foreign languages, and study
abroad initiatives. There are also program managers for study abroad, and international
students, who are responsible for daily tasks. In addition to these individual positions,
there is a key committee, the College Planning & Priorities Committee, responsible for
the institution’s academic reorganization process called “realignment.”
56
SUB-QUESTION B: How do key actors structure the institution, and manage policies,
programs and funding to achieve the global community college vision?

With respect to achieving the global vision, the focus of leadership is on
managing the international student experience and expanding recruitment efforts. They
also seek to expand study abroad programs and international exchange initiatives,
including the possibility of developing a satellite campus in China. Other important
strategies to achieving the global vision are through organizational and curricular changes
to develop a theme-based curriculum, and to create a central support structure for all of
international programs at PCC. Less significant methods of achieving the global vision
include recruitment and training of diverse faculty and staff, and pursuing external funds
to support PCC’s global initiatives.
Descriptive Analysis of Findings by Internationalization Index
This section expands on the major findings by providing a descriptive report of
internationalization at PCC to help understand the depth, range, and progress of relevant
initiatives and activities. As presented in the previous section, the Internationalization
Index consists of six dimensions: articulated commitments, academic offerings,
organizational infrastructure, external funding, institutional investment in faculty, and
international students and programs. Each dimension has unique characteristics that
define it. The results in this section are organized by dimension and the most emergent
characteristics of each dimension.

57
Dimension 1: Articulated Commitments
As the first dimension of the Internationalization Index, Articulated Commitments
represents the college’s established policies and written statements that demonstrate a
commitment to internationalization and the global vision. In the case of PCC, articulated
commitments were assessed through interview questions about mission statement,
strategic planning, program assessments, study abroad credit, and employee hires and
promotions. Articulated commitments were also assessed through an analysis of written
and published documents, including the Educational Master Plan and mission statement.
The findings in this section are organized according to the following characteristics of
Articulated Commitments: Educational Master Plan, strategic planning, study abroad
credit, employee hire and promotion.
Educational Master Plan and strategic planning.
The Educational Master Plan (EMP) was strongly quoted by all thirteen
participants as the leading and guiding document for PCC’s transformation into a global
community college and for the institution’s strategic planning process. PCC’s College
Planning and Priorities Committee initiated the development of a new master plan prior
to hiring the current president, and then finalized the master plan with the president. The
EMP summary document is available on PCC’s website, and contains sevens pages on
PCC’s mission and vision statement, the institution’s critical priorities and strategies, and
ten year action plan (PCC EMP, 2012).
58
The EMP establishes PCC’s global vision by introducing the document as a guide
to the “college’s transformation to educate students for this global 21
st
century” (PCC
EMP, 2012, p.1). Included in the document is PCC’s motto of “proud past, global future”
linking PCC’s historical accomplishments with its future ambition. The EMP also
connects PCC’s history and future, and broadly defines its global vision with the
following statement:
At once a statement of respect for our long heritage of excellence and a statement
of our aspiration to become the first truly ‘global’ California community college
in every sense of the word – a diverse faculty and staff and a diverse curriculum
that prepares our students for a 21
st
century global economy.

The global vision statement and motto are present on the first page and declare
PCC’s core value of educating and preparing students for participation in a global society
and economy. However, the EMP as a whole, and also with specific themes in the master
plan, does not articulate specific goals for internationalization. While the global theme is
clear, the initiatives and ideas are more broad or implicit. The EMP outlines critical
priorities that could be applied to internationalization such as a supporting “a culture of
innovation” or developing a “curriculum responsive to market needs.” There are also
ideas relevant to the notion of a borderless global society such as utilization of
technology in curriculum and services. The EMP also outlines signature goals not
implicitly or directly related to the global vision, such as the focus on the enrollment of
in-district students and completion of transfer and degree requirements. Arguably, the
EMP in part addresses the envisioned transformation of PCC into an institution that
prepares students for the 21
st
global century, and in part addresses budgetary concerns
59
and the need to improve degree completion and transfer rates of enrolled students, which
currently hover between a low 13% to 30%.
The EMP articulates a broad global vision rather than an explicit plan, especially
with respect to internationalization. The EMP, however, is more than an articulation of
internationalization; it is a strategic planning document that sets forth the transformation
of the institution. The interview responses indicate that the strategic planning focus is on
evaluating the effectiveness of existing programs in terms of student learning, and
reorganizing the institution’s academic divisions to align with the EMP, while also
focusing on degree, certificate, and transfer completion. As articulated by two senior
administrators, these strategic initiatives are the early steps of the institution’s
transformation. Once leadership make advancements into achieving these strategic
initiatives, they can focus more human and funding resources on specific international
programs and initiatives. Three other participants, including two faculty and one
manager, affirmed a sense of waiting for a few effectiveness initiatives to finalize before
continuing on the path toward achieving the institution’s global vision through
international initiatives.
The mission statement was another document analyzed for the study. The core
values of the mission statement are student learning and success, and to provide
education and service to the local community. The most globally relevant themes of the
mission statement are about community diversity, and creating a learning environment
that is “technologically, intellectually and culturally stimulating” (PCC Mission, 2012).
The themes of culture, diversity, and technology tie into the 21
st
century global
60
community college vision. However, the mission statement does not appear to have
significance in relationship to the global theme. While all participants commented on the
significance of the EMP, none of the participants mentioned PCC’s mission statement
when asked about documents that articulate or support the global vision. Based on
participant responses, the EMP appears to be the only strategic planning document and
vision statement of note. One participant referred to it as “the beacon of light.”
Institutional realignment.
During interviews, participants often mentioned “realignment” in relationship to
the EMP or in response to open-ended questions about what makes PCC a global
community college. The topic of realignment deserves attention in order to understand
where PCC stands in the process of its transformation. Realignment, according to the
president, is a global community college initiative. It is essentially a reorganization of
academic divisions and the curriculum at PCC. PCC has eleven separate academic
divisions that are not thematically connected. The president articulates that this is the
norm at four-year institutions where discipline specializations are an expectation.
However, at a community college that primarily offers general education courses, this
high degree of specialization and separation is unnecessary and not constant with the
notion of a global community college. The president’s notion of a global community
college would include a theme-based curriculum that would have inter-disciplinary
connections rather than the existing disparate 400 course offerings. The idea behind
realignment is to create a cohesive, thematic, and conceptual curriculum that aligns with
the EMP and the 21
st
century global community college theme. Two participants
61
commented that the realignment process has been contentious, because of the drastic
changes proposed. One person commented that the initial approach to realignment was
done unilaterally. However, realignment became a shared governance process that
invites input and participation from faculty, staff, senior administrators, and deans. The
recommendations that emerge from the realignment process will lead curricular changes
and future funding allocations for global community college initiatives. The committee
recommendations were not available at the time of study. They were expected by the end
of PCC’s 2012 academic year.
Study abroad without delay to graduation or completion.
Even though there are initiatives and ideas on hold until the completion of the
realignment process, there are many existing programs and initiatives that do fulfill the
college’s global vision. One of those programs is study abroad. In a time of state budget
cuts, study abroad maybe considered a non-essential course in the community college
curriculum. However, at PCC, study abroad is one of the ways in which the institution is
a global community college. Transferable general education courses and courses with a
travel component are two basic types of study abroad programs at PCC. In addition to
these two types of programs, there are exchange programs that are under development but
not currently an established part of the institution’s curriculum. Further information
about specific study abroad offerings and initiatives will be discussed in the Academic
Offerings section. This section examines whether study abroad, as an important
component of internationalization, is an institutional priority based on how it is
incorporated into curriculum and completion of degree or transfer requirements.
62
All thirteen participants commented on the “robust” study abroad programs at
PCC, while three participants, including the Study Abroad Coordinator, Vice President of
Educational Services, and Dean of Languages, spoke expertly on the specific activities of
study abroad because of their direct involvement in the programs. The Study Abroad
Coordinator has been working in this position for over thirty years. He brought historical
perspective on the evolution of study abroad at PCC. The Vice President of Educational
Services oversees the Study Abroad Office, and the Dean of Languages as of the spring
2012 semester was responsible for coordinating international programs and initiatives at
PCC.
One of the questions asked of all three of these participants was whether the study
abroad programs at PCC grant credit toward a transfer program, associate’s degree, or
other completion requirements. The answer to the question depended on the type of
program, particularly whether it was a transferable semester program or a course with a
travel component. All of the programs that are operated through PCC’s Study Abroad
Office are transfer certified. The Study Abroad Coordinator stated that this is a key
criteria in the program approval process. Other programs that are run independent of the
Study Abroad Office by faculty or academic divisions do not need to meet transfer
requirements. According to the Study Abroad Coordinator, these types of short-term
travel programs existed since he has been employed at PCC. However, they are not the
majority of study abroad offerings. At the time of this study, there were only two short-
term travel courses whereas the Study Abroad Office offered nine semester programs.
63
Study Abroad programs are led and taught by a mix of PCC and in-country
faculty. All of the semester length programs complied with general education and
transfer guidelines, specifically the IGETC for transfer to the California State University
and University of California four-year institutions, and the Transfer Alliance Guidelines
for PCC’s partner feeder institutions; University of California Los Angeles and
University of California, Irvine. The programs administered by the Study Abroad Office
are for full-time credit and approved by the Study Abroad Committee, which meets
monthly to discuss existing offerings and consider new programs. The latest addition to
the study abroad offerings was a first-time semester program in Beijing, China, running
as a pilot during the spring 2012 semester. The program took nearly four years to
develop because of the complicated issues of host country language, and the effort
required to meet transfer and associates degree requirements. However, the perseverance
in developing and launching the program according to completion guidelines
demonstrates an articulated commitment to study abroad with an eye on also expanding
and diversifying country offerings.
In summary, most of the study abroad programs offered at PCC, in particular
those coordinated centrally from the Study Abroad Office, meet several important
guidelines for transfer and degree requirements thus allowing students to advance in their
studies without delay toward graduation or transfer to four-year institutions. Although
there are a few courses with travel components that are not transferable, the majority of
study abroad programs are transferable. Students can study abroad for a full semester
and receive 12-15 units of full-time credit toward transfer or degree requirements. The
64
institution’s focus on these types of full-semester credit and transfer compliant programs
is an articulated commitment to internationalization and the global community college
vision.
Hiring, tenure, and promotion.
One of the ways leaders can transform an institution to achieve their vision is with
employment practices. By articulating a commitment to the global vision in hiring
documents, and rewarding employees who work in support of the global community
college vision, leadership at PCC can effectually shift the institution’s culture and
practices toward the goal of internationalization. New hires enter an institution with the
expectation of supporting the global vision, and current employees will be incentivized to
support the mission through professional development, tenure, and promotion.
All of the research participants, with the exception of the Trustee who is not
directly involved in employment practices, answered questions on whether rewards or
incentives exist to promote the global vision. In addition, the President and senior
administrators answered questions on how hiring practices reflected the global vision.
The Trustee also confirmed the president’s vision for a global community college was
one factor of his employment. Before the start of the interviews, three position
descriptions were collected from the PCC employment website, for the positions of Vice
President of Educational Services, Vice President of Instruction, and Vice President of
Student and Learning Services (PCC, 2012). Each of these documents articulated PCC’s
global vision, and sought candidates who had the qualifications to support the
institutional goals.
65
All three senior administrator positions were filled at the time of interviews. The
Vice President for Instruction, and Vice President of Student and Learning Services
positions were combined. The individual hired was an external candidate. During the
interview for this study, the Vice President of Instruction and Student and Learning
Services provided the perspective of a new hire. He stated that the global vision and
transformation of PCC was a draw for him. During his interview for the position at PCC,
the president asked him what the global theme means to him. The Vice President of
Educational Services was an internal candidate who was hired after a national search.
According to the president, he also received a question about the global theme during his
interview. During the interview for this study, the Vice President of Educational Services
explained that he was closely involved in developing the master plan for the college that
would eventually lead to the president coining the global theme. He was supportive of
the global vision before and after his selection for the Vice President of Educational
Services position. The president affirmed the global vision was part of the qualifications
for his senior administrators. During their interviews, he asked them to respond to what
the global vision meant to them. In addition to the employment of senior administrators,
the president stated that other new hires replacing recent retirees are also a “truly global
group.” How the group is “truly global” was not explicitly communicated. From the
context of the conversation on diversity, he might have meant cultural, ethnic, and
linguistic diversity, but the information was not available at the time of research. More
indicative of a commitment to the vision was the hiring of supportive senior
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administrators who will be the leaders of the global vision in their respective areas, which
includes working with faculty and staff.
The responses to the question on existing incentives or awards to advance the
global theme fit into two categories of personal responsibility, and innovation grants.
First, it is the responsibility of the employees to know and execute the vision. The other
common response was about funding sources available for innovative ideas. There is a
broader discussion of these themes under Dimension 5 Institutional Investment in Faculty
section. Employees could in theory apply to receive funding for globally themed ideas
through innovation funds; however, there are no incentives or awards specific to the
global theme. Furthermore, activities toward the global vision are not formerly factored
into tenure or promotion policy. However, there is interest in incorporating the global
vision statement into promotion and professional development practices at PCC. Given
the unionization of faculty and staff at community colleges, changes to promotion and
tenure practices would require negotiation with collective bargaining, which was the only
type of data not accessible to the researcher.
Publications.
Print and web publications are another mechanism through which institution’s
articulate their commitment to a vision. PCC articulates its vision primarily through web
publications. There is one other notable example of the use of media. As noted in earlier
chapters, this study initiated from PCC’s vision statement of a “global community college
for the 21
st
century” which was heard on a local National Public Radio (NPR) station,
KPCC, affiliated with Pasadena City College. During the interview for this study, the
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President said the institution is not engaged in marketing its brand at this time, with the
exception of this one media outlet. The institution’s vision and motto can mostly be
found on its website.
The motto “proud past, global future” is also largely and prominently featured at
the top of PCC’s web homepage. The motto is also on business cards as of the spring
2012 semester, and PCC’s EMP, which is available for download on PCC’s website.
When participants were asked about the use of the global motto on recruitment materials,
they had very little comment or knowledge. Two participants working in admission and
counseling mentioned they are updating their materials for the next outreach, recruitment,
and admission cycle, but the motto and vision were not part of their published materials
at the time of data collection. The way in which the global vision is articulated in
institutional publications, and other printed documents shows a commitment to the brand
publicly. Marketing the brand beyond PCC web and print publications, and NPR, would
be the next phase of mass communication of the global vision.
Dimension 2: Academic Offerings
As the second dimension of the Internationalization Index, Academic Offerings
evaluates curriculum, student affairs, and other academic programs that have an
international focus. The characteristics of this dimension include foreign language, study
abroad, international internships and service opportunities, and courses that have an
international dimension. The most prominent types of international academic offerings at
PCC are foreign language, and study abroad, which are discussed in detail in this section.
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Included in this section are extracurricular activities and courses that have a travel
component.
Foreign languages.
In Siya & Green’s (2005) study, the foreign language prompt asks whether the
institution requires foreign language for admission or graduation as one type of
commitment to internationalization. This specific prompt does not align well with the
mission and offerings of community colleges. As open access institutions, community
colleges do not have subject-related admission requirements. In addition, they often do
not require foreign language study, because it is not part of a standard curriculum
designed for transfer or degree completion. In the case of PCC, foreign language is not
presently a requirement for transfer or completion of a degree program, although this
topic is under discussion among senior administrators. Part of the discussion revolves
around the pragmatic aspect of developing a transferable curriculum that satisfies
agreements and guidelines such as the Transfer Alliance Guideline and IGETC.
The other part of the requirement discussion is more value-based, focusing on the
importance of proficiency in a second language in order to be competitive in a global
society. The original interview protocol did not have specific questions about foreign
language offerings. Instead, participants were asked more open-ended questions about
what makes PCC a global community college, and how academic offerings are managed
to achieve the global vision. After the first three interviews with the President and two
senior administrators, it was evident that foreign language offerings are a significant part
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of what makes PCC a global community college. Each participant mentioned foreign
language without any probing from the researcher.
From the perspective of the president, anyone who does not have at least
conversancy or proficiency in a second language is “crippled” in a global community,
speaking in reference to the diverse cultural make-up of the Pasadena district as well as to
a multicultural society and global community made possible with technology and travel.
He strongly believes, and repeated his point in two interviews, that the study of a foreign
language should be a part of almost every student’s education. How this philosophy will
manifest in PCC’s organizational and curricular realignment remains to be observed. For
now, the institutional goal is to at least maintain, if not expand, foreign language
offerings, and design ways to integrate the study of languages into required curriculum.
The president’s philosophy and goals are echoed by two senior administrators
who were also not prompted to speak about foreign languages. One senior administrator
who worked in the California Community College system for over a decade and also at
four-year institutions described the language department as “very, very, robust” further
adding that “it exceeds anything I’ve ever seen in the California Community Colleges
and it rivals some of our 4 year counterparts.” In the languages division, eleven foreign
languages are offered, including Arabic, Armenian, Chinese, French, German, Italian,
Japanese, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. The languages division also offers
American Sign Language, ESL, and linguistics. The Dean of Languages also believes
their division rivals foreign languages at other community colleges and in some cases
four-year institutions.
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Unlike many institutions where languages are in one or more departments, PCC
elevated languages to a stand-alone academic division with an administrative dean. In
addition to the numerous language offerings that are representative of different world
regions, many of the international initiatives at PCC come from Languages faculty.
There is more information about these international initiatives in the Academic Offerings
section. In addition to international initiatives, the Languages dean is also responsible for
coordinating international efforts at the institution. He stated that many of the language
and international programs at PCC have been around longer than the ten years he has
worked there, but they are in the process of formalizing it now as part of a global theme.
In summary, the stated commitment to foreign languages is unusual in a time of
severe budget reductions in the California Community Colleges. Foreign languages are
not a standard or common part of the community college system and may take on a
luxury label, thus making it an easy offering to cut. Although leadership mentioned that
nothing is guaranteed with more budget cuts in sight, foreign language remains a priority
and they will work to ensure language offerings remain at PCC. The Languages division
is a significant contributor to PCC’s global design. Foreign or second language
proficiency was described as an important part of being a local, national, and global
citizen. In studying foreign languages, students can leverage the type of global education
available at PCC to be competitive in the job market.
Study abroad offerings.
Study abroad is one of the most prevalent ways PCC is a global institution. Every
participant, with the exception of the trustee, commented strongly and enthusiastically on
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the topic of study abroad. Participants responded to two questions about study abroad.
The first was an open-ended question about how PCC, from their perspective, is a global
community college. The second question asked how study abroad is managed to achieve
the global vision. Initially, the second question was intended for two or three participants
directly involved with study abroad. However, given the frequency of study abroad
responses to the first question, seven participants were also asked the second question
about study abroad management.
In response to both interview questions, two participants said they are “lucky” to
have study abroad at a community college, and most other participants implied as much
when they talked about study abroad being an increasing rarity at community colleges.
Participants used similar language about study abroad as they did for foreign languages.
One participant who works in Languages and serves in a strategic planning committee
said there is symbiotic relationship between the large study abroad program and foreign
languages at PCC. Four participants described study abroad as a “very robust program.”
One participant described it as “study abroad on steroids” and one other as a “successful
model of study abroad” that is “popular among students.” Twelve participants
commented on the importance of study abroad in a global community college, and one
program manager not directly involved in study abroad described it as one of three ways
PCC is a global community college. Unlike other global themes explored during
interviews, everyone was knowledgeable about study abroad regardless of their position.
Study abroad at PCC has a long and storied past. According to the study abroad
coordinator, the program dates back to the late 1970s when one faculty member took the
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initiative to create study abroad opportunities for students. He was the first person to
coordinate study abroad programs at PCC, and the interview participant has been the
second study abroad coordinator since the 1980s. Initially, there was a sense among the
PCC community that study abroad would not be possible at a community college. The
concerns were mainly about restricted guidelines for curriculum and transfer at
community colleges. There was also concern about the cost of study abroad for
community college students who usually pay low fees, heavily subsidized by local and
state funds.
Despite these concerns, in the 1970s PCC developed study abroad programs that
would guarantee credit to students, which required the programs to be highly structured.
A semester cohort of students would go abroad with PCC faculty and use the destinations
as a “laboratory.” Instead of immersing students into local classes, with local instructors,
the instruction and program would be managed by PCC faculty on-site. This model of
study abroad was common at community colleges. The program destinations were all to
Europe, initially to English speaking countries, mainly with a program to London,
England. Then after many years of only focusing English speaking countries, the
programs were expanded into other areas of Europe such as Florence, Italy, which
remains one of the most popular study abroad programs to date.
In the 2011-2012 academic year, PCC offered six established semester study
abroad programs that had been running for five or more years. The programs to Oxford,
England and Florence, Italy are the most established of the full semester programs. There
is also a program to Mexico, and a summer program to Spain that Spanish faculty at PCC
73
would like to change to a semester program. There are also other summer intercession
programs to Austria, the Czech Republic, and Germany. Last year in 2011, over 100
PCC students studied abroad in nine different countries.
Most of PCC’s established semester and summer programs are to Western
Europe. In recognizing the limited geography of the offerings, PCC leadership and
program managers make a concerted effort to expand study abroad to other continents.
As part of the expansion goal, they launched a study abroad program to China for Spring
2012. The program only had 14 students in it, which the coordinator suggested was low
in comparison to the targeted enrollment of 25 students. However, leadership at PCC
showed a commitment to piloting the program and proceeded with its launch despite the
low enrollment. Three different interview participants in leadership articulated the
importance of establishing a program in the Pacific Rim given PCC’s global vision and
its location in a Pacific state. The institution’s Foundation board members, from the
nonprofit fundraising branch of PCC, also considered the China program an important
part of PCC’s global reach. The Foundation, managed by a new director who wants to
better align its activities with that of PCC’s global vision, elected to sponsor a portion of
the trip cost after students did fundraising on their own. The study abroad program to
China appeared to be a hallmark initiative of the institution, enough so that senior
administrators and the President took a photo with the students prior to their departure.
With the effort to expand programs outside of Western Europe, the Study Abroad
Office and the decision-making body of the Study Abroad Committee have received
requests to review other program proposals. One program that was under consideration,
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but not approved for reasons unarticulated, was to Korea. At the time of interviews, they
had another request to consider programs that would expand study abroad into South
America, such as to Argentina or Brazil, but nothing was approved yet.
In addition to the semester Study Abroad programs, there were other international
exchange initiatives under development. Most of the information about international
exchange initiatives was from the Dean of Languages. He was one of the two
participants not on the initial interview participant list. Two participants recommended
him, and a third mentioned his name during an interview. The President also confirmed
that the Dean of Languages was an important person to meet. One senior administrator
described the Dean of Languages as someone who has “the biggest vision for what
international education should be for students.” Even though most of the information the
Dean of Languages shared was not mentioned by other participants, he remains one of
the most credible and informed participants about international education at PCC, in
particular exchange programs and language initiatives.
The international exchange programs under development are to Japan and
Sweden. The Dean met with representatives from Halmstad University in Sweden to
create an exchange program for students in engineering technology. Even though this
initiative is not in the field of languages, he remains responsible and enthusiastic for these
types of exchange opportunities. At the time of interviews for this study, representatives
from PCC and Halmstad University were exchanging information about their course
content, credit hours, and instructors, to do what the Dean of Languages described as “the
intricate process to align specific classes” so that both institutions comply with
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accreditation standards. Although the partnership was not finalized, they were in
constant communication. The goal of the agreement is to develop a partnership in which
PCC students would only have to register at PCC and pay PCC fees instead of
international program fees. The Dean made a strong point of sharing that this is not a
revenue-enhancement program, the real drive behind the program is cultural exchange at
a low financial cost:
It is the equivalent of thousands of dollars-worth of benefit to our students who’d
be able to go over there and not have to pay those fees. For the cost of an airline
ticket they would be getting the classes at that university and those experiences
and the classes would be taught in English over there.

In exchange, Swedish students from Halmstad University would study at PCC for
one semester. The Sweden program was especially noteworthy because it provides both
an opportunity for PCC student to study abroad at a low cost and for students at PCC to
benefit from a relationship with students from Sweden. Furthermore, the program is in
the field of technology which touches on another aspect of how PCC is being redefined in
a global 21
st
century.
PCC also has a collaborative agreement signed a year ago with the president of
Russian State University for the Humanities. The agreement focuses on bringing
students from Russian State University for the Humanities into PCC’s ESL, and F1
Pathways program for international students. This initiative is tied to another
collaboration PCC has with the California State University Northridge (CSUN) Russian
Studies program in which PCC students can study Russian at CSUN. The program
includes a summer research trip to Russia during which the cohort of CSUN and PCC
students stay in dormitories at the Russian State University for the Humanities. Students
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who participate in this program enroll in a PCC course, receive PCC credit, and pay PCC
fees, but take courses at CSUN and Russian State University. This collaboration was not
formalized, but coordinated by PCC’s Russian language instructor who also works at
CSUN and received a National Strategic Language Initiative federal grant there to
improve the instruction of strategic languages to the United States. In exchange for the
benefit of participating in a four-year program for the cost of community college
enrollment, PCC shares it resources by enrolling CSUN students in their Hebrew class.
Another initiative that expands PCC’s global presence into another part of the
world is a bilateral exchange program to Japan. The full exchange agreement was not
finalized during this study. However, one PCC student already studied in Japan during
PCC’s 2011 winter intercession with a scholarship sponsored by the host institution in
Japan. After her study abroad program, the student wrote a blog post about her
experience and the global perspective she gained during her time in Japan. The
completed program will allow PCC students to enroll at PCC while taking courses at the
University of Tokushima in Japan. In exchange, students from the University of
Tokushima can take for-credit courses at PCC. Similar to the exchange program
initiative in Sweden, this is not a revenue enhancement program. The University of
Tokushima initiatives will allow PCC students to study abroad at a low cost and gain
international experience. Furthermore, students from Japan will add to the international
dialogue at PCC.
The programs to Japan, Russia, and Sweden appear to be the most developed of
the international study and exchange initiatives at PCC. The Dean of Languages said that
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are a total of 25 ideas and initiatives that are related to internationalization. The time
allotted for the interview was not sufficient to discuss these in detail, and the Dean
preferred to review the list of initiatives before making them public for research. He did
mention an initiative to build on their Pasadena sister city relationship in Armenia as they
did with Pasadena’s sister city in a district of Beijing, China. He also mentioned a
possible collaboration with the Brazilian United States Institute in Rio, Brazil.
In summary, study abroad and international exchange offerings are two of the
most significant ways PCC will continue to define itself as a global community college.
PCC’s leadership articulated a commitment to support study abroad, and provide students
with a broader perspective of the world, by creating more opportunities to study in
different regions of the world, at a regular or comparable community college fee rate.
The exchange offerings also bring international students into the campus mix, and
contribute to the goal of fostering intercultural knowledge and understanding.
Courses with international focus.
An internationalized curriculum can provide a broad and global perspective on
any topic of study. In order to assess whether a global perspective is part of PCC’s
curriculum, study participants responded to questions on how academic program
offerings such as curriculum are managed to achieve the global vision. Of all the
characteristics in the academic offerings dimension, the responses to this question were
the weakest. Generally, curriculum does not contain a global perspective with the
exception of a few courses that have a travel component or are global in nature such as
languages or international relations. One participant stated that an internationalized
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curriculum is one of three ways that PCC will be a global community college, in addition
to study abroad and international students. However, PCC leadership have not met that
goal as implied by a follow-up comment from the international student program manager
that they need to “globalize more in the academic area.”
A full assessment of PCC’s curricular offerings would not be possible until
realignment concludes, which is a process that will result in major changes to curriculum
and academic divisions. However, there was expressed interest among PCC senior
administrators, particularly in educational services and instruction, to integrate globally
themed issues into the curriculum. The Dean of Counseling also suggested that faculty
are encouraged to internationalize curriculum. The Dean of Admission implied the
curriculum is international in the sense that it is “not streamlined to representing the
culture of just one people.” An example of this type of course which represents both
local and global communities is Armenian Studies. Although the assessment of an
internationally focused curriculum indicates low program offerings, there are a few
courses mentioned by five participants that have a short-term international travel
component as part of the course.
In addition to semester and summer study abroad programs managed by the Study
Abroad Coordinator, PCC also offers short-term travel programs organized by individual
faculty or departments. According to the Study Abroad Coordinator, short-term
programs have been available at PCC for about as long as semester programs. As early
as the 1980s, PCC had smaller, two and four week study programs to destinations such as
China, and a popular trip to Baja, Mexico. They also went to Vietnam once. The
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popularity of the programs slowed down, but PCC does offer two short-term travel
programs that are attached to a course. One is a Chicano Studies course which includes a
travel component to Guadalajara, Mexico. The other course is in English with a travel
component to London, United Kingdom. The latter course appears to be popular among
students, and interview participants - it was mentioned by five different participants. The
third course, in Natural Sciences with a travel component to Costa Rica, was no longer
offered, and nobody provided offered an explanation for its cancellation.
Courses with an international focus contribute academically to the achievement of
the global community college vision. However, at the time of this study PCC did not
offer many courses with an international focus, with a few exceptions such as foreign
languages, English and Chicano Studies. During interviews, participants did not
comment about the future of these types of courses. Part of the issue could be due to the
incompletion of realignment; it was not the right time to think about developing new
course curriculum. Other factors could be a lack of priority by leadership or initiative by
faculty to develop relevant courses.
Volunteer and internships abroad.
Responses to the volunteer and internship abroad characteristic derived from
questions about how the interview participants and the students they serve are engaged in
the development of the global vision. The Dean of Counseling, and Assistant Dean of
Student Affairs, two participants who work closely with the PCC student body,
responded to questions about specific opportunities for students that are related to the
global theme, including funding and student activities. There was only one strong quote
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provided for this characteristic about a student who received funding for a volunteer
abroad project. The student is a civil engineering major who traveled frequently to a
small village in Guatemala to help locals create an irrigation system for fresh water. He
was awarded two $1000 scholarships from PCC for the project, and he was featured on
the PCC website with a video interview.
The civil engineering student is an example of how students who take the
initiative to propose a project may receive funding. The interview participants confirmed
that there are funding sources available for student who are interested in volunteer and
internships abroad, but the funding sources on campus are not earmarked specifically for
these types of global activities. The Assistant Dean of Student Affairs added there is
funding available through student activity fees, but it has not been utilized for
“international, global, or travel” activities. He added that if a funding proposal is linked
to the EMP and theme of a global community college, then the Associated Student body
can consider funding these types of activities abroad, especially because many students
express a need for financial assistance in order to pursue volunteer and internships
opportunities abroad.
The lack of established volunteer and internship abroad opportunities as well as
funding for these activities is another example of how the theme of the global community
college is still in its infancy. International opportunities for students have not permeated
all areas of campus services. However, the example of the civil engineering student
receiving two scholarships and public recognition on the PCC website for his work shows
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that these types of activities are valued at the college and supported in ways that are
possible.
Dimension 3: Organizational Infrastructure
The Organizational Infrastructure dimension examines the physical and
administrative resources an institution invests into internationalization. These resources
include campus committees and taskforces, international education staff and
administrators, office space, and communication technology mechanisms such as e-mail,
newsletters, or websites. These resources advance internationalization by organizing and
publicizing initiatives, programs, and services related to internationalization. The
findings in this section are organized according to the three most quoted characteristics of
organizational infrastructure: international program administration, internationalization
taskforces, and communication systems.
International programs administration.
The findings in this section derived from observations and questions about how
international programs are managed to achieve the global vision. Study abroad,
international students, foreign languages, and ESL are the different types of international
programs at PCC. These areas are all parts of the PCC global community college vision,
but presently do not function as a cohesive whole, administratively, collaboratively or
physically.
The work spaces for each of these administrative areas are located in different
suites, offices or buildings. The Languages division has its own suite and reception area
in the administration building, but only the administrators of the Languages division and
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administrative assistants work in this suite. The faculty, such as ESL instructors, have
offices elsewhere. The International Student Center is located in an entirely different
building on campus. The Study Abroad Office is administratively and physically housed
in Educational Services in the main administration building. Unlike the International
Student Center or Languages division, the primary function of Educational Services is to
do behind-the scenes work rather than provide direct service to students. However, the
suite does have a reception area and the Study Abroad coordinator’s desk is nearby,
which helps with receiving and assisting students. Although PCC is not a large campus,
the disparate building and office locations of these international programs are not
conducive to working together collaboratively, and may not outwardly give a cohesive
appearance of international programs. The office locations also do not promote
interaction among students from across the international programs.
The Study Abroad Coordinator commented that he has had “at least six offices
with six bosses [in 30 years] and it is an issue.” He explained that students are often
referred to a “study abroad program person” at four-year universities, but he doesn’t have
the power to serve that role in the full capacity offered at other institutions. The Study
Abroad Coordinator at PCC is an English instructor, with reassigned time. He is a full-
time employee at the college whose time is split 40% to the Study Abroad Office and
60% as faculty in the department of English. He does have a work space for the Study
Abroad position, but it is a shared workstation in the Educational Services suite which is
not staffed full-time; someone is not always available to talk to students about study
abroad. He acknowledges that budget and staffing for study abroad programs at
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community colleges is often limited or non-existent, which means his position at PCC is
an exception. While comparing PCC’s international programs to other institutions, he
also noted that international student programs and study abroad offices usually work
together which was not happening at PCC, but he had a “feeling” that is going to change.
Most interview participants knew about different international programs on
campus, and they also knew that these areas functioned independently, but not all knew
about plans to bring these areas together. Six participants spoke about the value of
organizing everything international into one area, speaking more in terms of collaboration
or organizational management rather than physical space. Of these six participants, two
of them worked directly with international students and study abroad, and two of them
had administrative oversight of international programs. Over the course of the three
week interview period, the message from participants shifted from an idea or vision to
create cohesion among international programs to an actual course of action.
During the first week of interviews, one senior administrator
grasped for a way to describe the organizational initiative for international
programs:
We had those dynamics in operation but they were…weren’t in silos, but they
were in kind of dynamics which were functioning unparallel, not really woven
together. So what we’re doing now is very quickly forming a composite
umbrella, if you will, which will speak to international education as opposed to
study abroad, international students, foreign languages, ESL. We’re talking about
getting synergy of all those areas and coming up with a fairly robust international
education department – for lack of a better way to put it. It’s going to be one of
the key pieces in how we flesh out and really actualize the global community
college theme.

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The language in the statement expresses an uncertainty about how this initiative
will take shape, and how they will transform international education from the status quo.
Similar language trying to explain the current “dynamic” and separate administrative
functions was used by another senior administrator and dean. How will all these areas
coalesce? Will they function as a single administrative area? Will they employ a dean of
international programs? Or will they be more loosely connected through shared
governance such as taskforces or committees? These questions arose during interviews.
The one point made clear is that the initiative will advance with certainty. By the third
week of interviews, a decision and announcement was made that the Dean of Languages
would be responsible for leadership of international programs. The Dean of Languages
was likely selected for the role based on his dedication to, and vision for, international
education. As stated by one senior administrator:
He’s probably got the biggest vision for what international education should be
for students. In other words, he’s got the vision for more than just Asian
[international] students, he’s got the vision for more teacher exchanges, he’s got
the vision for more study abroad.

This statement illustrates that leadership at PCC want someone who not only has
the ability to effectively manage international programs, but more so has the vision to
expand and diversify international programs at PCC. Both the statement and action are
spoken and executed commitments of the vision articulated for the global community
college. Informally, the Dean of Languages was performing the role of a leader in
international programs at PCC for about a year, but more in terms of initiatives
independent of study abroad and international students. The day before the interview for
this study, his leadership role in international programs was solidified and communicated
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officially to all international program managers on campus. As he stated, “I am officially
responsible for getting all of these different things together and organized and bearing
fruit.” The idea is to create an umbrella structure to oversee and coordinate international
programs.
While the leadership role in international programs is official, how this initiative
will fit administratively into the organization will not be decided on until the completion
of realignment at PCC. At the time of this study, the Dean was still responsible for the
Languages division with added responsibilities. It is not clear whether his new role will
be a permanent position or an initial effort to weave together internationally themed
programs. The final administrative structure and title of international programs
leadership will be created based on the outcomes of realignment.
Internationalization taskforce.
An internationalization taskforce is another means through which an institution
can organize and advance internationalization efforts. All participants in the study,
except for the trustee, were asked if there is an internationalization taskforce, or similar
body, leading the global vision at PCC. Of these twelve participants, seven of them did
not know or have a response. Two participants said there is no single taskforce, instead
different committees work on pieces of the EMP. There is no internationalization
taskforce at PCC, but there are four notable committees that engage in activities relevant
to the global community college vision and internationalization.
One of these committees is the Institutional Effectiveness Committee (IEC). The
IEC is in its second year of implementation. They are responsible for peer review
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evaluations of programs and student learning outcomes to ensure programs are in
alignment with the EMP. The IEC has the potential to evaluate programs to determine if
they are global, but their role at the time of study was to examine the effectiveness of
programs in terms of student learning outcomes, and completion of degree and certificate
programs, the latter of which is one of the signature goals of the EMP. In the future, they
anticipate examining how they can effectively globalize the curriculum and serve the
needs of the international student population.
Of the relevant committees, the one that has the strongest role in advancing the
global community college vision is the College Planning & Priorities Committee (CPPC).
One senior administrator described it as the “most pronounced taskforce.” The president
said it was the “key committee.” The CPPC is responsible for leading the institution’s
realignment process. CPPC is a shared governance committee led by faculty with a
collective effort by students, staff, managers, and administrators to contribute to the
realignment discussion. The President added that “realignment is a global community
college initiative.” Realignment is an investigation into the administrative organization
and functions of the institution with the goal of reorganizing the administrative structure
of PCC. At the time of interviews, the official realignment planning was only active for
six months, and recommendations from the committee were not expected until the end of
the spring semester in June 2012, and thus would not available for this study. The
consensus among participants who commented on the realignment process is that they
will reach their global community college goal through whatever new structure is
proposed by the CPPC.
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Of the other two notable committees, one is the Study Abroad Committee that is
responsible for decision making process of study abroad programs at PCC. As discussed
in Academic Offerings, the Study Abroad Committee is responsible for reviews of
existing and proposed programs and overall strategic planning for study abroad. There is
also a relevant student taskforce organized by the division of Student Affairs to provide
input on local, national and international matters.
None of the committees or taskforces mentioned in this section are strictly
internationalization taskforces per se, but each group has some involvement in the
planning and implementation of the global community college vision at PCC. With
continued planning and time, the relationship between the charge and activities of the
committees to the global community college vision will likely be more clearly defined.
Communication systems.
To determine whether participants utilized organizational communication systems
such as email and websites to get the information out about their programs, managers of
international student, and study abroad programs, they were asked how they promote
their programs to prospective students. Overall, there were not strong quotes relevant to
this characteristic. The most common method of distributing materials is through print
such as flyers and brochures about study abroad or international student programs at
PCC. For example, flyers with information about upcoming study abroad programs were
on display in the Educational Services reception area.
The Study Abroad Office and the International Student Center both have separate
webpages on the PCC website with a listing of programs, and other important
88
information about application, admission, and services. Both offices also strongly relied
on word of mouth as a method of outreach and communication about their programs and
services. The study abroad office mostly reached out to students by presenting in classes
and to student clubs. The International Student Center relied on institutional reputation
with students, recruitment agencies, and alumni to recruit international students.
The utilization of web, technology, and communication systems to promote
international education programs is not strong, but there might not be a need for it at this
time. The topic of expanding outreach efforts in study abroad through communication
systems did not come up during the interview, but it is a part of a broader goal for the
international student program, a topic which will be discussed in the sixth dimension.
Dimension 4: External Funding
The External Funding dimension evaluates the extent to which an institution
makes an effort to secure external funds specifically to support internationalization.
Federal, state, and private funding all fall under the umbrella of external funding.
Participants received questions about to what extent these funding sources factor into the
global community college vision, and whether and how they were encouraged to pursue
these sources of funding. Seven participants commented on external funding. The most
common response was about the multi-million dollar Title V federal grants awarded to
PCC. Both grants were awarded to PCC as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). The
Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) grant is administered by the Dean of
Natural Sciences. The Cooperative Arrangement Development Grant (COOP) created
opportunities for pathways, first-year experience program, and ESL programs.
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While these types of programs do not specifically fund internationalization, it is
important to note that they are linked to the premise of this study; internationalization is
integrally connected to the development of a global institution. The findings at PCC
indicate that cultural diversity, which includes a large Latino population, is an important
theme of the global community college vision. This correlation provides a reason to
factor these grants into internationalization resources at PCC even if they are not typical
international education programs. Furthermore, the HSI STEM grant has a global
component in terms of utilizing technology, which is an important part of the 21
st
century
theme. In addition, the COOP Grant was useful for creating a first year pathway program
for international students, who are a significant part of the global community college
vision.
One senior administrator commented that federal and other sources of external
funding are key to realizing the global community college vision. He added that “we are
misguided if the expectation [to be functional and efficient] is built on continued funding
from the state.” One dean commented that they are encouraged to apply for federal, state
or private agency funding. Private funding is also available through PCC’s Foundation.
The Foundation is a non-profit companion organization to the institution. They are
engaged in fundraising activities and grant funding for PCC. They also provide grant
writing assistance.
The Director of the Foundation is new to the organization, employed in the
position for only one month at the time of interviews. She had her first meeting with the
full Board of Directors immediately before the interview for this study and was still
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building relationships within and outside of the Foundation. Although the Director was
familiarizing herself with the workings of the Foundation and developing her vision for
it, she mentioned the Foundation needs to play a more supportive role to the college, one
that would align well with the new vision and global focus.
Three participants mentioned two Foundation activities that are loosely related to
the global vision. One is the Academic Excellence & Innovation Grant, awarded to
projects that align with the EMP, which could potentially have a global theme. In
addition, the Foundation is creating a tax-deductible account for donations linked to the
Armenian Studies program at PCC. Armenian Studies is another activity related to the
cultural diversity theme of the global community college, with an expressed intent to be
inclusive of the members of the PCC district community.
Overall, there is not enough data in external funding which can be linked
unequivocally to internationalization. One of the explanations for small amounts of
external funding received by PCC is that the institution does not yet place a strong effort
in pursuing relevant funding or the message to seek funding has not been clearly
communicated on campus given that only two participants mentioned this is important
and encouraged.
Dimension 5: Institutional Investment in Faculty
Siya & Green (2005) state that faculty involvement is essential to
internationalization due to the role faculty play in curriculum and instruction, their direct
interaction with students on a regular basis, and considerable influence in the classroom.
This dimension examines the international and professional development opportunities
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provided to faculty, including leading study abroad programs, conducting research
abroad, internationalizing curricula, receiving international education or language
training, and other awards or incentives for activities related to internationalization.
All participants, with the exception of the Trustee, responded to a question about
what incentives, awards, and opportunities, are in place to promote the advancement of
the global vision for managers, faculty, and staff. Eleven of the twelve participants
provided relevant responses. Generally, the responses were not strongly correlated to
investment in faculty for the purposes of internationalization. The funding or
professional development opportunities discussed are not specifically designed or
available for internationalization activities. However, these opportunities do exist and
can be applied toward an activity, curricula, or other services that advance the global
vision. This section presents the following characteristics of investment in faculty:
funding for study and teaching abroad, funding toward internationalization of curricula,
funding for faculty and staff employment, and other resources.
Funds for study, teaching, conferences abroad.
As discussed in Academic Offerings, most of PCC’s study abroad programs are
led and taught by PCC faculty. From this point of view, study abroad is not only an
opportunity for students, but also a professional development opportunity for faculty. As
stated by one senior administrator:
We basically say, ‘Here, go to Florence, here, go to Oxford or London.
Here, go to Beijing, here go to Madrid and teach about one third the
students you normally teach, and go have this amazing experience, and
bring that back here.’

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PCC’s semester abroad programs carry 12-15 full-time units of credit in a block,
and are usually facilitated by two full-time faculty members. For example, the spring
2012 semester program to Beijing, China is co-taught by a professor from languages who
teaches Chinese language, and a professor from Business & Computer Technology who
teaches courses on business management. In an average semester, usually spring,
summer or winter intercession, approximately four faculty will have an opportunity to
teach abroad. In an average year, with seven study abroad programs running, over
twenty faculty members will be able to lead and participate in study abroad programs.
PCC faculty also have an opportunity to travel abroad for the purposes of
developing international partnerships for exchange and off-campus initiatives. One
professor from the Languages division travels to China to work on a Sister City
international exchange program, and also for negotiations on the proposed satellite
campus. The Dean of Languages also traveled to Sweden for the exchange initiative with
Halmstad University. These are examples of the most formal types of international
opportunities for PCC faculty. PCC’s leaders would also like to propose significant
changes, referred to as “augmentations” during the interview, for professional
development and training in the area of study abroad, continued education for both
faculty and staff, and strengthening foreign languages. This goal would entail
renegotiating contracts with faculty and staff which did not occur at the time of data
collection.
Overall, there are only a few pockets of globally-themed professional
development opportunities for PCC faculty and staff, in particular for those involved in
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international programs and initiatives. However, the President and senior administrators
expressed a desire to expand professional development programs to enrich and draw
more faculty and staff into the global vision. Similar to other global community college
initiatives, the professional development of PCC employees was in an early stage of
development.
Funding toward internationalization of curricula.
Funding is not provided specifically for internationalization of curricula, but there
are pools of funds available to faculty and staff for innovative proposals, which could
include courses with a global focus. These fund sources include Academic Excellence &
Innovation Grants through the PCC Foundation, funding derived from the monthly flea
market held on campus, and funds from the Resource Allocation Committee. The
semester program to Beijing, China is one example of how these funds could be applied
toward internationalization of curricula. The PCC Foundation sponsored a portion of the
study abroad program.
Although there are various funding sources available for internationalization of
curricula, there was only one example of the utilization of these funds toward an
international program. Similar to the explanation for the low number of courses with an
international focus, the overall internationalization of curricula may not be a priority or
discussion until the completion of the realignment initiative.
Funding for faculty and staff employment.
Given the stagnant economy in California at the time of data collection,
community colleges were in the midst of serious budget issues and dwindling resources.
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Senior administrators stated that PCC has more financial stability than an average
community college in the state, yet they choose to be careful in how they organize and
allocate their resources. For example, none of the participants spoke of realignment as a
budgetary issue, but discussions in the comment sections of online articles on
realignment indicate this effort to reorganize and streamline could also be an effort to cut
back on the number of employees and deans at the institution. However, there is no clear
evidence that employee reductions is a goal of realignment.
Since 2011, PCC recruited approximately twenty-two full-time tenured track
faculty replacing a large percentage of retirees. The President described the new group of
hires, as “a truly global group of people.” The president also hired three senior
administrators who were supportive of the global mission. These hires, in part, achieve
the global vision of having a diverse group of faculty and staff at the institution.
However, participant response did not appear to indicate a strong support of the global
vision in terms of human resources. One factor to take into account is the current
budgetary environment facing the community college system.
Other responses to faculty investment.
There are a few other notable responses to questions on the types of incentives
and funding available to faculty or staff to advance the global vision. One emergent
theme was personal and professional responsibility to one’s job and institution. As one
dean stated:

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Outside of the EMP, each manager or staff person kind of takes the
responsibility on themselves, at least that’s the way I view it. If you have
a passion for something whether it’s education or accounting…you don’t
need to be told to do something, you just do it. I don’t think you can do
certain jobs properly, adequately and for an extended period of time
without truly believing what it is that the mission statement says.

A program manager had a related response. The “global community college”
brand on the website, paperwork, EMP, and mission statement should encourage faculty
and staff to advance the global vision through their services and programs. Similarly,
two deans mentioned the “incentive is to be creative,” and they are “encouraged to be
innovative.” One previously discussed example of this type of incentive and investment
in faculty is the Academic Excellence & Innovation Grant, for which $50,000 of funding
is set aside for creative faculty ideas. There is another campus grant for innovation,
called Student Access & Success Initiatives, a million dollar resource approved by the
Board of Trustees for faculty proposals.
There is one other resource, the College Global Initiative, which is pertinent to the
discussion of faculty investment. The College Global Initiative, formerly known as the
College Diversity Initiative, provides workshops, lectures, and training to foster an
appreciation for diversity. The initiative was revamped to encompass global awareness
as part of its mission and training programs. The President described the College Global
Initiative as a first step toward a formalized investment of faculty and staff. The College
Global Initiative did not appear to have taken effect at the time of this study, because it
was only mentioned by the President. Communication regarding the development and
implementation of the global vision appears to be mostly at the level of leadership. Other
actors who are involved directly with committees and programs that are relevant to
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international initiatives are also aware of the changes and opportunities, but to a limited
extent.
Dimension 6: International Students and Programs
The International Students and Student Programs dimension of the
Internationalization Index investigates the recruitment and number of international
students on campus, and the degree to which they are integrated into campus life. The
dimension also prompts the researcher to examine opportunities for local and
international students to interact. International students are not only an important
component of the global community college, they are central to the vision. All thirteen
participants, ranging from staff to managers to leadership, commented on the significance
of international students for PCC. The manager of the International Student Center stated
that international students are one of the three ways PCC is global, in addition to study
abroad, and a globalized curriculum. One senior administrator shared that international
students are the “centerpiece of what we’re doing.” The Trustee also indicated that
international students are part of a global community college. PCC has had international
students for over thirty years, but there is renewed attention on expanding and
diversifying the international student population.
Recruitment of international students.
The motivations for the recruitment and enrollment of international students are
academic, co-curricular, and financial. From the academic and co-curricular standpoint,
the shared belief is that in the 21
st
century it is imperative for domestic students to have
exposure to people from a world outside of their local environment. The exposure and
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interaction helps students understand people from other cultures and what it means to be
a citizen of a global society. This sentiment resonates with all of leadership at PCC,
including the senior administrators, president, and trustee. Each participant provided
similar responses to the question of what role international students play at a global
community college. Common statements revolved around how international students
enhance the cultural and global understanding of other students on campus.
The second motivation for recruitment of international students is financial. From
the perspective of leadership, which includes the Board of Trustees, international students
are an important source of revenue for the college and district. Unlike local students,
international students pay a higher non-resident fee for the full duration of their education
at PCC. The funds received from the non-resident fees remain in the district rather than
going back to the State of California. In a time of financial instability in the State of
California, one that directly and negatively affects community colleges, international
student fees open up financial resources for the college and for in-district students. While
PCC has enrolled international students for several decades, and has the third largest
international student population in the California Community Colleges system, they have
not actively pursued international students as a major revenue source until the redesign of
the EMP. Participants were careful in how they articulated the institution’s financial
goals, but the financial benefit of international student enrollment is evident as indicated
by this statement from a senior administrator:

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If you will, from a more purely administrative bean counting capacity, our
international students are revenue enhancing to us, which stays locally with us as
opposed to our state student. And it’s un-earmarked which means we can then
make local decisions on how to allocate those dollars to underscore and serve our
institutional mission.

To illustrate the financial gain to the college, one senior administrator shared that
for every 1,000 international students, the district receives approximately 4 to 4.5 million
in net revenue that goes into the general fund. Two senior administrators acknowledged
that as a local-serving institution they walk a fine line enrolling international students.
However, their stated priorities, as articulated in the master plan, are in-district students
and the timely completion of degree and certificate requirements, and also the college’s
realignment process. Even though there was some hesitation in underscoring the
financial value of bringing in students from outside of the district and country, there was
also an expressed goal to be financially self-sufficient. Given PCC’s academic, co-
curricular, and financial motives, the experience of international students at PCC is
critical to the institution’s vision of a global community college, and also to international
student recruitment efforts. As one senior administrator stated:
The lead for us is to bring those [international] students in, helping them move
through their education and go back and ultimately share with the world how
good PCC is. But for our students, I think it really does help them to better
understand what it means to be a citizen of a global society.

The first sentence of the statement illustrates the primary method of international
student recruitment at PCC – word of mouth. The institution relies heavily on current
students and alumni recommending PCC to their contemporaries. As the manager of the
International Student Center stated, they must “provide master service to students.” She
provided a good example of how word of mouth has worked well for PCC over the last
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decade. She met a student from Indonesia whose parents and grandmother once attended
PCC, and also plan to send her brother to PCC. PCC also indirectly recruits international
students by building relationships with a large network of student recruitment agencies
through East and Southeast Asia. This method of recruitment is done on a non-
commission basis, which means that PCC still relies heavily on its academic and service
reputation, and communicating that reputation convincingly to agents along with
providing school catalogues and schedules of classes.
At the time of this study in spring of 2012, PCC had 1200 enrolled international
students, with approximately 85% of the population representing the countries of East
and Southeast Asia, and the remainder from Canada and Mexico (see Appendix for
International Student Data). International students comprise 3% of the 37,000 total
student population at PCC. One of the goals related to, but not articulated in, the EMP is
to increase the international student population to 10% of the total student population by
the college’s 90
th
anniversary in 2014. In addition to increasing the total number of
international students at PCC, leadership also want to recruit a broad mix of cultures to
contribute to the global community college vision by enrolling students from outside of
East Asia and North America. Before their articulated goals, leadership did not need to
invest a lot of resources, financial or human, into attracting international students to PCC.
However, they recognize a need to update their recruitment strategies in order to meet
their ambitious goals. One international student program manager wished for more
financial and staff support for both recruitment and campus activities. Part of the issue is
likely budget realities, which may inhibit the investment of additional funding into
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recruitment. However, because of the global vision, there is a push to implement more
recruitment strategies. There is also plan to put new leadership structure in place to
effectuate international student recruitment. This plan is directly related to the
appointment of the Dean of Languages as the leader of international programs at PCC.
The strategic initiatives for expanding international student recruitment were
mostly in the stages of discussion and planning, and in part dependent on the outcome of
realignment. There were also plans to implement more traditional recruitment methods
such as advertising and direct mail and email campaigns, and to utilize web-based
technologies for the convenience of communicating information and receiving online
applications. These are low cost methods that serve to gradually expand recruitment
efforts until there is a fully realized plan. Furthermore, PCC leaders and managers work
to develop relationships with agents, sister city and university partners overseas to
promote PCC as a reputable and affordable place to study in the United States. They also
hosted dignitaries on campus as another means of bringing attention to PCC. For
example, the President welcomed a group of Japanese high school students to campus.
There might not be one cohesive plan or funding structure in place for international
student recruitment, but there are many wheels in motion to attract more international
students to PCC.
International student programs.
PCC has an International Student Center that provides service to enrolled and
prospective international students. Their mission focuses on student learning,
intercultural awareness, and contributing to the global vision of PCC. They also manage
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administrative matters related to international students such as immigration regulations.
The office has a manager and full time advisor and their own suite in one of the campus’
student service buildings. Part of their role is to coordinate services for international
students with other academic departments. They also manage international student
cultural and mentorship activities through their office.
The cultural and mentorships activities create opportunities for domestic and
international students to interact and learn from one another. For example, for the past
three years, the International Student Center organized the Culture Night Event for which
international students through song, dance, and other performances shared cultural
traditions with students, faculty, and staff at PCC. This event was also sponsored by
another campus department, the Associated Students. Similarly, international students
share presentations about their culture and home country during orientation. The
International Student Center also offers a Peer Mentor Program for international and
domestic students. Participants in the Peer Mentor Program engage in cultural exchange
activities such as sharing films, music, and participating in discussions about their
respective countries. Students also help each other academically through the mentorship
program. One participant commented that international students commonly help
domestic student with science classes and foreign languages, and local students help
international students with the English language. Another participant indicated that
students were “delighted” with the service, so they have plans to grow the mentorship
program.
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The Peer Mentorship Program and Culture Night are a few examples of how
international students do not exist completely in silos, rather there is institutional effort to
encourage interaction and exchange among all students. In addition to these inclusive
activities, there are programs on campus exclusively for international students. One such
example is the F1 Pathways cohort program for first year international students. The
term ‘F1’ refers to the type of visa degree-seeking international students receive. By the
time international students receive a visa and arrive to Pasadena, they are the last to enroll
in courses after in-district students. Late enrollment limits their options and chance to
enroll in a full-time course load as required by visa regulations. The F1 Pathways
program, developed collaboratively by the ESL department and Counseling division,
guarantees international students the 12 units of full-time courses they need for their visa
regulations and transfer requirements. The Pathways program could arguably take
courses away from domestic students, but the institution added additional sections paid
for by international student fees. The 2011-2012 Pathways program was in its pilot year.
For the second year, program managers plan to save seats for international students in
other classes so that they can interact with domestic students. This is another effort to
create a dialogue between international and local students.
Aside from the established programs, international program leaders were also
exploring other options for international students. One is an Intensive English Program
(IEP), which differs from the ESL program in that it is a non-credit fee based program.
ESL programs are usually full semester programs, and the IEP would be a short-term
intensive language study program at a higher fee structure. The plan is to launch this
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program by the next academic year. One participant mentioned the possibility of online
programs, but they were only researching that possibility at the time of study. They are
also working on procedures to help international students find local housing.
In summary, the International Student Center in collaboration with the division of
Counseling and faculty from ESL provides many services to international students that
contribute to the achievement of the global community college vision. They promote
interaction between international and domestic students, and want to expand
opportunities for social and academic exchange. They also seek to provide a quality
educational experience for international students, and find ways to improve in this area,
as it will be beneficial to their recruitment efforts and revenue enhancement initiatives
such as IEP.
Satellite Campus
Satellite campuses is one of the ways in which four-year universities
internationalize, but this is unchartered territory for community colleges, which makes
this a unique initiative that does not fit elsewhere in the Internationalization Index. There
are plans at PCC to establish a satellite campus in Pasadena’s sister city in the Xicheng
district of Beijing, China. The city of Pasadena has an ongoing relationship with the
Xicheng district. They frequently send Pasadena high school students there, and receive
students from Xicheng in exchange. PCC plans to build on this existing relationship.
They were in talks to develop a model community there that would include both
high school and college students. During the spring 2012 semester, they were working
with a firm, the Yihai Group, in China to find a physical space and staff it. The long-
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term plan is to establish a full satellite campus that would be self-sustaining financially.
The interview participant expressed that they are careful not to divert resources from state
and local funds to the satellite campus. The initial plan is to offer ESL courses at the
satellite campus, then students would come to the PCC campus to complete their
program. In the next couple of months following this study, they will know if their short-
term plan is feasible. In the long-term, they would like the satellite campus to be a site
where they could host PCC students.
A satellite campus is another way PCC can internationalize and establish a global
presence. It can be beneficial for the recruitment of international students, and another
source of revenue. The satellite campus could also be a permanent location in China that
could be of benefit to domestic PCC students.
Analysis of Findings by Research Questions
This section provides detailed answers to the research questions based on
descriptive results and common internationalization themes. During the course of
interviews and data collection, it was evident that the transformative process of
implementing the global vision was in its infancy. The results indicate that aspects of the
global theme are only envisioned, while others are further conceptualized, developed or
existing. It is important to understand that findings show not only what is actualized and
implemented, but also what is intended. The analysis of major findings are presented in
order of Overarching Research Question, Sub-Question A, and Sub-Question B.

105
OVERARCHING QUESTION: How is the notion of a global community college
conceptualized and achieved at Pasadena City College?

In order to understand the origin and conceptualization of the global community
college theme, it is important to understand a brief history of PCC. The global
community college vision at PCC stems from a vision established by the president of
PCC. His vision was in part inspired by PCC’s history as a diverse and innovative
institution dating back to the 1920s. PCC was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior
College. According to the commissioned history on PCC for the college’s 75
th

anniversary, it was one of the first junior colleges started in the Southwest. Similar to
other new junior colleges of the time, PCC was founded based on a need to manage the
rapid growth of the population in schools and universities, and for workforce
development for recently returning GIs (Cohen & Brawer, 2008; PCC, 2012). The
history of PCC is important to present because it is part of the college’s new motto,
“proud past, global future.” College leadership interviewed for this study view the
institution as a historical “pioneer.” They are building their new vision on the historical
theme of excellence and innovation by transforming the institution to adapt to the needs
of a 21
st
century global society. The “proud past, global future” motto is branded on the
college’s website and other documents, including business cards. As the president stated
when he shared his newly printed business cards, “we’re in now.” The brand is official,
and they are working toward their goal.
The global vision of PCC was unanimously attributed by all thirteen interview
participants to the president. At the time of this study, the president of PCC was
relatively new to his leadership position. He was selected two years ago in 2010 by the
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PCC Board of Trustees. During his candidacy, he was asked about his vision for the
college. He responded that he sees PCC as a community college that has a “brand
beyond the district” and “one of first community colleges, it has history and iconic
alumni such as Jackie Robison.” Although, he might not have coined the global vision at
the time of candidacy, his exploration into PCC’s past, present and future ultimately
resulted in the 21
st
century global community college theme. The president believes it is
time for community colleges to “adapt to 21
st
century,” implying this is not a common
occurrence across the system but it is an imperative duty. Once he was hired, he worked
with college marketers and senior administrators to further develop the global vision.
Although the global theme is a permanent part of PCC’s brand, the process of achieving
the vision was only beginning at the time of this writing. The president believes it is the
responsibility of leadership to articulate and lead the vision, but that everyone at the
college, including students, help to define it.
The global community college vision is conceptualized primarily through
academic offerings, student population, and global initiatives. The most established
components of the global community college vision are study abroad, foreign languages,
and international students. The intention of these offerings is to provide an educational
experience for students inside and outside of the classroom environment that will prepare
them for the 21
st
century global job market. Sub-Question B addresses how the
institution’s actors manage these components to achieve the global vision. Curriculum is
another component of the global vision. However, conceptually, it is the least developed
component due in large part to realignment of academic units at PCC, which was in
107
progress at the time of this study. This issue will also be addressed under the response to
Sub-Question B.
In addition to the administrative components that achieve the vision of the global
community college, technology and diversity also emerged as important relevant themes.
Diversity is in reference to the cultural and ethnic make-up of the PCC district and
broader Los Angeles County population. International students also factor into the
diversity theme. The technology theme takes into consideration the ubiquity of web-
based technology and its effects on how students learn and gather information.
Technology is an underdeveloped theme in comparison to the other components of the
global community college concept, but it will be part of the future of the global
community college concept, especially in terms of how curriculum and instruction will be
delivered.
Sections Sub-Questions A and B provide detailed responses as to how key actors
at PCC develop the global vision and manage programs and policies of the major
components global community college vision in order to achieve the institution’s goal.
SUB-QUESTION A: Who are the key actors in the development and
implementation of the global community college vision?

The 21
st
century global community college concept is the vision of the president.
He put forth the goal, and leads key actors at PCC to help define the goal and transform
the institution toward a global and 21
st
century direction. While the vision stems from the
president, the alteration of PCC’s mission and services began with the development of the
college’s EMP prior to the arrival of the president in July 2010. The development and
facilitation of the EMP has been a shared governance process involving administration,
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faculty, and staff in the College Planning and Priorities Committee, the MIG consulting
firm, and members of the PCC community through town hall meetings. These
constituents predate the articulated global vision at PCC; however, their work opened the
opportunity for the president to fully realize a new vision statement for the institution. It
is important to note that regardless of who is officially appointed to lead the global
vision, there will always be input and participation from non-key actors as a result of
shared governance and PCC’s responsibilities to the local community.
The 21
st
century global community college vision started as part of PCC’s
strategic planning process during which members of the College Planning and Priorities
Committee tried to identify what makes PCC unique and how they can steer the
institution to better serve the community, and prepare students for the global economy.
The global community college vision itself was generated by the president, who has the
approval of the Board of Trustees to articulate and develop this vision. In 2010, the
president, as a new leader, started the process of reorganizing the administrative structure
at PCC to meet the institution’s new goals. Subsequently, he hired a new executive team
at PCC that would lead the development and implementation of the global vision and
PCC’s EMP.
The president and his senior administrators are the first tier of key actors who are
responsible for leading and advancing the global vision. The president and senior
administrators communicate the vision and its development to the campus community.
They lead the strategic planning process, approve initiatives, and allocate funding
resources. Most notably, the senior administrator in Educational Services leads the
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college’s strategic planning committee, which is responsible for realignment at PCC. His
division is also responsible for the research and institutional effectiveness initiatives at
PCC that will help open doors for future global initiatives. He also oversees the Study
Abroad Office, and works in partnership with the Vice President of Instruction and
Student and Learning Services to facilitate collaboration for international programs and
develop a new international programs structure at PCC.
The Vice President for Instruction and Student and Learning Services oversees all
of Counseling, Student Affairs, ESL, International Students among other academic and
student life services. At the time of interviews, he was in his position at Vice President
of Student and Learning Services for only six months, and the Vice President of
Instruction position for one month. Similar to the President, he was beginning the
process of identifying how curriculum, services, and outreach can be designed and
managed to prepare students to participate in a global society.
The primary responsibilities of the President and senior administrators are to
design, research, and develop the vision, and organize the institution to facilitate the
vision. In addition to the President and senior administrators, there are other key actors
who contribute significantly to the development of the global community college vision,
especially in terms of managing specific divisions and initiatives. The Dean of
Languages approaches initiatives from a language-centric perspective, and he has a vision
for new study abroad and international exchange initiatives, like the Halmstad University
exchange in Sweden, and Tokushima University initiative in Japan. He also has a vision
for how to internationalize PCC through off-campus initiatives such a satellite campus in
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Beijing, China along with one of his language faculty. The Dean of Counseling
approaches the global vision more from the point of view of academic and service
experiences for international students at PCC with first year programs like F1 Pathways
and identifying housing for international students. The manager of the International
Student Center focuses on providing excellent service to enrolled students, contributing
ideas for the recruitment of international students, and maintaining relationships with
alumni and recruitment agencies. The Dean of Counseling and manager of the
International Student Center are also responsible for creating academic and social
programs that foster interaction between international and domestic students. The
coordinator of Study Abroad is responsible for the daily tasks of making study abroad
happen at PCC.
In addition to the management tier, PCC leadership must seek input and
participation from its campus constituents through the shared governance process. This
process entails the involvement of faculty, staff, deans, students, and even members of
the district community in the strategic planning and decision making processes. The
College and Priorities Committee (CPPC) is one such taskforce responsible for strategic
planning at PCC. While the CPPC is not an internationalization taskforce, it does provide
an opportunity for many members of the campus to come together to discuss the future
direction of PCC, including 5 faculty representatives, 6 staff, 3 students, 4 vice
presidents, and two deans.
In summary, the key actors at PCC are primarily institutional leaders, including
the president/superintendent and senior administrators of educational, instruction, and
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student and learning services. The deans of the divisions of counseling and languages are
also involved in overseeing programs for international students, foreign languages, and
study abroad initiatives. There are also program managers for study abroad and
international students who are responsible for daily tasks that contribute to the overall
vision. In addition to these individual positions, there is a key committee, the CPPC, that
is responsible for the institution’s reorganization process of realignment and general
strategic planning activities.
SUB-QUESTION B: How do key actors structure the institution, and manage
policies, programs, and funding to achieve the global community college vision?

In quantifiable terms, there are essentially five decisive ways that key actors
structure the institution and manage programs to achieve the global community college
vision: through international student recruitment, the expansion and diversification of
study abroad programs and international exchanges, the continuation of foreign language
offerings, organizational and curricular realignment, and integration of all international
programs. In addition to these five strategies, leadership explored other initiatives that
could advance the global vision at PCC. One is to establish a satellite campus in China.
Another strategy is to create a multicultural campus environment that supports and
promotes diversity and cultural exchange. A few key actors, in particular the president,
seek to achieve this goal through the recruitment of faculty, staff, and students from
diverse backgrounds, and to create programs and workshops that foster exchange and
understanding. There is also an interest in pursuing external funds to support their
initiatives and create a more independent financial structure at PCC.
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Of all these initiatives, the most prominent global community college goal is to
expand and diversify the international student population. If achieved, the number of
international students would expand from approximately 1,200 as of spring semester of
2012 to 4,000 with the three years following this study. According to one senior
administrator, in 2012 PCC’s budget was about $21 million less per year than in 2006.
For every 1,000 international students enrolled, PCC receives nearly $4.5 million in net
revenue. Taking that into consideration, with 4,000 enrolled international students, they
would receive a projected and estimated revenue of $18 million which would supplement
the lost public funding. There is significant financial motive to enroll more international
students at PCC, and that is a strong, if not the strongest motive of the global community
college vision.
At the time of this study, PCC’s leadership did not have a clearly articulated plan
on how they would expand the international student population. However, there are
existing relationships and smaller initiatives that will contribute to the overall recruitment
goal. The manager of International Student Center will continue to maintain
relationships with recruitment agencies throughout Asia, the Dean of Languages was in
the process of establishing relationships with university and educational institutes in
Brazil, China, Japan, and Sweden. The Dean of Counseling will redesign and simplify
the online application process for international students. The F1 Pathways program is not
a direct recruitment effort, does add to the overall services provided to international
students at PCC, and creates a welcoming invitation to enroll at PCC.
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In conjunction with the financial incentive and recruitment efforts, there was also
concerted effort by leadership and managers to view international students as more than a
revenue-producing component of the global community college vision. Leaders and
managers strive to create a more meaningful experience not only for the international
students, but for domestic students as well. They offer programs to integrate
international students into campus life and create opportunities for international students
and domestic students to interact through mentorship programs, and cultural events. The
F1 Pathways programs for the 2012-2013 academic year also creates another opportunity
for international and domestic students to take classes together. The intention is to
provide local students, in their own backyard, opportunities to learn about different
perspectives, different cultural norms, and develop a cultural skillset that will serve them
well in a global economy.
The services and initiatives related to international students are scattered
throughout several division including, Counseling, International Student Center, ESL,
and Languages. These programs serve to create a positive experience for international
students at PCC with the hope the message will carry out to, and attract, future students.
The next step for PCC would be to take these basic ideas and themes to create a
comprehensive international education plan. The dissemblance of programs is indicative
of one of the internationalization challenges that PCC leadership try to address. There is
an informal initiative to pull together all of the international programs services and
initiatives under one organizational structure, including international students, study
abroad, and other international initiatives such as the satellite campus.
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As part of an initiative to create a comprehensive international education plan,
senior administrators selected the Dean of Languages to provide leadership and
coordinate the international programs at PCC. Senior administrators at PCC recognize
the importance of creating an organizational structure in order for all international
programs to function as a thematic, cohesive, and effective whole. Organizational and
cultural integration of international programs will be one of the primary methods to
achieving the global vision. At the time of this study, there was no set title for this role or
certainty on exactly how it will fit into the overall organizational structure, but the Dean
confirmed the official announcement of his role. The program integration initiative will
likely take form based on the outcomes of the realignment.
The suggestions that come forth from the realignment discussion will guide the
structure and content of curriculum and academic departments at PCC. Presently,
curriculum is the largest gap in PCC’s global vision achievement. Realignment should,
in part, address this gap. One goal for realignment is to develop a streamlined curriculum
with thematic overlays. To be a global community college initiative, the thematic and
integrated curriculum would need to incorporate global perspectives and technology into
curriculum and instruction. An internationalized curriculum is one of the four significant
ways PCC leadership will achieve the global community college vision. PCC leadership
will need to prioritize the planning and implementation of a new curricular structure and
offerings in order for curriculum to align better with the vision of the global community
college.
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Another one of the most established characteristics of the global community
college vision at PCC are the academic offerings of study abroad and foreign languages.
PCC plans to continue the robust nature of these offerings so that students have the
opportunity to engage in international activities, learn languages, and have a full
understanding of what it means to be a graduate of a global community college.
Historically, PCC encountered obstacles with regard to study abroad offerings;
community concerns, cost factor, fluctuating interest, and transfer and degree completion
requirements. However, PCC has been able to maintain a commitment to study abroad
over the years despite obstacles or changes. In 2012, both leadership and managers
appeared to recognize the importance of the existence and survival of study abroad
programs at PCC.
Most of PCC’s study abroad offerings are in Europe with a few other programs in
North and Central America. Recognizing the geographic and cultural limitations of these
offerings, leadership at PCC seek to achieve the global vision by expanding the location
of study abroad programs outside of Europe to other continental regions such as Asia and
South America. The spring 2012 semester program to Beijing, China demonstrates a
commitment to increase the number of international exchange opportunities to send PCC
students abroad. Although the declining public funding for community colleges may
affect this particular type of academic offering, PCC leadership plan to maintain their
commitment to study abroad and international exchange initiatives by granting whatever
human or financial resources they can toward the programs.
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Foreign languages and English language learning programs are also an important
part of the global community college vision. There are no plans to expand foreign
language offerings at PCC given the already large number of languages available.
Rather, PCC’s leaders seek to maintain the substantive language program in the face of
budgetary challenges in community college. The president, in his articulation of the
global vision, emphasized conversancy and proficiency in more than one language.
Learning languages other than English provides students the opportunity to interact with
students of other languages, and to study abroad in non-English speaking countries and
experience a more immersive time abroad. Furthermore, the Languages division is a hub
of activity for international initiatives. These initiatives include student exchange
programs with Japan, Russia, and Sweden.
In addition to foreign languages, there is a collaborative initiative from the
Languages division ESL faculty to work with the Dean of Counseling to develop for-
profit English language program. Unlike the cultural motivation of the other foreign
languages initiatives, the for-profit intensive English language study program would be
financially beneficial to the institution while simultaneously bringing more international
students to the campus mix. The proposed satellite campus is another initiative led by the
Dean of Languages and one of his faculty. A satellite campus would also serve to
globalize PCC and offer the potential of a study abroad location in China for PCC
students. It may also be the first satellite campus proposed or developed by a community
college.
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Another goal is to establish greater financial independence through external
funding sources such as private gifts, federal, and private grants. PCC’s Foundation
plays a central role in fundraising as do faculty and staff who are encouraged to pursue
grants. However, at the time of this study none of the data demonstrated significant
knowledge about PCC’s external grants with the exception of the Title V HSI grants. In
addition, the findings did not demonstrate a plan to pursue external funds, only a desired
commitment to it. External funding may be a future part of the global community college
goals.
The investment of faculty is another effective strategy of internationalization at
colleges due to the influential role of faculty in curriculum, instruction, and their
interaction with students. Although this particular strategy of internationalization focuses
on faculty, the findings at PCC were also relevant to staff, managers, and administrators
who, similar to faculty, have an important role in campus culture, administration, and
services. Through study abroad programs and international initiatives, faculty can spend
time teaching, researching, and networking overseas, and bring that knowledge back to
campus and to students. Through various funding sources provided by the PCC
Foundation and Board of Trustees, faculty can theoretically propose innovative ideas that
support PCC’s global vision. Through newly updated initiatives such as the College
Global Initiative, PCC faculty and staff can receive on campus education about diversity
and global awareness. Although there are various funding sources and professional
development opportunities available for faculty and staff, they are scattered, not
specifically for internationalization, and not widely known. Faculty and staff
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participation and professional development will be a critical step to infusing the global
vision into all aspects of the college.
Conclusion
The combination of the locally focused mission of community colleges and
declining budget realities in 2012 pose special challenges for internationalization at
community colleges. Four year institutions, in particular private universities, have the
flexibility to establish their own unique vision and dedicate necessary resources to
achieve it. Whereas community colleges must maintain a commitment to their in-district
students and judiciously allocate financial resources primarily derived from state and
local tax funds. Participants in this study were aware of their duty as community college
representatives and also cognizant of these challenges. However, an exploration into this
topic at PCC shows a team of key actors who remain dedicated to developing and
achieving the global vision set forth by the President. A quote by one senior
administrator captures both the determination and challenges well:
Now we’ve got to put meat on those bones. And it’s not something you snap your
fingers and say, we’re there. You’ve got to create that. Especially at a
community college and being a public institution there are just certain liberties
you don’t have and can’t easily do. When the day comes when we finally drive
off this campus for the last time, our reward will be to know that we did what
people said couldn’t be done and we actually turned, not only did we turn the
Queen Mary but we put her on the right course for the future. And that’s a pretty
noble cause if you will.

The findings of this study reveal a clear global theme that builds on a history of
international activities at PCC. The underlying goals of the global vision are to create a
campus culture that fosters an exchange of cultures and ideas, to offer academic and
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educational programs that prepare students for a global society and market, and to secure
the district’s financial state with revenue enhancement programs. The achievement of the
vision and these goals are in the early stages of development. The most successful
components of the global vision are in international students, study abroad, foreign
languages, which all serve as a foundation for the achievement of the global vision. The
international student population is the third largest in the California Community Colleges
(Murphy, 2004). The institution offers the opportunity for students to study abroad,
which is a declining offering in many community colleges. PCC also has a large foreign
language program that lends well to the large study abroad program, and is also home to
nascent international initiatives.
There is more work to be done in terms of defining and pursuing the global
vision. PCC is expected to reorganize its academic units, which will set the stage for how
key actors will manage international programs, in particular international student
recruitment and other international initiatives. Realignment will also bring changes to
curriculum, with potential to incorporate a global theme into curricular offerings. Lastly,
PCC leadership will also need to continually communicate the vision, initiatives, and
related opportunities for professional development and external funding to campus
constituents. More staff and faculty involvement could increase activity in student
services and academic offerings in order to further achieve the global vision. Even
though internationalization is less developed in some areas at PCC, the existing offerings
and articulation of vision serve to support student mobility on a global scale, and cultural
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exchange at a local and global level, and set the institution on a positive path to achieving
the global vision and preparing students for a 21
st
century global world.

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CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION

The purpose of this study is to contribute to an understanding of how community
colleges respond to globalization through the case study of PCC. Furthermore, this study
also sought to examine the internationalization activities of PCC. This section provides a
discussion of this topic by drawing from common themes in literature, followed by
implications, and recommendations for future research.
Synthesizing Results
The literature reviewed in Chapter Two broadly examined the notion of
globalization in relationship to higher education. Specifically, the literature explored the
response of higher education institutions to cultural and economic globalization, and how
this response unfolds in altered institutional practices and policies. The literature also
examined the history and mission of community colleges, and the evolution of the
community college mission and educational offerings.
From their inception, the primary focus of community colleges has been to
provide accessible and affordable post-secondary education to the local population
(Murphy, 2004; Vaughan, 2006; Cohen & Brawer, 2008). More recent literature, such as
Levin’s (2000) study of Pacific-Rim community colleges, suggests there is a shift in
community college mission and services away from a local-serving institution toward a
global market orientation. Similarly, Raby & Valeau (2007) and Zeszotarski (2001)
asserted that community college leaders in the 1990s discussed the possibility of adding
global themes to their mission statement. The findings at PCC support the hypothesis
that there is a change in organizational behavior and practice at community colleges in
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response to globalization. This change is demonstrated by the initiatives at PCC that
prioritize international programs such as study abroad, international students, and foreign
languages. The shift is also evidenced by value-based comments from the majority of
participants who expressed the importance of preparing students for a global marketplace,
and a culturally diverse and interconnected world. Most significantly, the motto of
“proud past, global future” and tagline of “a global community college for the 21
st

century” set a globally-oriented direction for PCC.
Most of the literature on the topic of globalization, internationalization and higher
education emphasized changes and motivations at four-year institutions, while a few
studies such as Levin’s (2001) and Raby & Valeau (2007) provided insight on
community colleges. Despite a gap in literature on community colleges, the findings of
this study did not show a significant difference in internationalization activities between
community colleges and four-year institutions. Armstrong (2007), in reference to four-
year institutions, asserts that most universities engage in a longstanding “hub and spoke”
model of internationalization through programs that send students or faculty overseas and
recruit international students to campus (p.132). These internationalization programs
include study abroad, recruitment of international students, an internationalized
curriculum, foreign language study, and faculty exchange. Internationalization at PCC
mostly takes the form of this older type of internationalization prevalent for many
decades, in particular with their study abroad offerings, a renewed focus on the
recruitment of international students, and a strong foreign languages division (Armstrong,
2010).
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As discussed in Chapter Four, PCC leadership strongly value knowledge of a
second language, and offer eleven foreign languages for credit and transfer. The
substantial foreign language offerings at PCC are particularly strong in comparison to
national data which demonstrates that very few community colleges emphasize foreign
language learning (Siya & Green, 2005). An average of almost three (2.7) foreign
languages were taught at community colleges, and almost no community colleges had
foreign language requirement (Siya & Green, 2005). Unlike foreign languages, PCC
does not have strong offerings in the areas of faculty exchange or an internationalized
curriculum, but they have a goal to develop the latter, and faculty have an opportunity to
teach abroad.
More comprehensive practices of internationalization include an articulation of
the institution’s commitment through its mission statement, strategic planning, and
written documents (Qiang, 2003; Raby & Valeau, 2007). In the case of PCC, the
Educational Master Plan clearly sets the institution’s vision statement of a global
community college. This document guides the strategic planning process of the
institution. Armstrong (2007) presented another method of internationalization through
which universities expand their services worldwide by way of twinning, franchising, or
satellite campuses in other countries. Most of these methods are revenue producing, and
the literature only presented examples of four-year universities engaged in this modular
model of internationalization.
Unexpectedly, leadership at PCC have an initiative to create an off-shore campus
site in Beijing, China, that would be a mix of a satellite campus and twinning program
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wherein international students could take courses at the satellite campus, complete a
portion of the degree or certificate program overseas, and complete the rest of the
program of study at PCC. The long-term vision for the satellite campus is to provide a
location for PCC students to study abroad in China. The proposed satellite campus could
be one of the first examples of an off-shore campus initiative at a community college.
This approach to global engagement is more consistent with current approaches to
internationalization at leading four-year universities (Armstrong, 2007; Wildavsky,
2010).
According to Qiang (2003) and Raby & Valeau (2007), the most common
motivations to internationalize are for economic, political, and cultural reasons. The
present study shows strong motivation to internationalize at PCC for economic rationales.
As noted in Chapter Four, international students are an important source of revenue for
the district. Leadership seek to increase the number of international students both in
traditional programs such as the transfer pathway, and through non-traditional revenue-
based programs such as an intensive English language program and satellite campus
enrollment. PCC’s leadership also recognize the importance of preparing students to
work, interact, and communicate in a global marketplace. International programs of
study abroad and foreign languages are some of the academic offerings they believe can
help students prepare for a global marketplace. The cultural motivation at PCC is also
significant as demonstrated by participant comments on the importance of intercultural
competency. The political motivation is the least prominent of the rationales; however,
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there is a goal to be less reliant on the State of California for funds, which also relates
back to the economic motivation to internationalize.
Overall, the findings of this study show that the internationalization activities at
PCC are similar to those of four-year universities, both in terms of campus-based
programs and policies, and off-campus initiatives. The study also illuminates similar
motivations to internationalization between four-year institutions at community colleges,
in particular for revenue benefits, and to prepare students for a global economy
(Wildavsky, 2010). This study may also be generalized to note a few differences
between community colleges and four-year universities. The difference is not in the
activities themselves, rather in the organizational approach to internationalization, in
particular with respect to mission, finance, and shared governance.
Based on their historical, locally-oriented missions, community colleges must
retain their commitment and service to the community. This commitment puts into
question the extent to which community colleges may internationalize. As noted in
Chapter Four, the Educational Master Plan at PCC appears to set forth two disparate
plans; one that focuses on the local in-district students, and the other that sets forth a
global vision. These plans intersect at points, such as through activities that promote
interaction between in-district and international students on-campus. However, the
institution has not forged an identity that fully merges the local and global initiatives that
otherwise appear to run parallel to one another. In this respect, community colleges that
seek to internationalize may struggle with deviating from a locally-focused mission as
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they pursue internationalization methods that closely resemble the activities of four-year
institutions.
Community colleges and four-year universities have similar economic, revenue-
based, motives to internationalize. For community colleges in California, the motive to
seek revenue from out-of-district resources is strongly related to the community college
system’s financial dependence in the State of California. Community colleges in
California receive over half of their revenue from the general fund of California (Murphy,
2004). Since 2008, the State has cut approximately $809 million to the California
Community Colleges, causing reduced course offerings, faculty and staff layoffs, and
increased class sizes (CCCKF, 2012). During these budget reductions, PCC lost a total
of $21 million in revenue, as stated by administrators at PCC. The enrollment of
international students will in large part compensate for the financial loss from the state.
The college can allocate the international student revenue, which remains in-district
unlike local student fees, to continually serve their mission without significant financial
interruptions. The financial structure of the California community colleges system
inadvertently incentivizes the enrollment of international students and diverts some of the
institutional focus away from district students to a wider population. This financial
complexity brings to question whether community colleges in California would choose to
internationalize beyond campus offerings of study abroad and foreign languages to bring
international students on campus and develop a satellite campus if they had a sound fiscal
and policy relationship with the state.
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Lastly, community colleges are noted for their shared governance structure, in
which faculty and staff have a strong voice in the leadership and management of the
institution, and student and community input are also taken into account (Vaughan,
2006). Significant transformations to an institution’s structure and mission often do no
occur unilaterally or exclusively by way of leadership. The implications of shared
governance were notable at PCC where leadership held town hall meetings as part of
developing a new master plan, and relied on a shared governance committee to make
recommendations for the reorganization of academic units and the curriculum. The full
effect of shared governance on internationalization is unknown, and likely depends on
many factors including organizational culture, and personnel support of global initiatives.
However, in order to effect major change and achieve a new vision, leadership must
participate in the established shared governance process as demonstrated by PCC.
Mission, finance, and shared governance individually are not factors exclusive to
community colleges. However, it is the totality of the differences that set community
colleges apart from four-year institutions in terms of internationalization. These
differences could help regulate the financial allocations, academic offerings, student
services, and student recruitment activities of community colleges to ensure they
maintain their service to the public. Simultaneously, these differences could hinder
community colleges from quickly adapting to contemporary needs of society.
Implications for Practice
Studies from 1990- 2001 indicate a cultural and organizational response to
globalization among community colleges (Levin, 2000, 2001; Zeszotarski 2001).
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However, these studies do not provide a definition of community colleges as global
institutions. This study provides a useful beginning to understanding how individual
community colleges respond to cultural and economic globalization, and to identify the
methods of internationalization at individual community colleges.
The study at PCC adds a new dimension to research on globalization and
community colleges, in that the researcher examined an institution where leadership
deliberately conceptualize the college as global and actively seek to achieve this vision
through a full transformation of the institution and its culture. This launch into
comprehensive internationalization could have broad implications for practitioners and
researchers.
The study is particularly beneficial to presidents, and academic and student
service administrators who want to create and implement a new globalized vision
statement, while maintaining a commitment to the local community. The transformation
at PCC is incomplete; however, the institution has strong offerings in foreign languages
and study abroad, and many emerging international initiatives that are not commonly
found at other community colleges. These could be useful examples of how to
incorporate international opportunities or perspectives into the general education
curriculum of a community college without causing delays to graduation or appropriating
resources from community college programs that support educational access, equity, or
transfer.
The Internationalization Index was a beneficial tool to examine comprehensive
internationalization at PCC, and could be utilized for similar studies in the future. The
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six dimensions and related characteristics served as a guide to the researcher to observe,
collect, and analyze data from a wide range of academic programs, student services,
community systems, student populations, and funding sources. The Index was useful for
organizing and analyzing both document and interview data. However, the Index was
limited in that it did not account for all aspects of the global vision at PCC, which
included diversity and technology.
PCC appears to be the first community college seeking to establish a satellite
campus in another country. Depending on its success, this initiative may serve as a
prototype for community college satellite campuses. There are questions of feasibility,
cost, and possible drawbacks to creating a satellite campus for an institution that has a
mission to serve the local community. The same concerns apply to the expansion of the
international student population on campus. This study may serve as a basis to further
explore the impact of these global initiatives students, faculty, and the institution as a
whole, especially with attention to mission and finance.
Internationalization at community colleges is a complex issue when taking into
consideration their local mission, financial structure, and the influence of shared
governance. Further research is required to understand the effect of these factors on
community college internationalization, in particular with respect to feasibility and future
models of internationalization at community colleges.
Lastly, PCC is known for its strong academic and transfer programs, which sets
the institution apart from other community colleges that may emphasize vocational
programs or do not have similar financial or academic resources. When examining PCC
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as a model for internationalization, practitioners, and researchers must take into account
the college’s institutional focus, achievements, and resources.
Recommendations for Research
As indicated by the literature and findings, the global community college concept
is relatively unexplored and warrants further research to understand how it will take
shape and how it will affect academic and financial affairs, student learning outcomes,
and the mission of community colleges. The recommended research in this section could
serve as a springboard for further study on the implications of establishing and executing
a globalized vision for community colleges.
At the time of this study, PCC’s leadership were exploring over twenty different
international initiatives, which were not available to the researcher. A study on these
initiatives could contribute to a more conclusive understanding of how key actors at PCC
will continue to achieve the global community college vision. A follow-up study on the
progress of the satellite campus could provide similar insight. Researchers can draw on
these findings to contribute to the discussion on the broader topic of institutional mission
and activities of community colleges in the context of globalization.
Similarly, a follow-up study on the process of realignment at PCC could provide
clarification on how and why it is a global community college initiative. Specifically, a
longitudinal analysis that follows the process of realignment and how it will change the
organization and delivery of curriculum could be beneficial to leaders at community
colleges who seek to internationalize their curriculum.
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This study focused primarily on the perspective and activities of leaders,
managers, and faculty at PCC. The study could be expanded to a larger sample that
includes the perspective and experiences of students as part of the global community
college vision. The findings can enable researchers and practitioners to understand how a
globalized vision and practices can affect or benefit local students.
Finally, there is one important theme for study that was not presented in Chapter
Four, but could transform the future of community college services. On December 29,
2011 the Student Success Task Force (SSTF) of the California Community Colleges
published a report of twenty two recommendations for community colleges that
essentially shifts the focus of community colleges away from access toward certificate,
transfer or degree completion (SSTF, 2011). The SSTF emerged from concerns about
fiscal reality and efficiency at community colleges, in particular low degree and transfer
completion rates. The SSTF emerged as an important topic of discussion during
interviews, but it did not fit into the Internationalization Index framework or the theme of
the global community college. Two senior administrators stated that PCC’s master plan
aligns well with the SSTF recommendations, which positions PCC a step ahead of other
community college in terms of degree and transfer completion initiatives. A future study
could compare the recommendations of the EMP to the signature goals of the EMP, and
examine how this relates to the concept of a 21st century global community college.
Conclusion
Globalization defines and affects elements of the 21st century world through
cultural, economic, political, and technological domains. In response, many higher
132
education institutions alter their mission, practices, and organizational structure to meet
market demands and prepare students for a more integrated and interactive economy and
culture. Four-year higher education institutions have taken the lead in responding to
globalization. However, since the 1990s community colleges have undergone changes
that resemble internationalization efforts at four-year institutions. PCC is one such public
two-year community college where leadership recognized a need and opportunity for
change.
PCC’s approach to change reflects comprehensive internationalization, a process
which integrates policy with practice. The global vision is part of the master plan,
mission, and motto of the institution. Leadership at PCC have a vision to globalize the
institution through academic offerings, international student enrollment, hiring and
training of employees, and expansion of international initiatives, including an off-campus
site. PCC also faces challenges that are particular to community colleges, including the
fiscal and policy relationship with the state, their historical role in providing accessible
education to the community, and the inclusiveness of their governance process.
Globalization has changed higher education practices, as has decreased public
funding of education. If this trend continues, there may be greater pressure upon other
community colleges to revisit their mission, change, adapt, and internationalize. The
goals, initiatives, and challenges of achieving the global institution vision at PCC provide
a rich setting to help understand the creation and achievement of a global community
college vision. This study also provides a foundation to explore future implications for
global community colleges in the United States.
133
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137
APPENDIX

International Student Data
Provided by: International Student Office, Pasadena City College
Students Nationality Comparison Report from Spring 2011 to Spring 2012
February 23, 2012

Top Eleven Seeding Countries
Spring 2011 Fall 2011 Spring 2012
395 China 382 China 457 China
159 South
Korea
142 South
Korea
165 South Korea
118 Indonesia 116 Indonesia 139 Indonesia
75 Hong Kong 64 Hong
Kong
77 Hong Kong
64 Vietnam 58 Vietnam 61 Vietnam
52 Taiwan 51 Taiwan 54 Japan
54 Japan 45 Japan 52 Taiwan
19 Philippines 12 Canada 14 Philippines
11 Canada 11 Philippines 17 United Kingdom
10 Malaysia 9 Mexico 10 Canada
8 United
Kingdom
9 United
Kingdom
10 Malaysia
965 899 1056 Total Students from top ten
countries
1074 1025 1180 Total Students enrolled
89.85% 87.71% 89.49% % of Total Students from top
countries

• This report displays the data for international students based off of nationality
• The first table presents the top eleven seeding schools from Spring 2011 to Spring
2012.
• China is the main seeder for international students and will likely to remain so in the
near future.

Abstract (if available)

Abstract Higher education institutions worldwide seek ways to adapt to the unique demands of the 21st century global economy through their mission statement, policies,and services. The scholarly focus on global institutions is often on four-year-institutions. However, Pasadena City College is a case of a community college that seeks to retool their institution in the context of cultural and economic globalization. This case study examined the global community college vision of Pasadena City College in order to analyze how key actors at the institution conceptualize and seek to achieve the vision through their policies, practices, and funding. A mixed methods qualitative approach, including interviews and document analysis, was conducted to identify common methods and key internationalization themes of the global community college vision. This study analyzed the practices and perceptions of 13 institutional leaders, managers, and faculty through the lens of the Internationalization Index framework produced by the American Council on Education. The interviews focused on questions related to vision statement, strategic planning, funding, international students, and academic offerings of study abroad, foreign languages, and courses with an international focus. Overall, the findings indicate strong economic, academic, and cultural motivations to internationalize in response to globalization. The findings also highlight similarities and differences to internationalization between community colleges and four-year institutions. This study provides a basis to explore mission and funding implications for community colleges that seek to internationalize.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Malek, Noosha Ghandkhar (author)

Core Title The conceptualization and development of a global community college: a case study examining the perspective and roles of Pasadena City College leadership and management

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education (Leadership)

Publication Date 08/13/2012

Defense Date 06/06/2012

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag community college administration,Community colleges,global,Globalization,Higher education,international education,international students,internationalization,leadership,OAI-PMH Harvest,strategic planning,study abroad.

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Diamond, Michael A. (committee chair), Robison, Mark Power (committee chair), Melguizo, Tatiana (committee member)

Creator Email nmalek@usc.edu,noosha.malek@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c3-89884

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Legacy Identifier etd-MalekNoosh-1152.pdf

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Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

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