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An institution's global engagement and its connection with the surrounding community: a case study

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An institution's global engagement and its connection with the surrounding community: a case study

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Content AN INSTITUTION’S GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT AND ITS CONNECTION WITH
THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY:
A CASE STUDY
by
Ryan C. Hubbard

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 Ryan C. Hubbard

ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who made this journey
possible. I would first like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for guiding me
through life’s journey by providing me with faith, hope, and love. Without those three
things, this dissertation would not have occurred.
This dissertation would not be possible without my late mother, Cheryl Hubbard,
who provided me with a role model as a teacher, as she was dedicated to education and to
making a difference in the lives of others. Her life lessons will never be forgotten.
I want to especially thank my wife and best friend, Shelly, for her love, patience,
encouragement, and gentle nudges to my back to keep me moving forward. A special
thank you also goes out to my daughter, Maddy, who is one of my main sources of
inspiration as I want to do my part to make the world a better place for her and to show
her that anything is possible. My father, Ronald Hubbard, deserves special recognition as
he has been a constant source of encouragement during this journey and long ago laid the
seeds for my pursuit of a doctoral degree and taught me to always stay “inside the
triangle”. An additional special thanks goes out to my sister, Kelly Hubbard-Johnson,
who has always had my back and has shown me how to overcome any and all obstacles
through sheer determination and force of will.
I humbly thank the rest of my family members on both sides as everyone has
influenced me in their own ways. I want to express my love and respect for my
grandmother, Jane Conklin, and my late grandfather, Theodore Conklin, who always
offered me unconditional love and support and makes me strive to “be good”.

iii
Special thanks are owed to my dissertation co-chairs, Dr. Mark Power Robison
and Dr. Michael A. Diamond. Thank you for being great mentors, a source of inspiration
through your sharing of knowledge and experiences, and for your guidance and honest,
constructive feedback. I appreciate all that you have done for me in providing the
freedom to pursue my own research interests and opening my mind to new possibilities. I
want to thank the third member of my dissertation committee, Dr. Anne Larson, for being
a mentor and colleague as well as believing in me and providing me with the opportunity
to teach an experiential learning course. Teaching that course was the inspiration for this
dissertation and without that opportunity and experience, this dissertation topic would not
have been chosen.
I would like to thank Northeastern University for participating in this study.
Thank you to Cynthia Sweet and Kristen Simonelli Doggett for providing me the
necessary assistance to make the visit to Northeastern and for providing me with such
exceptional access to all of their connections. I would like to thank the staff, faculty,
students, and alumni for their time, insights, and willingness in being a part of this case
study. The interviews and conversations were compelling and inspiring.
Lastly, I would like to thank my colleagues and students at Cal State L.A. My
colleagues inspired me to pursue excellence on a daily basis and taught me that college
professors are fun! My students inspired me with their stories and persistence in pursuing
their education. I am proud to have shared a classroom with all of you.

iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ii
Abstract v
Chapter I: Introduction of the Problem 1
Chapter II: Literature Review 19
Figure 1 42

Chapter III: Research Methodology 47
Table 1 52
Chapter IV: Findings 61
Chapter V: Discussion 102
References 122

v

ABSTRACT
The forces of globalization stimulate many structural and cultural changes in
higher education, and one of the major changes occurs through transforming the
curriculum to prepare students to meet the demands of a global society. Experiential
learning is one way to internationalize an institution’s curriculum, and cooperative
education in particular integrates learning experiences in academic settings with
workplace settings to develop a variety of critical skills.
This dissertation examined the extent to which an institution's global or
international programs connect with its surrounding community through a case study of
Northeastern University. Marginson and Rhodes’ (2002) glonacal agency heuristic
served as a framework to examine the perceived benefits of the co-op program and the
connections it forges with the community.
The principal finding from the analysis of interviews, documents, and other
materials was that Northeastern’s global engagement, in the form of its co-op program,
created connections with its surrounding community through the students’ actions in the
form of working or volunteering for a local business or organization related to their
international co-op experiences. The existence of Northeastern’s co-op program, its
commitment to internationalizing its campus, and its growing material resources help
provide the opportunity for students to engage in international experiential learning to
make these connections. Faculty and staff encouraged and supported this process
through their belief and promotion of these international programs.

1
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION OF THE PROBLEM
The forces of globalization push higher education to be more involved in
international affairs (Altbach & Knight, 2007). As globalization has increased
connectedness among people and nations and led to the rise of the "knowledge society",
there has been an increased investment in higher education. With knowledge being a
commodity, institutions of higher education are in position to use the forces of
globalization on their campuses to create connectedness amongst the various countries
and societies (Altbach & Knight, 2007; Burnett & Huisman, 2009; Chan, 2004). Higher
education's response to globalization is through the internationalization of colleges and
universities (Chan, 2004). The internationalization of an institution requires many
structural and cultural changes, and one of the major changes occurs through
transforming the curriculum to prepare students to meet the demands of a global society.
Experiential learning is one way to internationalize an institution’s curriculum. In
experiential learning, knowledge is created through one’s experience (Kolb & Kolb,
2005). Knowledge comes from the transforming experience and understanding of that
experience. Cooperative education integrates learning experiences in academic settings
with workplace settings to develop vigorous learning that is applicable in those settings
(Billett, 2007; Eames & Coll, 2010).
This dissertation examined the extent to which an institution's global or
international programs connect with its surrounding community. A case study using
Northeastern University, located in Boston, Massachusetts, elucidated how this global

2
university's experiential learning program, in the form of cooperative education program,
created connections with its surrounding community.
Background of the Problem
The globalization of higher education has created many challenges for
institutions. While colleges and universities are expected to educate large portions of the
population, they are also challenged by the notion that many local and regional
developments are due to the effects of globalization. Knowing this, institutions need to
interact with their local communities to foster high quality innovations at the international
level (Ahola, 2005). Many institutions are affected by the amount of human capital
available in a given area. While many institutions may have a grasp of the impact their
programs have on the community, the globalization of higher education creates the need
for these institutions to understand their environment and create programs that match the
needs of the region. By understanding the human capital available within their local
environment, institutions can help produce students with the qualifications and skills to
match the needs of the area to assist in regional development.
Northeastern University, a private university established in 1898 in Boston,
Massachusetts, touts itself as a global, experiential, urban research university that serves
almost 20,000 students and has over 1,000 faculty (Northeastern at a Glance, 2011).
Northeastern has 94 undergraduate programs and 169 graduate programs. Northeastern's
signature program is its co-op (short for "cooperative education") program and it has been
in existence for over 100 years. The co-op attempts to prepare students for the global
challenges they will face in the 21
st
century (Northeastern: Experiential Learning, 2011).
Northeastern also provides students with the opportunity to engage in other experiential

3
learning programs that span the globe. It is a requirement of all undergraduates to
participate in an experiential learning opportunity directed at expanding their knowledge
and understanding of the career paths and applications in their chosen field. Aside from
participation in co-ops, students may pursue experiential learning opportunities in service
learning, research, study abroad, and internships.
The mission of Northeastern University is two-fold: 1.) "To educate students for
a life of fulfillment and accomplishment." and 2.) "To create and translate knowledge to
meet global and societal needs" (Northeastern at a Glance, 2011). The co-op program is
in alignment with this mission as it strives to offer students with experiences that will
help them develop various skills and confidence in their ability to use their knowledge
and skills both domestically and abroad (Northeastern: Experiential Learning, 2011).
The co-op is an educational program where students alternate semesters of academic
study with semesters of full-time employment in jobs that are related to either academic
or career interests. While the co-op program is not a requirement for graduation, 90%
participate in a co-op program before they graduate and approximately 6,000 students
participate at some point during each academic year. Most students begin their first co-
op experience during the spring semester of their sophomore year or during the summer
after their sophomore year.
Beyond the co-op program, Northeastern University offers a variety of
opportunities for its students to engage in experiential learning. One program that offers
experiential learning in alignment with the Northeastern's ethical mission of meeting
global and societal needs is service learning. The service-learning opportunity is "a form
of experiential learning involving partnerships between faculty-led academic courses and

4
community-based organizations" (Northeastern: Service Learning, 2011). Through these
partnerships, students apply course concepts while engaging in service that addresses the
needs of the community. Some of the possible benefits for students who engage in
service learning include increased skills in relevant areas of interest, expanding
knowledge, and being more socially aware.
Northeastern University provides a plethora of co-op programs and service-
learning programs in and around the city of Boston. Northeastern reportedly has
partnerships with 200 community-service organizations in Boston as well as an estimated
$370 million economic impact on Boston, whether it be directly or indirectly
(Northeastern at a Glance, 2011). However, Northeastern offers global learning
experiences as well. In the 2010-2011 academic year, students had the opportunity to
engage in experiential learning opportunities that covered 171 cities in 85 countries, with
co-op positions in 69 countries (Northeastern: Experiential Learning, 2011).
Furthermore, 4,490 students applied for experiential learning in 2011 and international
applications have risen by 145% since 2006 (Northeastern at a Glance, 2011).
Northeastern is an institution that appears to have aligned its mission with its experiential
learning programs to provide opportunities locally and globally.
One of the main reasons for choosing Northeastern University for the case study
is due to its perceived internationalization. Qiang (2003) identified various
organizational and academic elements of internationalization deemed important to the
internationalization process for institutes of higher education. To further the discussion
of Northeastern as a case study, the remainder of this introduction will look into how
institutions of higher education can serve their surrounding communities through

5
globalization and internationalization and how globalization and internationalization
affect higher education. Qiang (2003) stated, “Internationalization must be entrenched in
culture, policy, planning and organizational process of the institution so that it can be
both successful and sustainable” (p. 258). The organizational and academic/program
elements speak of a certain mission and culture that need to be pervasive in institutions to
be global. The mission and culture of an institution have an effect on the curriculum and
that is reflected in the academic/program elements in Qiang’s article. Furthermore, in the
summary of academic/program elements of internationalization, there are direct links to
local engagement in the extra-curricular activities and external relations and services
section. This provides some evidence of the possible benefits a global university can
provide to its surrounding community. Northeastern’s mission and curriculum appear to
demonstrate elements of internationalization that will allow a case study to demonstrate
the connection of its global engagement, in the form of its co-op program, with the
surrounding community.
Serving the Surrounding Community through Globalization and
Internationalization
Institutions of higher education need to interact with their surrounding
communities to create activities that bridge the local to the global. Historically speaking,
the founding of an institution would signify heightened activities and new resources to an
area (Ahola, 2005). As globalization has led to the rise of a knowledge-based society, so
have the expectations of higher education to educate larger sections of the population. In
response to globalization, institutions of higher education are charged with creating ways
to interact with their surrounding community to produce activities and innovations that

6
are rich in international quality (Ahola, 2005). Challenges may arise that prevent
institutions from meeting the needs of its surrounding community. These challenges
include the limitation of human capital in a particular area and the continuing dearth of
resources, especially financial, for many state institutions. However, institutions of
higher education are positioned to attract partners from various sectors as they are seen as
major employers that affect neighborhoods and economies (Lambert, 2008). Institutions
also benefit from the goodwill they create through programs and studies that create
opportunities that promote cultural and international understanding.
Cooperative education helps to promote cultural and international understanding
through experience and reflection (Eames & Coll, 2010). However, cooperative
education experiences need to be able to connect local practices to global settings in order
to help develop the needs of an area. This can be a challenging prospect as many
institutions, including many of America's top institutions, reside in areas that are severely
economically depressed (Battistoni, Longo, & Jayanandhan, 2009). It may be difficult
for many communities to imagine a global society when their local society has fallen on
hard times. This is an area where institutions can use Northeastern University's unique
and varying experiential learning programs to promote local understanding of global
activities. This dissertation serves to understand and analyze these interactions.
Northeastern University's co-op is an example of a program that has the ability to
benefit all parties involved in the experience. Through Northeastern's extensive network
of community-service organizations, students gain knowledge and experience from their
employment in the co-op, while local businesses may also benefit from students who
have prior international experience from the co-op program. Additionally, local

7
employers who hire Northeastern graduates may benefit from the experiences of these
graduates. The knowledge and skills that these students acquired through the experiences
while at Northeastern could greatly impact those employers in multiple ways.
Furthermore, many of the same benefits that could materialize through student
experiences in the co-op program could also apply to students who participate in service
learning. The international experience gained by students who participate in a global co-
op or service-learning program could benefit the community itself through interactions
with local schools, neighborhood agencies, nonprofit organizations, and others by
bringing an international perspective and knowledge of what is occurring across the
globe.
Students who participate in service learning at the local level may encounter
conflicts that may arise from the differences between global principles and local customs
(Battistoni et al., 2009). Examples of these conflicts include different views of women's
rights and children's rights on the international scale as compared to local beliefs on such
topics. Service learning provides an opportunity for students to better understand these
contrasting views. While students can engage in service learning that centers on local
context, international service learning provides students with the opportunity to connect
the local to the global. This is achieved by students taking part in an organized trip
abroad that has them living with a family in a local community in a culture different from
their own (Grusky, 2000).
Much like a local service learning experience, an international service learning
experience requires coordination between the students, faculty, and the local
organizations that serve as community partners. Faculty are charged with providing

8
experiences that are academically rigorous, creating learning outcomes for the
experience, providing learning strategies that benefit the community as well as the
students, and connecting the students' learning in the community with learning in the
classroom. Also, faculty interacts with local organizations to understand the various
needs of the organizations as it relates to the service that the students will supply. The
local organizations are the ones that identified a need within that given community and
took action to assist and affect change within the community. The coordination of these
various groups and individuals comes together as students serve the community by
working in a local organization that permits them to be part of a cultural exchange and to
be part of a reality that may be much different from their own. The lessons learned from
serving communities abroad may relate to students serving local communities around
their institution by working with local organizations to identify needs with these
communities.
Effect of Globalization and Internationalization on Higher Education
Institutions of higher education have changed the way they operate to meet the
demands of globalization. The internationalization of an institution will most likely
result in the transformation of an institution in regards to its mission statement,
organizational structure, and curriculum.
The recognition of the importance of international education must be present in an
institution’s mission statement if that institution is to internationalize its campus (Green,
2005; Rodenberg, 2010). The second part of Northeastern University's mission- "To
create and translate knowledge to meet global and societal needs" (Northeastern at a
Glance, 2011)-targets international education. Another phrase that ties into this part of

9
the mission states that Northeastern has "a world-based approach to education and
research" (Northeastern at a Glance, 2011). A mission statement that demonstrates
involvement with local, regional, and state agencies to assist in attracting international
businesses furthers the cause for internationalization. Furthermore, an institution that
emphasizes international education will also engage in activities that enhance
internationalization on the campus, such as internationalizing the curriculum and
recruiting international students (Green, 2005). Northeastern's mission of trying to meet
global and societal needs demonstrates involvement with agencies at various levels while
its broad range of experiential learning opportunities signifies that it has attracted
international businesses. Also, Northeastern encourages its students to be flexible about
the location of their experiential learning in order to take advantage of gaining multiple
perspectives and to see the world. International students make up approximately 15% of
NU's student population and come from 125 different countries (Northeastern at a
Glance, 2011).
While the structure of institutions of higher education, such as institutional
policies, practices, and traditions, may impede the process of internationalization,
leadership at various levels of an institution as well as its commitment to
internationalization by way of resource allocation can drive an institution towards
internationalization. Leadership from the president and provost, as well as from other top
officials that stresses the importance of internationalization through their words and
actions can create structural change (Green, 2005). The President of Northeastern
University, Joseph E. Aoun, is an example of a leader who stresses the importance of
internationalization in word and action. Since his hiring as president in 2006, he has

10
enhanced the co-op program by providing more global opportunities (Northeastern
University: Office of the President, 2011). He has also aligned the University's research
with three global imperatives- health, security, and sustainability- and has taken the lead
in multiple international collaborations. Institutions that are invested in
internationalization tend to demonstrate that investment in the form of resource
allocation. Having physical space, such as buildings, and using human resources, such as
committees and staff, specifically for international education reflects an investment in
internationalization (Green, 2005). External funding for international education is
another structure that significantly leads to internationalization of a campus.
An institution must look beyond international activities that only serve the few
and create a curriculum that serves the masses by intentionally creating options that
attract both local and international students and by providing students with learning
experiences to create and enhance skills necessary for working in a global society
(McBurnie, 2010). The creation of an internationalized curriculum needs to look at all
aspects of the teacher-student relationship to find areas where innovation can take place
to prepare students to prosper in a global society. While selecting content that focuses on
international education is vital to the creation of internationalized curriculum, developing
objectives that use intercultural knowledge and having learning opportunities that focus
on those objectives are equally vital (Svensson & Wihlborg, 2010).
Curriculum change can be difficult as people at various levels in higher education
may be resistant to change (Leask, 2009). However, creating an internationalized
curriculum requires innovation and evolution to meet the needs of students preparing to
be citizens in a global society. A persistent focus on learning processes, pedagogy,

11
course content, and student achievement and outcomes will be needed to produce the
necessary changes to internationalize curriculum. Several ways in which an institution
can internationalize its curriculum include requiring international content in general
education classes as well as various degree programs with international focus, having a
foreign language requirement, and providing study abroad or similar activities to the vast
majority of degree programs (Rodenberg, 2010).
Statement of the Problem
As government and various sectors of society ask institutions of higher education
for increased accountability in quality of the education it provides, institutions of higher
education need to demonstrate how their programs benefit their students and society.
Responding to the demands of globalization through the internationalization of an
institution may provide the type of benefits necessary to demonstrate accountability. At a
time in the United State's history when the economy is down and the cost of attending
institutions of higher education continue to rise, the internationalization of an institution
through activities that involve community engagement and demonstrate value in the form
of local employment opportunities as well as improved economic conditions may harness
goodwill from those asking for greater accountability.
While there is ample research on how institutions provide programming that
focuses on community engagement, there is a lack of research defining an institution's
connection with its surrounding community. There is also a lack of understanding of
how global programs operate on a local level and the connections these programs have at
a local level. This study examined the roles of the staff, faculty, and students at

12
Northeastern University and how the university's international experiential learning
opportunities connect with its surrounding communities.
Purpose of the Study
Northeastern University regards experiential learning as the integration of
rigorous classroom study combined with real-world experiences (Northeastern:
Experiential Learning, 2011). At Northeastern, experiential learning takes place through
professional co-op placements, study abroad, service learning, and international research
opportunities. With 90% of the students engaging in the co-op program, this program
provides the best means of gauging the potential connection that Northeastern’s global
programs have with its surrounding community.
Northeastern University defines cooperative education as “an educational
program in which students alternate periods of academic study in the classroom with
periods of employment in positions related to their academic and/or career interests”
(Northeastern: Experiential Learning, 2011). Students involved in the co-op program
alternate semesters of academic study with semesters of full-time employment. These
positions are related to academic and career interests. With the international co-op
offering positions in 69 countries, the co-op program at Northeastern offers a great
opportunity to look at the university’s global engagement (Northeastern at a Glance,
2011). For the purposes of this case study the terms international co-op and co-op are
used interchangeably. The reason for using these two terms to mean the same thing is
due to the fact the international co-op is housed in the co-op program, so it could be
construed that the Northeastern’s co-op program has a global component. While
Northeastern touts its global reach and local urban engagement through experiential

13
learning, there is a stated connection between global and local activities. The purpose of
this study was to determine the extent to which NU's global or international programs
connect with its surrounding community. This study examined the international co-op
program to determine the demonstrable connections with global university's neighboring
community as well as the factors responsible for the various connections.
Research Questions
1. OVERARCHING QUESTION: How does Northeastern University's global
engagement, in the form of its co-op program, create connections with its surrounding
community?
A. SUB-QUESTION: How do agents--the staff, faculty, and students involved in
the international co-op--perceive the potential benefits of the co-op program?
B. SUB-QUESTION: How do agents—the staff, faculty, and students involved
in the international co-op --perceive the potential connections of the co-op
with the surrounding community?
Significance of the Study
As institutions of higher education have come under greater scrutiny regarding the
value of their programs, examining Northeastern University’s co-op program and how it
may connect with the surrounding community could potentially provide evidence to
support such programs. The globalization of higher education has created pressure for
institutions to produce high quality products and innovations in order to succeed in the
international marketplace (Ahola, 2005). Currently, many institutions are faced with
reduced budgets, furthering the need to secure resources. This can be achieved through
co-operation, networking, and mergers. Colleges and universities make for attractive

14
partners because they are major employers and have the opportunity to impact local,
state, and national economies (Lambert, 2008). The ability of an institution to have
programs and studies of exchange create opportunities to forge and sustain off-campus
relationships.
As such, this case study seeks to contribute to the literature by providing guidance
for other institutions that desire to engage students in global engagement programs that
will benefit the institution's surrounding community. This case study used Northeastern
University to help identify best practices, examine the features of the international co-op,
and identify supporting factors from the university to make this case study transferrable
for other institutions. This will lead to a metric to demonstrate the connection an
institution’s global engagement has with its surrounding community. Practitioners can
learn how these programs connect with their surrounding communities and what factors
are responsible for these connections. By learning about global engagement programs
that can benefit the surrounding community, administrators and practitioner-scholars
could create similar program or modify existing ones to legitimize the need for these
programs. Additionally, there is a need for many institutions to secure other forms of
funding as local and state allocations continue to dwindle. Having a global engagement
program is one way to attract potential fiscal partners and secure additional resources for
the institution. Lastly, this case study adds to literature by bringing to light some of the
benefits of internationalizing an institution and to create awareness of these benefits to its
various stakeholders, whether they are on-campus or off-campus.

15

Theoretical Framework
This study used Marginson and Rhoades’ (2002) theoretical glonacal agency
heuristic to demonstrate the dynamics of interconnection at global, national, and local
levels and how organizations and individuals can create change at these various levels.
The term glonacal is a combination of the words global, national, and local. Marginson
and Rhoades define agency using two definitions. The first definition of agency refers to
“an entity or organization that could exist at the global, national, or local level”
(Marginson & Rhoades, 2002, p. 289). For the purposes of this study, agency refers to
entities such as Northeastern University and potential employers. The second definition
of the term agency refers “to the ability of people individually and collectively to take
action (exercise agency), at the global, national, and local levels” (Marginson & Rhoades,
2002, p. 289). In this study, this definition refers to human agency in the form of agents
such as staff, faculty, and students at Northeastern.
The main elements of the heuristic are agencies and human agency at the global,
national, and local levels. There is no linear progression of the heuristic so that it may
represent the simultaneous transmission of flow and to signify reciprocity between the
connections. These flows demonstrate strength through available resources and
influence; layers and conditions through embedded structures and current circumstances
enabling the move from global, national, and local levels; and spheres to denote an
agency’s reach and impact. Using Marginson and Rhoades’ heuristic helped measure
how Northeastern’s global engagement connects with the surrounding community. The
two definitions of agency will be used to assist in determining which types of agency, or

16
various agencies, are responsible for activities that connect with the surrounding
community.
Limitations
A case study methodology was used to analyze how an institution’s global
engagement, in the form of its international co-op program, created connections with its
surrounding community. The study was limited to Northeastern University, a four-year,
private institution that has unique characteristics in its undergraduate programs. Other
limitations for this case study included the amount of time available to interview
individuals and to collect documents and other materials. Another limitation was the
availability of appropriate individuals to interview.
Delimitations
One of the delimitations of this study was the framework chosen by the researcher
to provide analysis of the problem. Another delimitation could be the individuals who
were interviewed. The data collected through interviews reflect these individuals’
thoughts and perception at the time of research, and may not reflect past or future
perspectives. Further delimitations included the use of definitions for specific words or
ideas. Lastly, this study was not an assessment or evaluation of Northeastern’s global
engagement. Rather, it was a an examination of how an Northeastern’s global
engagement, in the form of its international co-op, created connected with the
surrounding community and the factors responsible for the various connections.

17
Definition of Terms
Globalization (Altbach & Knight, 2007): The economic, political, and societal forces
pushing 21
st
century higher education toward greater international involvement.
Internationalization (Chan, 2004; Childress, 2009; Knight, 2004; Qiang, 2003; Teichler,
2004): Meeting the demands of globalization through the transference of academic
knowledge and the integration of internationalization into the curriculum to increase
connections amongst nations.
Glonacal (Marginson & Rhoades, 2002): The combination of global, national, and local
phenomena and dimensions. Pronounced glow-nackal.
Agency (Marginson & Rhoades, 2002): 1. An entity or organization that could exist at the
global, national, or local level. 2. The ability of people individually and collectively to
take action (exercise agency), at the global, national, and local levels.
Heuristic (Merriam-Webster.com, 2011): Of or relating to exploratory problem-solving
techniques that utilize self-educating techniques to improve performance.
Organization of the Study
The structure of this dissertation is organized into five chapters. Chapter one
introduces the background of the problem, research questions, theoretical framework,
limitations and delimitations, and key definitions. Chapter two provides a literature
review that includes discussion on the similarities and differences of the terms
globalization and internationalization, globalization and internationalization in higher
education, ways in which globalization and internationalization may serve the
surrounding community, and theoretical framework that examines the interconnection of
global, national, and local dynamics. Chapter three constructs the methodology and

18
research design used for this case study. Chapter four provides an analysis of the data
collected. Chapter five presents conclusions and offers recommendations.

19

CHAPTER II
LITERATURE REVIEW
The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the effect of globalization in higher
education and how that creates a connection with local communities. An overview of the
many definitions of globalization and internationalization will be discussed to clarify the
differences between the two concepts as well as the implications each word carries for the
world of higher education. Next, a review of globalization and higher education will be
examined to see the impact of globalization on an institution’s mission, curriculum, and
to its culture. This will be followed by a review of how institutions can serve their local
community using a global framework and by creating global citizens who understand the
importance of preparing for a global world. Finally, there will be a discussion of
Marginson and Rhoades’ (2002) glonacal agency heuristic. This heuristic demonstrates
how higher education is influenced by the interconnectedness of various global, national,
and local dimensions.
Defining Globalization and Internationalization in Higher Education
Globalization refers to the impact of global changes that extend beyond the reach
or borders of national governments (Chan, 2004). Marginson and Rhoades (2002)
defined globalization as becoming global and referring "to the development of
increasingly integrated systems and relationships beyond the nation" (p. 288).
Globalization is usually thought of in the realm of business and how its services and
practices influence the world market (Deem, 2001). Others see globalization as a
phenomenon that blurs the role of nations and their boundaries (Chan, 2004; Teichler,

20
2004). The blurring of national roles and boundaries will reduce national power and
increase connectedness amongst nations, leading to greater independence across societies
(Burnett & Huisman, 2010; Chan, 2004). While globalization is sometimes perceived as
the triumph of global capitalism, it is also viewed as a negative development that creates
larger gaps in those nations that have power, wealth, and knowledge versus those that do
not possess these elements (Agbaria, 2009; Altbach & Knight, 2007).
Internationalization both compares to and contrasts with globalization. Chan
(2004) noted that internationalization, "to a certain extent, is a response to the impacts of
globalisation" (p. 33). Altbach and Knight (2007) suggested that while globalization is
on a fixed plane, internationalization allows for numerous choices. However, they felt
that internationalization, like globalization, favors developed nations and will compound
inequities that already exist. Unlike many of the definitions of globalization, some view
internationalization as a process that recognizes national boundaries and values the
distinctiveness of societies as well as sharing ideas and creating knowledge to assist
countries in understanding and cooperating with one another (Burnett & Huisman, 2009;
Chan, 2004; Deem, 2001; Teichler, 2004).
For years, globalization did not affect institutions of higher education. That time
is over. Altbach and Knight (2007) defined globalization in higher education "as the
economic, political, and societal forces pushing 21
st
century higher education toward
greater international involvement" (p. 290). The effects of globalization in higher
education have led to increased connectedness and knowledge. Globalization has led to
the infusion of resources and ideas that have created greater access for people from
around the world (Chan, 2004; Burnett & Huisman, 2009). Altbach and Knight (2007)

21
also noted that the rise of the "knowledge society" has led to a heavy investment in higher
education. The globalization of higher education echoes the general theme of
globalization in that the increased connections between countries and societies creates an
amplified dependence on each other, with knowledge being the commodity (Altbach &
Knight, 2007; Burnett & Huisman, 2009 Chan, 2004).
Just as Chan (2004) noted that internationalization responds to the impacts of
globalization, Knight (2004) introduced the idea that while internationalization is
changing the world of higher education, globalization changes the world of
internationalization. Qiang (2003) stated that the internationalization of higher education
is seen as one way in which a country responds to the demands of globalization, while
paying homage to the uniqueness of the nation. Qiang also noted that national identity
and culture play key roles in the internationalization of higher education as a nation's
history, culture, and priorities, just to name a few, affect responses to and relationships
with other countries. Teichler (2004) mentioned internationalization in higher education
as academic cooperation and the transfer of academic knowledge.
Similar to the ideas of globalization in higher education, the internationalization
of higher education posits a process of integrating an international dimension into the
curriculum, increasing connectedness (Chan, 2004; Childress, 2009; Knight, 2004;
Qiang, 2003; Teichler, 2004). Knight (2004) also expressed that there are various
interpretations of internationalization of higher education. For some, it means more
academic mobility for students and faculty, including international projects and
partnerships as well as new academic programs and research based on these new links.
Others view it as new arrangements of delivering information, whether it is branch

22
campuses or distance learning. Still others see it as the opportunity for international
projects and the emphasis of increased trade in higher education. All of these notions of
the internationalization of higher education play a role in how an institution functions in
regards to its teaching, research, and service to society.
The terms globalization and internationalization will be used throughout this
work, and it is important to make a distinction between the two. The major difference
between globalization and internationalization is that while globalization minimizes the
role of nations and their boundaries (Chan, 2004; Teichler, 2004), internationalization is
seen as recognizing national boundaries as well as national identities and cultures
(Burnett & Huisman, 2009; Chan, 2004; Deem, 2001; Qiang, 2003; Teichler, 2004).
When referring to the globalization of higher education, Altbach and Knight’s (2007)
definition that posits the various outside forces that propel higher education into
increased involvement on the international level will be used. The internationalization of
higher education will be seen as meeting the demands of globalization through the
transference of academic knowledge and the integration of internationalization into the
curriculum to increase connections amongst nations (Chan, 2004; Childress, 2009;
Knight, 2004; Qiang, 2003; Teichler, 2004).
Globalization and Internationalization in Higher Education
In order to respond to the pressures of globalization, institutions of higher
education will have to respond in ways that change how they operate. Green (2005)
suggested that internationalizing an institution is tantamount to institutional
transformation. While not all institutions have interest in becoming internationalized,

23
institutions will have a difficult task of becoming internationalized if they do not make it
a priority and if they do not set clear institutional goals.
Mission Change as a Result of Globalization and Internationalization
Globalization creates the need for change in institutions of higher education
(Green, 2005). Institutions can create plans to express commitment to the process of
globalization. One of the major changes that must occur is in the mission of an
institution. Using these statements to create plans for globalization can make clear the
process and allow the institution to focus its energies on overcoming various internal
obstacles on the way to creating change (Childress, 2009). An institution’s mission
statement needs to specifically recognize and endorse the importance of international
education on the campus (Green, 2005; Rodenberg, 2010). Green (2005) noted that when
the mission of an institution showed commitment to international education, that
institution was more likely to allow faculty to create internationalized curricula, provide
more opportunities for faculty and students to study abroad, and actively recruit
international students.
One of the measures of commitment to the internationalization of a campus was
reflected by an institution’s philosophy and mission that demonstrated an active role in
engaging various agencies at the local, regional, and state level to attract international
businesses, furthering the cause of internationalization (Rodenberg, 2010). This example
demonstrates how the focus on internationalization of an institution could create
engagement from various stakeholders not only within the institution, but from
stakeholders outside of the institution, which is a critical step in the implementation of
mission statements and plans.

24
Structural Change as a Result of Globalization and Internationalization
The structure of institutions of higher education may be a barrier to
internationalization. Many institutions have a structure that does not allow for
institution-wide reforms. The composition of a typical institution is made up of multiple
academic and administrative units that operate independently of one another, thus making
it difficult to coordinate or come to a consensus on many issues (Childress, 2009). The
structure of these units may prevent faculty from engaging in cross-disciplinary
interactions. Cross-disciplinary collaboration is seen as a critical component of
internationalization in regards to curriculum (Green, 2005). Also, the current structure of
promotion, tenure, and other incentives restricts the internationalization of an institution.
There is a lack of recognition of international work at the institutional level in regards to
incentives that include promotion and tenure. In order to facilitate institutional
transformation to allow for internationalization, leaders within these institutions will need
to work within the various hierarchical levels as well as interact with many of the units
that are contained in vertical silos (Childress, 2009). Furthermore, institutions that rely
on government funding are being asked to do more with less money (Levin, 1999).
These institutions are facing recurrent budget cuts that leave insufficient resources
available to engage in international aspects of education (Green, 2005). These
institutions are being asked to be more efficient, operate in ways that make them less
reliant on government funds, and more responsive to the marketplace and consumer
tastes.
To overcome the obstacles and barriers that may inhibit the internationalization of
an institution, leadership is essential (Green, 2005). Leadership from the president and

25
provost, as well as other top officers is critical to produce structural, organizational, and
cultural change. These individuals must continually stress the importance of
internationalization and demonstrate that importance through their actions. These actions
include securing and allocating resources for internationalization, providing symbolic
support, developing connections with external groups, and developing support on-
campus. However, faculty leadership is also essential as leadership from top
administrators will not be enough to create the necessary change.
The leaders striving to internationalize their institutions have various motives and
rationales for change (Childress, 2009). These rationales fall into economic, political,
academic, and sociocultural categories. Childress (2009) stated that economic rationales
include preparing students for the possibility of international careers, generating income,
and contributing to economic development and greater competitiveness. Political
rationales revolve around equipping students to be global citizens and to address issues of
national security and foreign policy. Academic rationales consist of providing students
with a diversified worldview, gaining insight on the international dimensions of their
field of study, and developing critical thinking skills at the global level. Lastly,
sociocultural rationales entail developing students’ intercultural communication skills to
meet the needs of diversity at home and across the globe. These rationales are forces that
educational leaders are using to internationalize their institutions.
The organizational structure of an institution reveals that institution’s investment
in internationalization. That investment is in the form of resources that are allocated for
internationalization. Some examples of resource allocation include the commitment to
physical space in the form of facilities dedicated for internationalization, the use of

26
human resources such as campus committees and office staff that are dedicated
specifically for international education, and through communication and technical
support, whether it be through web pages, email, newsletters, or other means (Green,
2005). This allocation of resources demonstrates an institution’s commitment to promote
internationalization. Green (2005) discussed the institutions that developed an
organizational structure that encompassed internationalization were more likely to have
the above resources in place. Another structure that demonstrated emphasis on
internationalization was external funding. Actively seeking funds specifically for
international education programs and activities was seen as one of the most significant
practices that led to internationalization of an institution. Securing federal, state, or
private funds for the express purpose of advancing internationalization was directly
related to all other activities related to internationalization.
Investing in faculty-related activities is seen as another way to produce structural
and cultural change and is a key component to internationalization. Faculty members are
vital to internationalization as they have the most direct contact with students and create
curriculum (Green, 2005). Institutions that created an international organizational
structure were more likely to support faculty by financing travel abroad for meetings and
conferences, research and studying, and leading study abroad programs. Institutions also
provided financial resources to internationalize curricula. While this activity was funded
less than travel, institutions that promoted internationalization were more likely to offer
professional development in the form of workshops for the internationalization of
curriculum as well as workshops that employ technology to assist in the development of
internationalization of the curriculum. Rodenberg (2010) also expressed the importance

27
of the investment of faculty regarding internationalization. On top of the funding
mentioned above, Rodenberg noted that funding should be made available to bring in
international guest professors, to make site visits for the purposes of international
program development, and to provide release time for grant writing related to
international activities.
Curriculum Change as a Result of Globalization and Internationalization
The internationalization of curriculum will challenge both the nature of the
curriculum and the basis of its paradigms. Most often, internationalization of the
curriculum has been focused on different projects and programs that train a small number
of students for a career in international affairs, but it has failed to prepare all graduates
for work in a global setting (Leask, 2009). One of the main reasons for internationalizing
the curriculum is to create learning experiences that provide attractive options for study
for both international and local students, creating the necessary skills for graduates who
will be working in a global society, and providing multiple contexts (regional and global)
for the discipline (McBurnie, 2010). Along those same lines, the internationalization of
curriculum is seen as an opportunity to develop objectives using intercultural knowledge
and providing learning opportunities based on those objectives (Svensson & Wihlborg,
2010). Leask (2009) framed the practice of curriculum as inseparable from teaching and
pedagogy.
Education is seen as an exchange between students and teachers to create learning
environments that promote the creation and transfer of knowledge (Svensson &
Wihlborg, 2010). There is also an assumption that the educators' selection and sequence
of content, description and rationales for intended learning outcomes, and the

28
organization of learning activities and assessment of student achievement are part of the
curriculum (Leask, 2009). This means that the teaching objectives, which include
classroom interactions and developing the abilities of the students, are just as important
as the selection and sequence of the content. To create a globalized or internationalized
curriculum, all aspects of the teacher-learner relationship need to be discussed to look for
areas where major or minor innovations to the curriculum can result in preparing
graduates to be contributing members of a globalized society.
A globalized curriculum requires constant evolution to meet the contrasting and
ever-changing needs of students who are citizens in a global society (Leask, 2009).
Incessant effort focusing on pedagogical and learning processes as well as the content
and student achievement associated with the outcomes will be required. The innovation
necessary to create change may have to be radical in nature, as opposed to incremental.
New conceptualizations of knowledge and curriculum will be part of the plan, instead of
minor organizational adjustments and tweaks to the delivery of the curriculum. As
mentioned by Childress (2009), the complex structure of institutions of higher education
makes change a challenging process.
Dealing with curriculum change, whether it is through institutional policy or
classroom instruction, can be challenging as the people may be hesitant to change and
wary of a paradigm shift in how education is delivered (Leask, 2009). Leask (2009)
stated, "the challenge of curriculum innovation in internationalisation is thus personal,
professional and institutional" (p. 13). Curriculum change becomes personal as educators
are faced with notion that they need to think differently about what and how they teach,
not only as individuals, but also as a collective. It calls for thinking about

29
comprehending how they order and view the world and how their assumptions are
connected to their cultural backgrounds. Curriculum change is professional in the sense
that creating curriculum innovation for internationalization requires challenging the
traditional models used in disciplines and moving beyond the projects and programs that
were previously identified as internationalization. Curriculum innovation takes place at
the institutional level, as institutions must deal with its role as a global and national
entity, which could create a quandary for the graduates of that institution who have
multiple roles and identities in a global society.
Rodenberg (2010) highlighted several factors that could make a curriculum
internationalized. Courses with international content are required not only in general
education programs, but in major and minor programs that have a definitive international
focus assist in the internationalization process. Also, there is a need for foreign language
requirements and students may earn certificates that provide recognition for international
study. Another form of curriculum change would require a study abroad experience in
specific degree programs and study abroad options would be available for almost every
degree program as well as providing education majors to student teach abroad. Within
this, there would be strong support for student participation in study abroad built into the
campus curriculum.
As globalization has entered the world of higher education, institutions have
responded by internationalizing their campuses. But in order to respond appropriately,
institutions need to create mission statements that demonstrate commitment to
international education by acknowledging its role and importance. However, words
alone will not facilitate change. Leaders within these institutions, from the top

30
administrators to faculty members, play a significant role in creating change. They can
create and implement structures that put into action the words of the mission statement.
Providing resources, in the form of time and money, to international education and
activities are one of the main avenues for creating structures to move an institution
towards internationalization. Lastly, the curriculum of an institution should reflect and
demonstrate its commitment to internationalization by providing courses and experiences
that foster a comprehensive worldview.
Globalization and Internationalization: Serving the Local Community
As globalization penetrates and permeates society, it makes the marketplace
global. These global changes bring waves of direct effects to the national and local levels
(Ahola, 2005). This places pressure on regional actions to produce high quality products
and innovations to succeed in international competition. Institutions of higher education
are under such pressure to perform, as it is important to develop a system that can educate
the masses to provide opportunities to be competitive in the global market while
maintaining a certain quality of education as to legitimize its existence.
As institutions of higher education were founded in various locations across the
country, the prevailing thought was that the creation of the institution would infuse the
area with a plethora of activities and resources (Ahola, 2005). While these benefits exist
today, there are greater expectations of higher education. Colleges and universities are
expected to educate large portions of the population. As globalization has entered the
world of higher education, one of the great challenges for higher education is realizing
that local and regional development stem from globalization, or that "local is global".
This creates the need for institutions of higher education to interact with their local

31
communities in ways to foster activities that create high international quality (Ahola,
2005). One of the limitations placed on this type of collaboration stems from the
variances in human capital from one region, or area, to the next. The degree of human
capital available to the institution and the area affects the potential to produce goods and
innovations of high international quality. This places a premium on an institution's
ability to understand its environment and generate programs that provide qualifications
and skills that match the needs of the region.
Institutions of higher education need resources to enhance the qualifications and
skills to assist in regional development. One of the issues facing higher education today
is the lack of resources available, especially for state colleges and universities. Such
limitations result in the need to branch out to expand their resource base through co-
operation, networking, and possible mergers (Ahola, 2005). Fortunately, institutions of
higher education are attractive partners for many different sectors. Colleges and
universities are major employers and affect local, state, and national economies and the
neighborhoods around these institutions are typically contributors to a region's energy
and attractiveness (Lambert, 2008). Another positive aspect of institutions is their vital
role in promoting both cultural and international understanding. The ability of an
institution to have programs and studies of exchange create opportunities to forge and
sustain off-campus relationships. The goodwill of an institution may create opportunities
with businesses in the region as well as government-sponsored programs.
Experiential learning programs provide the opportunity for institutions to engage
in off-campus relationships. Kolb (1984) describes experiential learning as “the process
whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience. Knowledge

32
results from the learning combination of grasping and transforming experiences” (p.41).
It is the integration of classroom study with out-of-classroom experiences. Learning
occurs through the synergistic transactions between the learner and the environment
(Kolb & Kolb, 2005). This allows for the merging of new experiences into existing
concepts and relating existing concepts into new experiences. Additionally, experiential
learning requires the resolution of conflicts between conflicting world viewpoints. The
learning process can be driven through conflicts, differences, and disagreements.
Experiential learning helps to construct knowledge through experience, reflection,
thinking, and action. Institutions that have programs where students can engage in
experiential learning provide opportunities to cultivate off-campus relationships as well
as promote cultural and international understanding.
One of the ways an institution can engage in experiential learning is through
cooperative education. Cooperative education is the integration of academic learning
with real-world experience in the form of work outside of the institution that is relevant
to a student’s field of study (Billett, 2007; Eames & Coll, 2010). It is collaboration
among institutions, students, and employers. Combining knowledge from the classroom
with knowledge from the workplace and treating the two as equally important in the
learning process makes cooperative education distinct from other forms of experiential
learning (Billett, 2007). It also reflects the importance of learning in different settings.
Furthermore, cooperative education provides students with knowledge of how the world
of work operates (Billett, 2007; Eames & Coll, 2010). Students can experience the
different status levels certain employees may have and what roles individuals play within
an organization. The experience may provide insight into the qualities and skills

33
individuals bring with them to their jobs. A key component of cooperative education is
its emphasis on reflection. Through the experience of paid part-time or full-time work,
students can reflect critically on the their experiences to connect learning and build
knowledge. By connecting their learning experiences, students have the ability to take
action through discussions and debates and this provides an invitation to change.
Another way an institution can promote cultural and international understanding
is through service learning. The idea behind service learning is to "embed educational
experiences within local contexts, relationships, and community institutions" (Battistoni
et al., 2009, p. 89). While service learning is rooted in the local context, it needs to adapt
to a different set of realities for both students and communities living in the age of
globalization (Battistoni et al., 2009). Battistoni et al. argued that service learning must
continue to participate in local democratic practices, but it must also apply a global
framework to these practices. The infusion of a global framework into the practice of
service learning necessitates participation in a model that contemplates the connection
between global learning and engagement in local communities.
While globalization has spread into institutions of higher education, creating a
growing interest in global issues and further understanding into the need for global
cooperation, there is the realization that many of America's top institutions coexist with
some communities and neighborhoods that are severely economically depressed
(Battistoni et al., 2009). So while globalization expands its reach, institutions cannot
escape the reality around them. This calls for these colleges and universities to be leaders
at the local and global levels. One of the areas where institutions can take a leadership
role is in the realm of civic responsibility, especially in a globalized world. Service

34
learning provides an outlet for leadership as it has the ability to connect the local to the
global. Battistoni et al. claimed that through community-based efforts, students have the
opportunity to cultivate global knowledge through engagement with local communities,
which will enhance local understanding. Also, service-learning opportunities provide
students the opportunity to come in contact with the global value of interdependence, as
well as expand their skill base for public work and cultivate civic global networks.
Additionally, service learning offers the challenge of traversing through potential
tensions that may arise between local and global cultures.
Service learning permits global knowledge to be gained through lessons learned
through local insight (Battistoni et al., 2009). Examples of such insight can occur
through students working with immigrants who are new to the country and through this
interaction students can learn about global issues related to migration and transnational
identities. Another example details how the economy affects jobs in manufacturing
towns and how collaboration within the community increases student understanding of
such economic dynamics. These two examples demonstrate how students can gain
knowledge and understanding of local events that are affected by global dimensions to
demonstrate the complexity of living in a global world. Battistoni et al. (2009) stated that
by using service learning as a vehicle to provide students with opportunities to work with
and come in contact with a diverse group of individuals, it allows institutions to connect
students to their community but also making them aware of the global connections that
take place within that community. Working in the civic arena can also link students to
work done on the global level through non-governmental organizations and increase
awareness of the need for international problem solving on the public level (Battistoni et

35
al., 2009). Students can gain new perspectives and assist in the creation of local and
global understanding.
Service learning also provides students with the opportunity to enhance their
skills for public work and to help create social change (Battistoni et al., 2009). This can
occur through working in collaboration with after-school programs, health clinics, local
grassroots organizations, local businesses, and places of worship. Students can
experience the interdependence of many of these civic organizations and these
collaborations can build civic confidence and identity. Students have the opportunity to
bridge their local actions with that of global network connections thereby connecting the
local with the global. Students can build skills to connect their local knowledge to
address global issues and be part of a global movement. This is achieved through
reciprocity being at the core of these relationships. Reciprocity is the idea that influence
and activity can flow in multiple directions, not just from the top down (Marginson &
Rhoades, 2002). Reciprocity is one of the characteristics that influenced Marginson and
Rhoades' (2002) glonacal agency heuristic.
Being active in service learning at the local level may not come without conflict.
Students who are in service-learning programs may witness conflict as global principles
may infringe upon local culture and customs (Battistoni et al., 2009). Battistoni et al.
(2009) provided examples of this as clashes can occur between local cultures and
movement and promotion of women's rights on the international scale as well as the
contrasting values of many cultures in instilling child-raising values versus the global
principle of child's rights. Service learning provides the opportunity to better understand
the competing and contrasting nature of local customs and values and the global

36
conventions that many international organizations aspire to implement (Battistoni et al.,
2009). It also can allow students to see beyond what is learned in the classroom and take
the lessons from their service learning and become informed citizens who understand the
how local relationships are transformed by global circumstances.
While service learning at the local level has a variety of benefits, another
promising practice involves international service learning (Battistoni et al., 2009).
International service learning is an organized expedition that students, usually in
conjunction with faculty or administrators, take to different cultures where they are
immersed in local culture that is different from their own through living with families in
that local community (Grusky, 2000). Students serve the community by working in local
organizations and this provides them with the opportunity to engage in cultural exchange
and to gain insight into the daily reality that may be very different from their own.
International service learning is rooted in programs that advocate experiential education
through a commitment to service in various organizations or movements. It provides
students with the opportunity to experience what other people in different parts of the
world encounter on a daily basis. The ability to live with a family in the local community
and experience their life, visit local schools and work sites, and witness and work with
local organizations that address many of the social concerns can transform a student.
Students who participate in international service learning may be more engaged in their
local community upon return and provide critical reflection and insight on local events
(Battistoni et al., 2009). Service learning, whether it is at the local or international level,
can take abstract classroom lessons and transform them into tangible concepts and issues
(Grusky, 2000).

37
The pedagogy of service learning can be framed in a broader context to educate
students to be global citizens (Battistoni et al., 2009). The idea is that students who
engage in service learning practice a kind of citizenship that links the local with the
global. Service learning provides students with the ability to find the connection between
the daily realities of their local environment and global issues to find their own voice
when it comes to global affairs (Agbaria, 2009). Service learning is one of the ways in
which students can create the skills needed to meet the demands of globalization and
prepare themselves for a global world. Global citizens must have the skills to collect,
dissect, and apply new information quickly and thoughtfully in a constantly evolving
world (Agbaria, 2009; Hanson, 2009; Tarrant, 2010).
One of the main skills needed in global citizenry is the ability to communicate
across cultures (Agbaria, 2009). Cross-cultural communication skills provide students
with the ability to succeed in a global world by enhancing their ability to adapt and adjust
instantly to varying circumstances and developing a versatile repertoire when it comes
living in a knowledge-based society. This adaptability is beneficial in developing
problem-solving skills related to global issues (Agbaria, 2009; Hanson, 2008; Tarrant,
2010). Global issues are topics existing at the global level (Agbaria, 2009). Some of
these issues include human rights, environmental concerns, technological advancements,
and international conflicts. Many of these issues are related to the marginalization of
groups of people throughout the world (Hanson, 2008). One of the purposes of becoming
a global citizen is to pursue research and educational endeavors that expand the
knowledge of and increase awareness of the inequalities that exist within and across
many nations. By bringing such issues to the forefront of society, it allows for the

38
possibility of transforming values and beliefs and creating change in human behavior
(Tarrant, 2010). Hanson (2008) suggested that when people can view others on this
planet as interdependent and act to advance the interests and good for all, social and
personal change is possible.
The globalization of higher education provides institutions with the opportunity to
be leaders at local and global levels. One of the main avenues in which institutions can
provide leadership is through service learning. Service learning provides students the
ability to develop and increase global knowledge through the lens of local understanding
that is acquired through active participation in local communities. It also enhances
students' skills for working in civic roles and building those networks to meet global
needs as well as recognizing the interdependence and interconnectedness of this world.
Additionally, students learn about the potential tensions that exist between local and
global cultures. All of these elements help students to become global citizens. Global
citizens are involved globally, nationally, and locally and many of their activities are
guided by principles of mutuality and reciprocity (Hanson, 2008). The characteristics of
global citizenry through service learning involve many of the concepts (interconnection
of global, national, and local dimensions; the role of reciprocity) involved in Marginson
and Rhoades' (2002) glonacal agency heuristic.
Theoretical Framework
This study will use Marginson and Rhoades' (2002) theoretical glonacal agency
heuristic to emphasize the concurrent significance of global, national, and local
interactions and their effect on institutions of higher education. The use of this heuristic
will help connect the interactions of various agents and agencies.

39
Marginson and Rhoades (2002) use the glonacal agency heuristic to demonstrate
the dynamics of change and interconnection at global, national, and local levels and how
organizations and individuals can affect change at these various levels. The authors
suggested that higher education is being influenced by global economic, cultural, and
educational forces; thus making institutions of higher education more influential on the
global stage. These forces place institutions in a position of leadership at global,
national, and local levels. Additionally, the economic, political, and educational
landscapes of countries are being shaped by trading within regions; leading higher
education to become more alike throughout the nations and more dynamic in regional
markets. While higher education becomes more uniform in different nations, there
remains a gap in equality amongst nations that may further the chasm between them.
Finally, while there are multiple global forces pressing on higher education, there are
simultaneous forces being applied by both national higher education systems to achieve
legitimacy and express national culture and by local movements that challenge to retain
and uphold independence and local cultural identity. The tensions between these levels
need to be addressed and acted upon to develop relationships informed by varying
contexts.
In order to discuss the glonacal agency heuristic, its terms must first be defined.
The term glonacal is a combination of the words global, national, and local. Marginson
and Rhoades (2002) aimed to advance the importance of studying global phenomena.
However, they did not see global phenomena as all encompassing in its effect and also
chose to highlight the ongoing significance of the national dimension. Furthermore, they
did not see the effects of global or national phenomena as the sum of all parts and

40
decided to highlight the importance of the local dimension. Through this construction,
the term "glonacal", pronounced glow-nackal, was created. The term heuristic is defined
as "of or relating to exploratory problem-solving techniques that utilize self educating
techniques to improve performance" (Merriam-Webster.com, 2011).
Another term that needs to be clearly defined is the word agency. Marginson and
Rhoades (2002) emphasized two meanings of the word. The first definition of agency is
"an entity or organization that could exist at the global, national, or local level"
(Marginson & Rhoades, 2002, p. 289). Examples of this form of the word agency
include an international organization like the World Bank, elements within nation states
like Ministries of Education or legislatures, and local entities like individual institutions
of higher education. The second definition of the term agency refers "to the ability of
people individually and collectively to take action (exercise agency), at the global,
national, and local levels" (Marginson & Rhoades, 2002, p. 289). International
professional groups have the ability to transform national policy and local practice.
National groups like the Committees of Rectors can influence national policy and the
practices of local institutions. Local collectives, in the form of administrators and
professors in a department or institution, have the ability to affect local practice and
create projects and collaborations to compete internationally in higher education markets.
Marginson and Rhoades (2002) felt that formal agencies and collective action of humans
at the global, national, and local levels were vital to the understanding of globalization
and higher education.
Marginson and Rhoades (2002) created this framework to fill the gap in what they
perceived as the many shortcomings in conceptualizing the interconnectedness of global,

41
national, and local dimensions. They also do not see globalization as a new phenomenon.
They point to history and note that the origins of higher education have been influenced
by the flow of professors and students across national borders. Marginson and Rhoades
(2002) stated "the trans-national influence of specific dominant institutions and models of
higher education has long been the key to understanding national higher education
systems" (p. 288). Examples of global influence range from the Catholic Church and its
structure and ideologies to the U.S. model of mixed public-private funding of
independent institutions.
The glonacal agency heuristic emphasizes agency (with its two meanings) as well
as global, national, and local intersections, interactions, and decisions (Marginson &
Rhoades, 2002). The flow from the global to the local is not seen as linear rather it is
viewed as flowing simultaneously. With this in mind, the shape of the glonacal agency
heuristic is that of interconnected hexagons in three-dimensional space. The interrelated
hexagons are meant to represent various agencies and agency in a global system (see
Figure 1).

42

Figure 1. Glonacal agency heuristic. Adapted from “Beyond National States, Markets
and Systems of Higher Education: A Glonacal Agency Heuristic,” by S. Marginson and
G. Rhoades, 2002, Higher Education, 43, p. 291.

Marginson and Rhoades (2002) created the building blocks of the heuristic and
they are represented on the six sides of the central hexagon. The building blocks are
global agencies, global human agency, national agencies, national human agency, local
agencies, and local human agency. Three other hexagons represent the three levels of the
heuristic. These hexagons are more specific, but still represent the building blocks of the
heuristic. Government and non-governmental agencies, human agency in polities,
economic agencies and markets, human agency in economies, educational and
professional agencies, and human agency in higher education can be looked at in greater
depth using global, national, or local levels. This view encourages focusing on specific
organizations and collective action in order to avoid overgeneralizations.

43
Marginson and Rhoades (2002) used reciprocity to denote connections and flows
as well as a way to begin conceptualizing and theorizing the various levels and domains,
including numerous agencies and agency. The term reciprocity is used to convey the idea
that the flow of activity and influence are multi-directional. The reciprocal
interconnections are built into the hexagonal shape of the heuristic. The hexagon can be
rotated in any direction; it is non-hierarchical. Connections are made outside and within
the figure. These flows of activity and influence among organizational agencies and
collective human action are posed in dimensions of strength, layers and conditions, and
spheres.
The strength of economic, cultural, or political resources of an agency or group is
important to determine. Marginson and Rhoades (2002) defined strength as the
"magnitude and directness of the activity and influence, as well as the resources available
to agencies and agents" (p. 292). This definition assists in determining stronger or
weaker, direct or indirect links between levels and domains.
The second dimension, layers and conditions, “refer to the historically embedded
structures in which current activity and influence are based, and the current
circumstances that make it possible for lines of force and effect to move from one level to
another, global, national, and local” (Marginson & Rhoades, 2002, p. 292). The layers
and conditions are situated within the external boundaries of the hexagonal heuristic. The
various layers and conditions help to construct the outside lines of the agencies and
agency at global, national, and local levels.
Spheres, the third and final dimension, are spheres of agency and agencies’
activities, which “refer to the geographical and functional scope of activity and

44
influence” (Marginson & Rhoades, 2002, p. 293). Using the three-dimensional heuristic
is beneficial when looking at spheres as spheres look at an agency’s global reach and
impact. It helps to see the relationships of the various levels and domains.
The use of Marginson and Rhoades' (2002) glonacal agency heuristic will be used
to measure whether a university's global activities connect to its surrounding community.
This will be done by looking at the influence of global, national, and local forces and
their effect on a university through changes in structure, mission, culture, and curriculum.
By using the two meanings for the word agency, it can be determined which type of
agency, or various agencies, are responsible for creating activities that connect the
university to the surrounding community. Additionally, revealing what type of agency or
agencies influence the university may determine what type of activities are used to
connect with the community.
Marginson and Rhoades (2002) glonacal agency heuristic will help determine
what global, national, and local factors influence and affect an institution of higher
education. Also, it can be determined what type of agency, whether it is a global
organization, a national government, or an individual in a local community, affects the
activities of an institution and to what extent. Using Marginson and Rhoades' glonacal
agency heuristic can help determine if an institution’s activities connect with its
surrounding community and whether these influences are of the global variety to help
prepare its students and citizens for a global world. By connecting local practices to the
global world, an institution can determine if its activities connect with the surrounding
community, what activities create the strongest connections, and what factors are
responsible for this.

45
Summary
The review of literature provides a background to understand the effects of
globalization and internationalization on institutions of higher education. While
globalization elicits notions of the blurring of national boundaries, internationalization
recognizes the individuality of nations and their cultures while at the same time
demonstrating the interconnectedness between these nations. The internationalization of
higher education requires institutions to critically examine their mission, structure,
culture, and curriculum. Individuals at every level of an institution must participate to
fully transform an institution into an international institution. It requires thought and
action to succeed in this transformation.
The internationalization of higher education affects individuals at the local,
national, and global levels. This requires the collaboration and cooperation of individuals
in regards to cultural and international understanding. Experiential learning is an avenue
to achieve such collaboration and cooperation. Using local knowledge and applying it to
issues at the local, national, and global levels provides students with the opportunity to
become global citizens and enhances their abilities to function in a global world.
Using Marginson and Rhoades’ (2002) glonacal agency heuristic provides the
opportunity to examine the significance of global, national, and local interactions and
how it relates to institutions of higher education. By examining the various organizations
and individuals who affect change, institutions may be better positioned to examine their
activities to gauge their effectiveness. This cannot be done without knowing which types
of activities influences the surrounding community and why. Knowing which types of
activities influence the surrounding community can help establish what kind of

46
connections exist between an institution’s global activities and its surrounding
community.

47

CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The forces of globalization require institutions of higher education to adapt and
become more involved internationally. The internationalization of higher education takes
many forms, from various modes of delivering information to international partnerships.
Regardless of the interpretation, the internationalization of higher education affects the
functions of an institution in regards to its teaching, research, and service to society.
Northeastern University states that it uses "a world-based approach to education and
research" (Northeastern at a Glance, 2011). The co-op program, one of the experiential
learning opportunities at Northeastern, strives to prepare students for the global
challenges of today's world. Co-ops are offered locally, nationally, and globally. One of
the many challenges of globalization in higher education is realizing that globalization
fuels local and regional development and that "local is global" (Ahola, 2005). There is a
lack of literature and understanding of how global programs operate at local levels and
how and if these programs have an impact locally. The purpose of this study was to
determine the extent to which Northeastern's international co-op program connects with
its surrounding community. This study examined the international co-op program to
determine the demonstrable connection to a global university's neighboring community
as well as the factors responsible to which those connections may be attributed.

48
Research Questions
1. OVERARCHING QUESTION: How does Northeastern University's global
engagement, in the form of its international co-op program, create connections with its
surrounding community?
A. SUB-QUESTION: How do agents—the staff, faculty, and students involved in
the international co-op—perceive the potential benefits of the co-op program?
B. SUB-QUESTION: How do the agents—the staff, faculty, and students involved
in the international co-op—perceive the potential connections of the co-op
program with the surrounding community?
Research Design
A single case study was the proposed design for this qualitative study. Stake
(1995) explained that a case study is used to study the distinctiveness and complexity of a
single case to understand the important conditions of its activity. The case is usually
studied when it is of particular interest to the researcher and this inherent interest could
classify the work as intrinsic case study. Patton (2002) reinforced Stake's argument by
stating the purpose of a case study is to gather all-inclusive, organized, and in-depth
information about a case of interest. Furthermore, Yin (2009) noted that the need for
case study comes from the overwhelming need to understand social phenomena that is
complex. It also allows for the retention of real-life events that display holistic and
meaningful characteristics.
Merriam (2001) noted that case studies are the predominant method in the field of
education. In education, many case studies look at students, teachers, schools, programs,
policies, and innovations. Merriam found that delimiting the case is the single most

49
defining characteristic of case study research. The case should be seen as a singular unit
that has boundaries. Additionally, Merriam stated that case studies have special features.
One feature of a case study is that it may be particularistic. A case will focus on a
particular event, program, situation, or phenomenon and that laser-like focus makes it a
quality design for practical problems. Case studies are also characterized as descriptive.
Providing a rich, thick description of the experience lends itself to qualitative research
design in order to use language as the tool to describe and explore the phenomenon.
Lastly, case studies are characterized as heuristic and enable the reader to better
understand the phenomenon. This allows for the unearthing of new meaning, the
possibility of broadening experience, and confirming what is already known. Using this
information regarding qualitative case studies, the researcher established that a case study
of Northeastern University's co-op program to be the desired research design in order to
provide the level of detail necessary to determine how this program might connect with
its surrounding community.
The central purpose of this proposed case study was to determine the extent to
which Northeastern University’s global programs, in the form of its international co-op
program, created connections with its surrounding community. The co-op program was
the focus of the case study as it is the university’s signature program with the declaration
to prepare students for the global challenges they will face in the 21
st
century
(Northeastern: Experiential Learning, 2011). It is a requirement of all undergraduates to
participate in an experiential learning opportunity and 90% of the undergraduates choose
to participate in the co-op program to fulfill this requirement. Additionally, the co-op
program is aligned with the mission of the university “to educate students for a life of

50
fulfillment and accomplishment” and “to create and transfer knowledge to meet global
and societal needs” as it strives to offer students with experiences that will help them
develop various skills and confidence both domestically and abroad (Northeastern:
Experiential Learning, 2011). Furthermore, the opportunities both locally, nationally,
and internationally demonstrate that the co-op program is in alignment with its mission.
Lastly, the dramatic increase in student applications for experiential learning, up 145%
since 2006, show that there is a push by the university to engage its students globally
(Northeastern at a Glance, 2011).
Population and Sample
Case studies vary from other forms of qualitative research because of the
intensive descriptions and interpretations of a single case (Merriam, 2001; Yin, 2009).
Patton (2002) noted that a single case study is most likely constructed from many smaller
cases-stories of certain individuals, organizational units, as well as other groups. In order
to provide the scope necessary to flesh out the multiple layers of the co-op program, the
participants included current students, alumni, faculty, and staff involved in the co-op
program. After collecting data from the various constituents, the researcher compared
and analyzed the data. To protect anonymity, participants in the case study had their
identities concealed through the use of anonymous quotes in chapter four. In order to
protect the data, it was placed in a secure area.
The focus of this study was to determine how Northeastern University’s global
engagement, in the form of its co-op program, created connections with its surrounding
community. With that in mind, it was of vital importance to provide evidence of the
multiple perceptions of various groups and individuals. The researcher laid the

51
groundwork for communication and collaboration with Northeastern and was provided
the opportunity to connect with the International Co-op Director. While the International
Co-op Director felt that she could not assist in the case study, the researcher was able to
recruit three International Senior Co-op Counselors and the Senior Director of Central
Co-op for interviews. Interviewing these individuals and obtaining their perspectives on
the potential connection of the co-op program with the surrounding community provided
critical insights into the program and assisted in directing the researcher towards other
groups or individuals who could provide equally critical perspectives. These individuals
consisted of other staff, faculty, and students.
While gaining insights from staff members was valuable, obtaining student
perceptions was equally valuable. Through discussions with the Senior Director of
Central Co-op and three International Senior Co-op Counselors, the researcher identified
students who had experience in an international co-op. The identification of these
individuals was vital as these students were able to provide the perceptions of how their
experience in the international co-op fits with their experience with the local community.
The purpose of this was to provide insight into the perceptions of students who have
participated in an international co-op.
The table below demonstrates how each group that was interviewed relates to the
glonacal agency heuristic (Marginson & Rhoades, 2002).

52
Table 1

Categorization Based on Glonacal Agency Heuristic

Agency/Human
Agency Basic Building Blocks of Heuristic
Faculty & Staff
Global, national, and local education and professional
agencies

Human agency in higher education globally, nationally, and
locally
Northeastern Students
Human agency in higher education globally, nationally, and
locally
Participating in
International Co-op
Note. Adapted from “Beyond National States, Markets and Systems of Higher
Education: A Glonacal Agency Heuristic,” by S. Marginson and G. Rhoades, 2002,
Higher Education, 43, p. 291.

Instrumentation
The researcher served as the research instrument for data collection in this
qualitative case study. The study examined and described how Northeastern University's
global engagement, in the form of its co-op program, created connections with it
surrounding community. Data collection occurred through the use of interviews and
analysis of public documents and other materials. Using these methods enabled the
researcher to understand the roles of various individuals and groups and how these
dynamics created connections with Northeastern's surrounding community.
There were different interview protocols for students and alumni and for faculty
and staff as interviews were the primary instrumentation for the study. These protocols
were submitted to the Institutional Review Board at the University of Southern California
and were accepted by members of the administration at Northeastern. The next step was
to further develop and refine the interview protocols for the various constituents.

53
The interview questions for the various protocols were developed using
Marginson and Rhoades' (2002) glonacal agency heuristic. Using this framework
assisted in organizing interview protocols that helped bring forth responses connected to
this framework. Marginson and Rhoades' glonacal agency heuristic assisted in
connecting agency and global, national, local intersections, interactions, and decisions.
More specifically, government and non-government agencies, economic agencies and
markets, educational and professional agencies, and human agency within polities,
economies, and higher education can be looked at using global, national, and local levels.
By doing this, the focus was on specific organizations and collection action.
Interview Protocol for Faculty and Staff
Faculty and staff who were interviewed were identified as those who are closely
associated with the international co-op. These individuals were appropriate to interview
as they offered insights that others could not. The following interview questions were
based on the overarching research question: How does Northeastern University's global
engagement, in the form of its co-op program, create connections with its surrounding
community? Interview questions were formulated using both sub-question A and sub-
question B to better understand the perceptions of faculty and staff regarding the benefits
and connections of the international co-op.
1. (Background) What are the goals for the students involved in the international
co-op?
2. (Benefits) What are the benefits of a student participating in an international co-
op versus a domestic co-op? Are students encouraged to participate
internationally versus domestically? If so, why?

54
3. (Benefits) How do local employers benefit from employing Northeastern students
with international experience?
4. (Benefits) What are the benefits of working with domestic and international
employers? How does this affect the institution?
5. (Connections) How does the co-op program connect with the surrounding
community? What connection do students who have participated in the
international co-op have with the local community? Do local employers seek out
students who have participated in an international co-op?
6. (Connections) In what ways does the surrounding community influence NU’s
global activities?
Interview Protocol for Students and Alumni
As students are at the heart of the co-op program, obtaining their insights and
perceptions about the co-op program was critical. Finding and interviewing students who
have participated in an international co-op allowed the researcher to focus questions that
shed light on the perceived connection global engagement has with the surrounding
community. The following interview questions were based on the overarching research
question: How does Northeastern University's global engagement, in the form of its co-
op program, create connections with its surrounding community? Interview questions
were formulated using both sub-question A and sub-question B to better understand the
perceptions of students and alumni regarding the benefits and connections of the
international co-op.

55
1. (Background) What were your main reasons for choosing to attend Northeastern
University? With the co-op program being the school’s signature program, how
much did participating in a co-op play in your decision to attend NU?
2. (Background) What were your main reasons for choosing an international co-op?
Where did you go? Why did you choose that location? What was your job?
3. (Benefits) How did participation in the international co-op benefit you? What
did you learn from your experience?
4. (Benefits) How did the international experience benefit you upon your return to
Northeastern University and the city of Boston?
5. (Connections) How has your international experience changed your perspective
on local conditions?
6. (Connections) How has the international co-op program connected you with the
surrounding community? In what ways should it connect with the surrounding
community?
Data Collection
The researcher traveled to Northeastern in February 2012 to gather data through
in-person interviews and analysis of documents and other materials in order to discover
the various opinions and perspectives of the constituents. Data was thoroughly analyzed
and presented in such a way as to answer the research questions. This allowed for
detailed analysis of the case study.
Before the researcher interacted with the staff, faculty, and students involved in
Northeastern University’s co-op program in the form of interviews, it was critical to
analyze various on-line documents and other available materials that could provide

56
insights into the co-op programs as well as assist in the generation of relevant questions.
Merriam (2001) noted that documents are a source of data that are easy to access for a
resourceful and creative investigator. Documents refer to a wide range of
communication, whether they are written, visual, or physical, in nature (Merriam, 2001).
In this sense, the researcher explored public documents from Northeastern and the media
regarding the co-op and in the form of brochures, recruitment materials, press releases,
newspaper articles, and reports. While those materials could be found off-line at
Northeastern, the researcher investigated documents and other materials found on-line
from Northeastern’s website for analysis as well as the generation of relevant questions.
The researcher tried to obtain permission from various people within Northeastern to look
at private documents such as emails, notes, calendars, diaries, letters, memoranda, or any
other form of internal documentation; however, none were available or believed to be in
existence. Through document analysis, the research came to better understand the co-op
program and this provided information to better interact with those who were
interviewed.
In initial discussions with Northeastern University, the researcher sought to gain
access to the International Co-op Director or any of the three Senior International Co-op
Counselors. Identification of staff, faculty, and students who fit the criteria for interviews
were determined through interactions and conversations with one of the co-op counselors,
the Senior Director of Central Co-op, and the Associate Director and Service-Learning
Coordinator. This was achieved through snowball sampling. Snowball sampling, also
known as chain and network sampling, is a strategy that involves asking participants for
referrals to lead a researcher to other participants (Merriam, 2001). The utilization of this

57
technique helped identify other staff and faculty members. Snowball sampling also
assisted in uncovering the students who were involved in the co-op program.
Identification of these individuals was crucial in obtaining the multiple perceptions of the
co-op program and its potential connections with the surrounding community.
The researcher interviewed six staff members and two faculty members.
However, two of the staff members were affiliated with service learning and while they
provided tremendous insights into service-learning’s international expansion, their
responses were omitted, as they were not applicable when discussing the international co-
op. Through snowball sampling, the researcher hoped to find 8-10 students and alumni
who had experience in the international co-op program. A total of 19 students and three
alumni were interviewed. There were eight individual interviews, one two-person
interview, and three group interview sessions. The researcher believed that interviewing
these various individuals led to the uncovering of the multiple perceptions and
perspectives of the program and the potential connections of the co-op program with the
local community. The data taken from these interviews was analyzed using Marginson
and Rhoades’ (2002) glonacal agency heuristic.
Data Analysis
Patton (2002) noted that analysis could occur during data collection and when a
researcher leaves the field. While analysis during data collection can help with
generating ideas and the creation of early meaning making, it may reduce what the
researcher sees. Patton stated that once the case data has been collected, a case record
may be written to organize and extensive amount of data into a resource package that
allows the information to be managed more efficiently.

58
In order to analyze the content, it must first be described. This is achieved
through organizing content according to patterns or themes. Patton (2002) referred to
patterns as descriptive findings while themes are more categorical or topical. If a pattern
can be established, it could make for a major theme. This information can be coded to
analyze the data. Patton (2002) stated that content analysis "involves identifying, coding,
categorizing, classifying, and labeling the primary patterns of data" (p. 463). The coding
and analyzing of data incorporated various themes involved in Marginson and Rhoades'
(2002) glonacal agency heuristic to measure the connectedness at global, national, and
local levels and how organizations and individuals might demonstrate connections at
these levels. In chapters four and five, the major themes will be brought to light based on
the results of the data analysis will be discussed and recommendations for future analysis
will be made.
Validity and Reliability
For qualitative case studies to have an impact in how education is practiced or
thought of, they “must be rigorously conducted; they need to present insights and
conclusions that ring true to readers, educators, and other researchers” (Merriam, 2001, p.
199). In other words, qualitative case studies must be valid and reliable. The validity of
a case study centers on how consistent the findings are with reality. The challenge of
reliability in the social sciences involves the notion that human behavior is ever changing.
Traditional research calls for a reliable study to be reproducible. However, given the
various factors involved in studying education, reproducing a qualitative study will not
supply the same results (Merriam, 2001). Therefore, the reliability of a qualitative study
lies in the consistency between the data collected and the results. In qualitative research,

59
the researcher is the interpreter of what is being observed as well as the interpreter of data
collected. To conduct a case study that is valid and reliable, a researcher would be wise
to take the advice of Patton (2002), who stated, “Do your very best with your full intellect
to fairly represent the data and communicate what the data reveal given the purpose of
the study” (p. 433).
To enhance the validity of this case study, several strategies presented by
Merriam (2001) will be incorporated. Merriam recommended using multiple sources of
data to verify emergent findings. The use of interviews and analysis of documents and
other materials supply multiple sources to assist in validating the case study. Another
strategy to provide validity to a case study is through member checks. Member checks
take data and initial interpretations back to the participants in the study to confirm if the
results are reasonable. Lastly, researcher bias is addressed prior to data collection.
Limitations
A case study methodology was used to analyze how an institution’s global
engagement, in the form of its co-op program, created connections with its surrounding
community. Additionally, the perceptions of potential connections of the co-op program
with the surrounding community were gathered from various individuals associated with
the program. Since this study focused on one institution’s global engagement activities,
the generalizability will be limited to other campuses. Additionally, some of the data
from the documents may not have been developed for research purposes and determining
the authenticity and accuracy of the data may be a limitation. However, this case study
provided an in-depth look at an institution’s global engagement and may be applicable to
other institutions with similar settings and/or programs.

60

Delimitations
One of the delimitations of this program was the framework chosen by the
researcher to provide analysis of the problem. The study was limited to the four-year,
private institution that has specific characteristics in its undergraduate programs. Another
delimitation could be the individuals who were interviewed. Faculty and staff who were
interviewed have close ties to the international co-op and/or other forms of global
engagement; therefore, their perceptions may be different and not representative of other
faculty and staff members at Northeastern. Additionally, the students and alumni who
were interviewed represent a small sample of students and alumni who were involved in
the international co-op. These student and alumni perspectives are not meant to be
representative of the experiences of all students who have participated in the international
co-op. As such, the perspectives of the students and alumni may have limited
generalizability, as they do not represent all of the geographical and cultural backgrounds
of students at Northeastern. Also, this was not an evaluation or assessment of
Northeastern’s co-op program, but an in-depth examination into the possible connections
the program has with its surrounding community.

61
CHAPTER IV
FINDINGS
This chapter presents the results of the study using qualitative case study analysis
to identify the connections Northeastern University’s global engagement has to its
surrounding community. The data were collected during a four-day visit to Northeastern
University in Boston, Massachusetts that included interviews of fourteen individual
student, faculty, and staff interviews as well as two group interviews involving a total of
twelve students. An analysis of documents and other materials was conducted to code
the data and discern themes. The data was analyzed, synthesized, and presented in a way
as to better understand how the roles of various individuals and groups and how they may
create connections to the surrounding community using Marginson and Rhoades’ (2002)
theoretical glonacal agency heuristic.
Northeastern University is a private university that has a reputation as a global,
experiential, urban research university. Its signature program is the co-op program,
which has been in existence for over 100 years. While the majority of the students
participate in the co-op program, there are experiential learning opportunities in service
learning, research, internships, and study abroad. The origins of the co-op and
experiential learning opportunities have their roots in Boston, but the opportunities have
expanded to all parts of the United States and throughout the rest of the world. There are
experiential learning opportunities in 171 cities in 85 countries, with co-op positions in
69 countries and 2,380 co-op employees worldwide (Northeastern: Experiential
Learning, 2011). Through all of the interviews, it was clear that the push for
internationalization comes from the university’s president, Dr. Joseph E. Aoun. The

62
creation of the Presidential Global Scholars Program provides up to 200 students
annually with the opportunity to participate in an international co-op experience through
financial aid (Northeastern Global Scholars, 2011). All students who apply to this
program are considered for the Presidential Global Scholars Award. An award is in the
form of a grant worth up to $6,000 and is used for program costs, living expenses such as
housing, financial need, and to offset reduced earnings while away on co-op. This is
noteworthy as several of the students who were interviewed stated that they were part of
this program and that the financial aid enabled them to pursue their international co-ops.
Additionally, from 2006-2011, there has been a 445% increase in the number of
international students attending Northeastern (Northeastern: By Any Measure, 2011).
These are just some examples of how Northeastern University is expanding its
international reach.
This chapter answers the overarching research question of how Northeastern
University’s global engagement, in the form of its co-op program, creates connections
with its surrounding community. Subsequent sections will explore the responses to the
following sub-questions:
A. SUB-QUESTION: How do agents—the staff, faculty, and students involved in
the international co-op—perceive the potential benefits of the co-op program?
B. SUB-QUESTION: How do the agents—the staff, faculty, and students involved
in the international co-op—perceive the potential connections of the co-op
program with the surrounding community?
The first sub-question addressed how staff, faculty, and students perceive the benefits
of being a part of the international co-op program. This sub-question is relevant as it

63
explores the individuals’ motivations and perceptions regarding the co-op program as
well as discovering what the perceived benefits of participation and acquired skills and
knowledge taken from these international experiences. By uncovering the perceived
benefits of the co-op program, they can be used in Marginson and Rhoades’ (2002)
glonacal agency heuristic to uncover the flows and connections of reciprocity as well as
the flows of activity and influence among agencies and human agency in the dimensions
of strength, layers and conditions, and spheres. The second sub-question examined how
staff, faculty, and students perceive the potential connections of the co-op program with
the surrounding community. The importance of this sub-question lies in the perceptions
of the individuals and how their experiences have the potential to create local connections
from global experiences. Their responses provide insight to the dimensions of
reciprocity, strength, layers and conditions, and spheres as they relate to the glonacal
agency heuristic (Marginson & Rhoades, 2002). The last section provides discussion and
reflection on the researcher’s findings from the case study.
Connecting Global Engagement with its Surrounding Community
This section addresses the overarching research question of this study: How does
Northeastern University’s global engagement, in the form of its co-op program, create
connections with its surrounding community? Intensive analysis of interviews and
documents showed that Northeastern University’s global engagement does create
connections with its surrounding community, and that this occurs through the
international co-op program. However, the connection appears to be unintentional as
there was no document that stated outright the connection of the international co-op with
the surrounding community. Additionally, no one who was interviewed knew of any

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documentation that stated such a connection and were unaware of any intentional
connections. It should be noted that although this is not a stated goal or outcome, this
does not necessarily mean it is an unintended goal or consequence of the program. The
learning outcomes for the co-op state that it is “about connections and helping students
discover avenues and personal growth: adding depth to classroom studies, providing
exposure to career paths and opportunities, and inspiring students to delve deeper,
sharpen their focus, and pursue greater academic challenges” (Northeastern: Experiential
Learning, 2011). While the statement mentions connections, it does not note any
connection between international co-op and the surrounding community. There are
seventeen learning outcomes that state various personal, academic, and professional
growth with two of them that could be construed as pertaining to dimensions of
internationalization. The two outcomes are: “The student develops the ability to interact
effectively with other professionals/clients/consumers and deal effectively with cultural
and ethnic diversity issues” and “The student gains increased awareness/understanding of
the link between classroom concepts and work/world applications” (Northeastern:
Experiential Learning, 2011). While these outcomes could demonstrate an international
scope, there are no student learning outcomes that state a connection between what they
are doing internationally and connecting it to their local community. However, the
outcomes stated above and along with part of the university’s mission statement of
meeting global and societal needs could be examples of statements that infuse the
connections that are made through the international co-op.
The data was analyzed using Marginson and Rhoades’ (2002) glonacal agency
heuristic to demonstrate the interconnections at global, national, and local levels and how

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individuals’ experiences can create connections to these various levels. The glonacal
agency heuristic explores the intersecting existence and simultaneous significance of
agencies and agents at global, national, and local levels. The term agency has dual
meanings, one referring to an entity or organization and the other being people taking
action (exercising agency). In using this framework, the connections will be
demonstrated through the basic building blocks of the heuristic to which individuals are
housed, gauging connections and flows through reciprocity, and dimensions of activity
and influence through strength, layers and conditions, and spheres.
Reciprocity
Marginson and Rhoades (2002) use reciprocity to represent the idea that there is a
multidirectional flow of activity and influence. An example they used discusses the
international migration of students. The U.S. has a great number of students who come to
the country to earn their college degrees and by educating students from other countries
U.S. universities are contributing to global markets and impacting those countries from
which the students come. Simultaneously, these U.S. institutions are affected by the
global flow of students from other countries. This reciprocity occurs on many levels as
there are connections at the global, national, and local levels in regards to agencies and
human agency. Northeastern University participates in this cycle of reciprocation by the
nature of their being an international institution. Northeastern University considers itself
a leader in global experiential learning and demonstrates it through their actions. In fall
of 2011, 17% of incoming students were international students and the university has
over 1,700 full-time undergraduate international students who make up 15% of the
student body and represent 125 countries and every inhabited continent (Northeastern

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University: Overview for the International Community, 2011). Northeastern University
has the distinction of having a co-op on every continent (Northeastern Impact, Spring
2011).
Reciprocal connections.
While Northeastern University’s global engagement is unquestioned, how does it
connect with the surrounding community: the Greater Boston area? Although the
connections may not be intentional, they do exist and are reciprocal in nature as students
from Northeastern have taken their experiences from other countries and taken action in
Boston. All of the students who were interviewed noted that their experiences in the
international co-op connected to their experiences in Boston. Based on student and
alumni interview responses, almost every student who participated in an international co-
op demonstrated a connection to the community through action in the form of
volunteering or working for a local organization related to their co-op experiences.
Students who had not created connections based on action in the community had recently
returned to the Boston area and where in the process of looking for job opportunities that
connected to their international co-op experiences. Students used their knowledge and
global perspective they gained to connect to the community.
One student did her co-op with a community health clinic in a township of South
Africa and was able to see the effect of AIDS on the community. Upon return to Boston,
she has become more involved locally, working with an AIDS action committee in
Boston. She stated, “I will hopefully be able to make weekly phone calls to some of the
people the committee serves who have HIV/AIDS from underserved populations to see if
they need help with meds…more moral support than clinic based.” She stated that her

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experience in South Africa made her more aware and open to understanding different
cultures, hearing stories from people of different cultures, and was now more apt to take
action. Her comments regarding her experience in South Africa speak to the influence of
reciprocity. The people she came into contact with during her co-op influenced her, and
this resulted in her taking action in the local community.
Another student went to Cambodia to work as a part of a leadership team to teach
17-22 year-old women. These women came from rural provinces and received
scholarships to come to the capital city, Phnom Phen, to receive their education. The
student helped teach them English, critical thinking skills, and leadership. After her co-
op, she returned to Boston and applied for Teach for America because “I am a huge
proponent of education as a way to help solve world problems to help local and
international communities.” After Cambodia, she liked the idea of women’s
empowerment and economic development and she noted that economic and gender
inequalities are not just in developing nations, but in the U.S. as well. Her experience in
Cambodia spurred her to think about conditions locally:
Why does my sister have to pass a test in her private school or get kicked out of it
and put in a Boston public school rampant with violence. Economic inequalities
are rocking this country. You go and provide education to girls who want it but
don’t have access; different than those who have it but don’t value it and tell you
to screw off and have a nice life. If no one stops it, it will be a culture and cycle
that repeats itself. If someone gives a damn, that kid will be in school and not
rely on the social services of this country.

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This comment demonstrates the connections the student made between her international
co-op experience and conditions that exist on a national and local level. By acting upon
her thoughts, she was exercising human agency through her higher education.
The researcher interviewed a recent alumna of the program who described how
her international experiences connected her to the surrounding community. Her
international experiences included a co-op in Ecuador and two Dialogue of Civilization
trips, one to Costa Rica and the other to South Africa. A Dialogue of Civilizations’ trip is
five-week, faculty-led trips to one or more countries for the purposes of having
Northeastern students connect with peers in a variety of environments and to provide
them with an experience that builds and enhances their academic studies (Northeastern
Study Abroad, 2011). As a result of her experiences, she connected to the surrounding
community in a variety of ways. Her trip to South Africa caused her to think about being
more active in the community and led her to working with a community organization
working in schools. She used her experience to teach junior high students about poverty
in Africa and showed them ways they could help. It also strengthened her desire to
become more involved in activism to make the local community more aware of global
issues. She demonstrated reciprocity by being active in the local community and trying
to influence others and building a connection to the people she came in contact with in
South Africa.
Her interest in international issues and the Spanish language led her to her trip to
Costa Rica and her co-op to Ecuador. She worked for Amazon Watch in Ecuador and
worked with programs to benefit the residents of the Amazonian region of South
America. Her experiences were amplified when the organization became involved in an

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environmental case against Chevron/Texaco. She identified this experience as a
tremendous learning opportunity. When she returned to Boston, she showed a film based
on her experiences and talked to several classes about what was going on in Ecuador and
what they could do to help. Her experience helped shape her outlook as she saw national
and local similarities and she stated, “it also opened me to…there are tons of
communities in Massachusetts and California that are exposed to environmental hazards
that are giving them cancer, like the Chevron refinery in Richmond, CA.” While she has
a full-time job in the Cambridge, MA, a job that was linked to her experiences as an
undergrad, she found time to volunteer at the Amigos School, a bilingual school in the
area. Once a week she would read to a second grader in Spanish. She volunteered
because “it’s cool and I definitely want to keep doing something connected to that global
focus.” Her experiences as a student and alumna reflect the connection her international
experience has on her local actions and how the knowledge she has taken from other
cultures is brought back to the surrounding community.
A student with aspirations of going to medical school not only expanded her
knowledge and skill set, but also learned about cultural differences that may influence her
back in Boston. Her co-op took place in Nepal, the country in which she was born. Her
family moved the U.S. when she was three and she wanted to do her co-op there to
connect to her native land. During her co-op, she worked for a government hospital, a
pediatric hospital, and a private sector hospital. Having worked in a local hospital in
Boston, she witnessed the disparities between a hospital setting in the U.S. versus one in
a developing country like Nepal. However, she also recognized the connections between
conditions in Nepal and conditions in the U.S. She felt that there were issues in the

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hospitals in Nepal regarding organization and patient interactions. From here experience
working in hospitals in Boston, she realized that these issues exist at home as well. The
experience made her more aware of her surroundings in Boston. She realized that there
are many different cultures in Boston and her experience from her international co-op
opened her eyes to the diversity that surrounds her locally.
With regard to cultural differences, she noted that time is treated differently in
places like Nepal versus the U.S. She observed:
In Nepal, things are slow paced, it taught me to breathe and not take things for
granted. Here you’re doing a million things at once and people take time much
more seriously and there (Nepal), if they tell me they want to meet at 9:15 they
really mean 10:30. Understanding people’s time, before I went on co-op I was
expecting everything to be on time. If people say they are going to in a meeting at
noon they’ll be there at noon. Now, if they’re there I am fine, whenever…it
changed my mindset.
The experiences she had in Nepal allowed her to create connections to the community
back in Boston. The reciprocal influences of the hospitals she worked at and the people
and patients she worked with expanded her view of conditions locally. She brought that
view with her in jobs and internships she holds in the Boston area, thereby connecting
various agencies and agents on global and local levels.
Students were not alone in noting connections between their international co-op
experience and their surrounding community. Several of the faculty and staff who were
interviewed discussed the connections they saw through the students they work with in
regards to connecting the global with the local. One senior international co-op counselor

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mentioned the location of Northeastern being a benefit for creating global-to-local
connections. The counselor spoke of the experience of seeing students come back to
Boston and realizing that it is a diverse city with many cultures. The students explored
parts of Boston they did not before. The counselor gave an example of a student coming
back from India and seeking opportunities to connect to the Indian culture in Boston
through seeking out local organizations and sharing experiences with the local Indian
community. Another senior co-op counselor spoke of how some students come back
from having been immersed in the culture and understanding it to a certain level and
“coming back and contributing to that community and integration, helping out with social
services here.” Both of these examples demonstrate how students have returned from an
international co-op and connected to the surrounding community in a way they might not
have before by seeking out the culture from their co-op and connecting to that culture.
They also demonstrate how students took action in the local community as a result of
their experiences. These examples show how reciprocity has a multi-directional flow that
is not predicated on hierarchy, but on individuals sharing experiences and exercising
agency.
A faculty member observed that upon their return students often wrote about their
experiences in reflections about their work with community organizations and how they
applied the knowledge they took from their experiences. The faculty member noted the
importance of this connection as many of her students work in the local community upon
graduation. The application of the knowledge they acquired was another way in which
reciprocity occurred and was carried through agencies and agents at global, national, and
local levels.

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Every student who participated in the international co-op created connections with
the surrounding community. This occurred by applying the knowledge they acquired
while participating in an international co-op and using it in a volunteer or work position
in Boston. Through their actions in creating connections to the community, students
demonstrated the dimension of reciprocity in Marginson and Rhoades’ (2002) glonacal
agency heuristic. According to Marginson and Rhoades, the idea of reciprocity is that
activity and influence has a multi-directional flow among countries and global, national,
and local agencies and agents. Based on that idea, students were influenced by their
experiences working with an agency and the various individuals in another country that
operates on a local, national, or international scale. Upon return to Boston these students
sought out opportunities to connect their experiences in the form of volunteering or
working with an agency in Boston. By working for a local agency, students have the
opportunity to influence that agency through their efforts within that organization. This
illustration of reciprocity existing on global, national, and local levels and amongst
agencies and agents in a multi-directional flow provides an example of the
interconnections brought about by the students’ participation in the international co-op.
Strength, Layers and Conditions, and Spheres
While Marginson and Rhoades (2002) used reciprocity to represent the
multidirectional flow of activity and influence, the dimensions of strength, layers and
conditions, and spheres represents the flows of activity and influence among
organizational agencies and collective human action. Strength is determined by the
magnitude and flow of directness of the activity and influence. This helps determine
stronger or weaker, indirect or direct links between levels and domains. Part of this

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determination is the availability of resources to agencies and agents. Northeastern
University has certainly seen an upswing in the amount of money it has received from
donors over the past several years.
Strength through resources.
Since 2007, Northeastern University’s yearly fundraising average has more than
doubled and it generated $53.5 million in new gifts and pledges during the 2011fiscal
year (News at Northeastern, 2011). Northeastern University highlighted its achievements
of the 2011 fiscal year by showing some highlights of it being named to Worth
magazine’s list of “10 Most Fiscally Responsible Nonprofit Organizations”
(Northeastern: Giving, 2011). Among the notable highlights was the fact that
Northeastern University’s gifts of one million dollars have increased over 402% in the
last five years. Additionally, it mentioned their successful 2011 fiscal year, where five
colleges received gifts of one million dollars or more from new donors, and over 21,000
first time donors joined in the giving, which was an increase of more than 17% from the
previous year. Why is this important? As Northeastern acquires more material
resources, it will have the opportunity to increase its global influence. Additionally, the
increase in Northeastern University’s material resources could provide more
opportunities to fund programs for students, fund research projects for faculty, and
employ more staff to grow its programs. By creating more activities through its
expanded resources, Northeastern has the opportunity to expand its reach.

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The influence of the co-op.
Layers and conditions “refer to the historically embedded structures in which
current activity and influence are based, and the current circumstances that make it
possible for lines of force and effect to move from one level to another, global, national,
and local” (Marginson & Rhoades, 2002, pp. 292-293). In the case of Northeastern, a
major historically embedded structure is the co-op program. The co-op program is the
signature program of the university and it has been in place for more than a century.
Northeastern responded to the internationalization of higher education by starting
international co-ops in 2005. The Senior Director of Central Co-op felt that the
international co-op reinforced the signature program as well as putting a new spin on it.
He believed that Northeastern strives to provide transformative experiences for its
students and that the co-op is a transformative experience, whether domestic or
international. He felt the combination of a quality co-op experience combined with six
months of living in a different culture provides the most intense experience for the
students. One of the senior international co-op counselors believed that having the co-op
as part of the curriculum for over 100 years made the installation of the international co-
op a smooth transition. By having the co-op program in place, Northeastern was able to
respond to the demands of globalization by enhancing its signature program through the
incorporation of the international component. Having that structure in place allowed
Northeastern to move from local and national levels to global levels. The presence of the
co-op program and addition of the international co-op provided students with the
opportunity to work internationally and use their experiences in ways that can connect to
the surrounding community.

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Spheres of influence.
The final dimension of Marginson and Rhoades (2002) theoretical glonacal
agency heuristic is spheres. These spheres represent the activity and influence of agency
and agencies’ activity through geographical and functional scopes. Marginson and
Rhoades (2002) suggested that in the process of identifying a global, national, or local
agency, the reader may look at the heuristic and ponder, “what is the volume, the extent
of this agency’s reach, how much space in the world does this agency occupy?” (p. 293).
Using Marginson and Rhoades’ (2002) terms, Northeastern is an agency. In terms of
global reach, Northeastern continues to expand. Since 2006, there has been a 145%
increase in the number of international co-ops and 195% increase in global co-op
employers (Northeastern: By Any Measure, 2011). In the 2010-2011 school year,
students participated in international co-ops in 69 different countries, in over 100 cities,
and covering all seven continents (Northeastern: Experiential Learning, 2011).
Additionally, international alumni chapters have been established in the United Kingdom,
France, Greece, Hong Kong, Turkey, Singapore, and parts of the Middle East, all since
2006 (Northeastern: By Any Measure, 2011). Furthermore, there were 285 alumni events
held worldwide in 2010-2011, as compared to 150 in 2006.
Northeastern University and its faculty have research collaborations with global
partners in industry, government, and other academic institutions, with notable
partnerships in Greece, Israel, and China (Northeastern, By Any Measure, 2011).
Northeastern’s efforts to internationalize have not gone unnoticed as it received the 2010
Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization from NAFSA: Association
of International Educators and the 2011 Andrew Heiskill Award for Innovation in

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International Education from the Institute of International Education. These international
collaborations and awards as well as the expansive growth in international co-op
opportunities, international co-op employers, and international alumni chapters and
events mentioned previously demonstrate Northeastern University’s scope of activity and
influence in the international community and identifies Northeastern as a global agency.
On a national level, there are over 6,300 students participating co-ops with over
2,000 employers in 34 states (Northeastern: Experiential Learning, 2011). Since 2006,
Northeastern has received almost $89 million in federal research awards from the
National Institutes of Health, Department of Homeland Security, National Science
Foundation, Department of Energy, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and
the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Northeastern: By Any Measure, 2011).
While there are no numbers in regards to co-ops, Northeastern works with more than 200
community-service partners, provides more than $19 million in financial aid for Boston
residents each year, and has reported $370 million in direct and indirect economic impact
in Boston (Northeastern At a Glance, 2012).
Based on these data, Northeastern is an agency at the global, national, and local
levels. While it would be difficult to define how much space it occupies in the world, it
appears that Northeastern’s reach extends into the six sides of the central hexagon that
make up the building blocks of Marginson and Rhoades’ (2002) glonacal agency
heuristic. It would appear that Northeastern occupies space in global agencies, global
human agency, national agencies, national human agency, local agencies, and local
human agency. The heuristic breaks into three other hexagons, with more specified
building blocks and they are government and non-government agencies, human agency in

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polities, economic agencies and markets, human agency in economies, educational and
professional agencies, and human agency in higher education at global, national, and
local levels. Looking at each of these at the global, national, and local levels,
Northeastern occupies space in almost all of these building blocks at every level.
Based on the information available, the researcher cannot state with certainty that
Northeastern occupies space in every category of the glonacal agency heuristic.
However, by looking at the connections and flows brought about by reciprocity and the
activity and influence of organizational agencies and collective human agency in the
dimensions of strength, layers and conditions, and spheres and through the analysis of
data from interviews and documents as they relate to Northeastern, a few ideas become
clear. Northeastern has a structure in place, in the form of the international co-op
program, which allows students to engage in international experiences. The students who
have these international experiences come back to Northeastern and connect with
surrounding community. While these connections to the surrounding community may
not be intentional, they occur nonetheless. These connections manifest themselves in a
variety of settings. A student may share his/her experience with a class or through video
presentations. A student may take that experience with him/her and use it within an
organization as a volunteer, intern, or worker who thereby connects that experience and
knowledge to the new position. Others may connect to the surrounding community by
seeking out that culture in Boston by exploring parts of town they may not have
otherwise, or seeking out locals from that culture and share their experiences. Students
from Northeastern connect their international experience to their surrounding community
in many ways.

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Benefits of the International Co-op
This section addresses sub-question A: How do agents—the staff, faculty, and
students involved in the international co-op—perceive the potential benefits of the co-op
program? The purpose of this question is to gain insight into the motivations and
perceptions of the students, faculty, and staff as it relates to their participation in the
international co-op program. Their responses are connected to the dimensions of
reciprocity, strength, layers and conditions, and spheres that are part of the glonacal
agency heuristic (Marginson & Rhoades, 2002).
Global Perspective and Reciprocity
Student responses from the interviews showed that they believe there are many
benefits of participating in the international co-op. Every student who participated in an
international co-op experience mentioned the benefit of obtaining a broader, or global,
perspective. One of the alumni noted, “I started realizing what was going on in the world
and how America would relate to those changes…I learned the value of being sensitive of
other perspectives and worldview.” This quote provides an accurate representation of
the feelings the students had in having their perspectives broadened or changed. It should
be noted that this benefit is also mentioned as a co-op learning outcome.
A student who traveled to South Africa for her co-op described her experience
working at a community health clinic and how it gave her perspective. She noted
thoughtfully, “I have a lot of respect, more for people who weren’t born here (U.S.) or
have unfortunate circumstances happen to them.” She went on to describe how she took
many things for granted growing up in a small town of mostly white people in upstate
New York. Reflecting back on her time in South Africa, she felt that it was humbling

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experience. She noticed that the culture of the people she encountered while working for
at the health-clinic was more relationship-based. It was a sharp contrast from her
perception of the U.S. culture where she feels it is more money-based and driven by
success. It made her realize that there were more important things in her life other than
getting great grades in school; she now realized she would emphasize keeping her friends
and family close. This was an important discovery for her and it mirrors the multi-
directional flow and influence of reciprocity (Marginson & Rhoades, 2002).
A student who recently returned from South America talked about his growth in
terms of having a global perspective. He discussed how his views changed since his co-
op experience:
It was hard for me back then to work in an environment with people from
different cultures and getting used to the culture or frame of reference. Working
in an environment with a lot of diversity, I could definitely do it now. It’s easier
for me now.
Another student who returned from her co-op in India noticed that she was more aware of
the world and the conditions of the world. A recent alumna recalled her thoughts after
returning from Ecuador and how her thoughts shifted to global issues. She wanted to be
more involved in activism on campus but was not satisfied with the issues that students
were participated in on campus. She noted that the issues that other students were worthy
causes, but she did not want to be contained to strictly campus causes. She exclaimed,
“Why isn’t there a group working on bigger issues in the world? [I] Had [a] bigger
mindset, not [just] college issues.” Through their experiences with the international co-
op, the perceptions of these students changed as they expressed a larger, more global

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outlook. Their immersion into a different culture made them more aware of issues
occurring outside of the U.S. and made the more comfortable in diverse settings. Their
global perspective was enhanced by their interactions with other people from different
parts of the world. This is reciprocity on display showing how others influenced them
and how their actions and interactions with other people in the surrounding community
have the ability to be influential.
Students were not the only ones who thought that participation in the international
co-op created a more global perspective. The majority of the faculty and staff who were
interviewed mentioned global perspective more than any other benefit. A faculty
member discussed the merits of international experience by comparing it to the work a
student might do domestically:
Even if they choose to remain in the U.S. and train clinically, they will still work
with people who are not from here and are different from them. I think an
international experience goes above and beyond anything tourism allows them, if
they’re open to it, getting to know what the other shoe feels like. Getting to know
a culture a little bit and be able to relate to it, working with immigrant families,
how foreign it is and these experiences are for the immigrant family. They can
hopefully be more sensitive to any deviation from what they think is the norm.
One of the senior international co-op counselors enthusiastically discussed the benefits of
students engaging in international co-op and when it came to student’s getting a global
perspective she said, “that’s an awareness you can’t teach in a book or gain in the
U.S....When you go out of the U.S., living in different country, the whole perspective
changes and I think it’s a very valuable attitude perspective.” Another senior

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international co-op counselor echoed those sentiments by saying that students who
participate in international co-ops develop cultural competency skills. These counselors
noticed how students benefitted from the influence of others through reciprocity.
By obtaining a broader, more global perspective, students demonstrate
reciprocity. These students were affected by their experiences and became more global
in their views, thus connecting other cultures to their own. Simultaneously, their actions
may impact others as the students may change perceptions that are held about them by
other people from various backgrounds. The influence is multi-directional. Faculty and
staff noticed these changes in their students and that may affect them in such a way as to
help mold their views as well. While there is no available information that demonstrates
whether or not the students transformed or affected the lives of the people they came in
contact with during their co-op, the comments made by the students, alumni, faculty, and
staff suggest that the students’ interactions with people from another culture changed
their perspective to one that is more global.
Personal and Professional Growth Through Layers and Conditions
Another theme that emerged from the interviews was personal growth that the
students gained while on co-op. Words such as maturity, confidence, and self-reliance
were used to describe some of the personal growth that occurred within the students.
Reflecting back on his experiences in South America and how he adapted quickly to
living in a different country with a different culture during co-op, a student stated with
confidence, “I learned that I could do anything if I put my mind to it…[I] came back with
the mindset if I can do that, I can do anything.” Confidence was also displayed through
one student’s reflection of her experiences in South Africa as she proclaimed, “I’m

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different than other classmates, I am looking for the path less taken.” Quotes such as
these were typical responses from students who were interviewed about the perceived
benefits of their international co-op experiences. Gaining increased confidence in a
student’s academic studies and workplace is a learning outcome of the co-op program
and the maturity the students spoke of could be perceived in all of the learning outcomes.
These perceived benefits are due in large part to the structure of Northeastern. By having
the co-op as its signature program and expanding it internationally, Northeastern provides
opportunities for its students to move from local to global levels through the structure of
the co-op program.
After two co-ops, one in Cambodia and another one in Paraguay, a soon-to-be
graduate remarked that her experiences enabled her to develop “personal growth in a big
way…you become a lot more adaptable, more easy-going.” Another student who will
graduate in the spring of 2011 and head for medical school at another institution in
Boston said her co-op experiences “made me, honestly, feel like a different person. I feel
a lot more mature, a lot more aware of the world, conditions of the world, aware of
myself. I feel older, more responsible, feel I benefitted a lot.” An alumna of the co-op
programmed reflected on her experiences and described them as a “skin
thickener…learned a lot about taking chances and asking for work…helped me be more
assertive and outgoing in that sense.” Another student who went to Nepal for co-op saw
her personal growth through her experiences of being in a foreign country by herself and
“learned more about myself and what I can and can’t handle. It was a very difficult
experience for me, being out of my comfort zone and tossed into a different country with
different culture, norms, standards.” The experiences these students had and the personal

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growth they developed occurred during their time participating in the international co-op
program. In this way, Northeastern’s inclusion of the co-op as part of its curriculum
enabled the students to have these opportunities for growth and to move from local to
global levels. Additionally, by having the co-op in place, Northeastern was able to adjust
to current conditions by internationalizing the co-op to enable students to function at
global, national, and local levels.
When discussing the benefits of the international co-op program, many students
mentioned the influence it had on them in regards to their outlook for the future. The
words used to convey this outlook were focus and clarity. For every student, their
international co-op experiences have shaped their future goals. The identification of
career/professional plans or options is another learning outcome of the co-op.
Several of the students who were pre-med majors indicated that they would like to
pursue a career or further their education with a Masters of Public Health (MPH). This is
significant because none of them started out with the intention of going into public
health, but their experiences from the international co-op spurred their interest and
influenced their aspirations. Many said that their experiences clarified their career goals.
One student cited her experiences during the co-op as reinforcement for her goal of
attending medical school because “the biggest benefit was cementing my decision of this
being what I want to do. Med school is a pretty big commitment and you better make
sure this is what you want to do with your life.” The student responses demonstrate the
influence of the international co-op program as their experiences in the program has
helped to shape and clarify their academic and professional pursuits. Additionally, half
of the students indicated that they would be more open to the idea of working or living

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abroad. Northeastern University students and graduates indicating an interest in potential
international career paths has the ability to add to the activity and influence that
Northeastern could have on global, national, and local levels.
While students described the personal growth they felt during their co-ops, faculty
and staff also noticed the changes in the individuals who went abroad. One senior
international co-op counselor reflected back on her years of experience working with
students who engage in international co-ops and summarized what she took from their
experiences. She believed “being in another setting, you learn to depend on
yourself…when you’re in another country, everything you do requires some type of
cognitive process like processing what a sign says whether to take this train or that train.”
She went on to mention when students come back from co-op, “they’re completely
different people, not better people, but more worldly, they get it, they get our
relationships with other countries.” Her responses mirrored the responses of students
who indicated that they learned so many different things while abroad and how each
student mentioned how they came back different, more confident and mature with a
global perspective.
Another senior international co-op counselor found through his experiences with
students who go abroad and return to Boston was that they came back more mature and
they tended to take more risks from a place of confidence. Furthermore, the Director of
Central Co-op noticed that students with international experience came back “a different
kind of student.” He felt that students come back with a better understanding of what is
going on in the classroom and how their co-op relates to real life and enhances the
educational process to bring about the different kind of student he mentioned previously.

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He added that they acquire skills they would not have with maturity and self-confidence.
Both a faculty member and a senior international co-op counselor remarked that students
come back from their international co-ops more mature and as the faculty member stated
unequivocally, “With every single one, they mature.” One of the major perceived
benefits of the international co-op is personal growth, but students grew tremendously in
another area as well.
By providing opportunities to work full-time in positions related to their academic
interests, the co-op program provides students with the opportunity to develop
professional skills that will enable them to enhance their chances of finding employment
as an undergraduate or post graduation. Every student who was interviewed mentioned
how the skills they acquired on their international co-ops where applicable upon return to
the Boston area. Among skills that students perceived to be beneficial to their
professional development were interpersonal skills such as learning to work with and
problem solve with different people in the office as well as speaking to donors of an
organization. An alumna noted that her ability to relate to other people from different
cultures and form working relationships quickly was due to her international experience
in relating to the different cultures she encountered. Several of them also talked about
how much they learned about their respective field or as many referred to it, “on the job
training.” Many of the students were health care majors and being able to have firsthand
experiences was invaluable. One of the students spoke passionately about her
experience:

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Getting a chance to talk to the doctor and see patients with a particular disorder
and the best way to go about treating them. It wasn’t things I’d see in the U.S.; it
was cool to see all of this and have all this firsthand experience.
Additionally, the experience the students had was beneficial in and of itself. Several
students talked about being able to have their experiences on a résumé and being able to
talk about their experiences in interviews. Through the structure of the co-op, students
are provided with the opportunity to gain and enhance their professional skills on a global
level.
Half of the students who had an international co-op experience noted learning a
valuable skill for the global world: a new language. The predominant language learned
by the research subjects was Spanish, but one student learned a little Swahili. In the case
of one of the alumna, knowing Spanish was an essential component of landing her
current job. During her co-op she translated materials from Spanish to English and vice
versa. As she was looking for a job, an employer needed a contract translator to translate
a program that was written in Spanish and needed to be in English to use in Africa. She
worked on a team for a few months and that was how she got her foot in the door. She
said that translating under the pressure of a deadline was a valuable job skill she learned.
As she moves forward with organization she was working for at the time of the interview,
her language skills play an important role as “Spanish is important because more than
half of the organization is bilingual, so it definitely helps me in my job.” This example of
a former student finding employment as a result of her experiences and development
through the international co-op program demonstrates how the embedded structure of the
co-op program enables students and graduates to operate on global and local levels.

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When asked about the benefits students acquire through their international co-ops,
the responses of the faculty and staff mirrored the responses of the students. All of them
spoke about the overall experience the students having during their co-ops and being in
international settings. They felt like the experience makes them better candidates for
jobs. One senior international co-op counselor stated, “International experience makes
the student more marketable…they bring more to the table with clients who are not U.S.-
based.” Another senior international co-op counselor noted that hiring a student who has
international experience is a great way to diversify a staff. She felt that the international
experience was huge because “[We] can’t deny we’re in a global world, working cross-
culturally and across borders. International opportunities are valuable-huge benefit, huge
plus. It looks good on a résumé, in an interview; it’s a great talking point, catches the
attention of the employer.” These responses were reflective of the faculty and staff who
were interviewed as they felt international experience reinforced and expanded the
learning outcomes associated with the professional aspects of the co-op.
The overwhelming majority of students at Northeastern choose to participate in
the co-op. Students typically complete two to three co-ops during their undergraduate
career. Many of the faculty and staff pointed to the length of time students spend on co-
op as a benefit for professional growth. The Director of Central Co-op stated that a
benefit of participating in co-op is having at least a year’s worth of work experience in a
given field before a student even graduates and that makes them attractive to employers.
A faculty member swelled with pride when she discussed her students and their
opportunities regarding employment. As a department, she mentioned how they feel
good because “our students graduate and get employment in their field of choice and that

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is due largely to the fact they’ve had an enormous amount of experience by the time they
graduate.” She also mentioned that students who participate in co-op work in their field
and that informs their professional development and skills as an emerging practitioner in
the field. The belief that the faculty and staff have regarding the benefits of co-op
experience leading to better job opportunities is well founded. In 2010, 90% of
Northeastern graduates were employed or enrolled in graduate school within nine months
of graduation and 50% of them received a job offer from a previous co-op employer
(Northeastern: By Any Measure, 2011). While the 90% does not necessarily reflect the
results of the co-op program, let alone the international co-op, the fact that 90% of
Northeastern students participate in co-op during their undergraduate years provides a
good indication of the benefits of participating and gaining professional experience.
There appears to be consensus amongst those who were interviewed that students
experience personal and professional growth on their co-ops. What allows this to occur?
Using layers and conditions from Marginson and Rhoades’ (2002) framework, the
embedded structure of the co-op program is the conduit for the opportunities for personal
and professional growth. It is the signature program of the university and provides the
opportunity for students to work internationally and forge these experiences. Without the
program, these opportunities for personal and professional growth would not occur as
they do now. Another part of the layers and conditions is the current circumstances
allowing moves from global, to national, to local levels through force and effect. The
current circumstances include the President’s push for internationalizing the university,
thereby expanding the international co-op program and creating opportunities for these
students to move along global, national, and local levels.

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Students, faculty, and staff perceived there to be many benefits of the co-op
program. They were in agreement that participation in the international co-op provides
students with a global perspective. Through obtaining a global perspective, students were
more aware of conditions and issues around the world as well as developing respect and
sensitivity for different cultures. Every person who was interviewed noted personal
growth as a benefit of the co-op. This personal growth took the form of increased
maturity and confidence as a student and a professional. Participation in the international
co-op provided students with clarity and focus regarding their academic and professional
pursuits. All who were interviewed agreed that professional growth was a benefit of
participation in the co-op. Students felt that their co-op experiences increased their
interpersonal skills such as the ability to work with people from diverse cultures. Having
the international co-op experience and being able to have it on a résumé were perceived
benefits of the program. Half of the students mentioned learning a new language as a
benefit. With the exception of learning a new language, all of the benefits that were
mentioned coincide with the learning outcomes of the co-op program.
Connections of the International Co-op
This section addresses sub-question B: How do the agents—the staff, faculty, and
students involved in the international co-op—perceive the potential connections of the
co-op program to the surrounding community? The purpose of this question is to explore
the perceptions of students, faculty, and staff to find out if they feel their international
experiences have the potential to connect to the local community. Their responses were
analyzed using Marginson and Rhoades’ (2002) theoretical glonacal agency heuristic to
demonstrate the potential connections and reasons for them. All of the students felt that

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international co-op experiences created connections with the surrounding community.
The connections were through their work as volunteers, interns, or employees for
organizations related to their work during their co-op. Faculty and staff provided
examples of students creating connections to the surrounding community through their
experiences in the co-op. Additionally, students felt that the co-op should connect to the
surrounding community through educational programs that can share the knowledge
created from their experiences and through cross-cultural exchanges.
Global to Local Reciprocity
Students were asked how their international co-op changed their perspective on
local conditions and the vast majority gave examples of how their experience connected
to the surrounding communities around Northeastern and the Greater Boston area. Many
spoke of how they were compelled to volunteer or seek internship or employment
opportunities based on their international experience. Their local experiences ranged
from teaching children about poverty in Africa and teaching children Spanish to being
involved in the African community locally in support of an AIDS action committee. In
each of these instances, the students were influenced by the people they worked with and
for during their co-ops and they have taken their experiences to connect with the
surrounding community. Their community engagement provides an example of
reciprocity and demonstrates how activity and influence are multi-directional among
agencies and human agency, with no pattern of hierarchy. This enables individuals to
influence organizations and vice versa, creating an exchange of influence. These types of
interconnections are like the hexagonal shape of heuristic, a figure that can be rotated to

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any position with no side “above” another, as opposed to a triangular pyramid figure with
inherent hierarchical dimensions (Marginson & Rhoades, 2002).
One student discussed how her experiences in India and Kenya influenced her to
pursue a dual degree when starting medical school in the fall of 2012 at another local
institution. Her goal is to earn her MD and MPH. Part of the requirement is to complete
a two-month field experience and she plans to go internationally. She noted that her
experiences in the international co-op “showed me I want to do an MPH, it showed me
what fields I’m interested in, particularly HIV/AIDS and reproductive health care.” She
elaborated on how she had been interested in women’s health prior to her co-op
experiences, but her experience in a remote province in India cemented her decision as
she witnessed the oppression women face in that area and how the women there inspired
her. This student’s co-op experiences demonstrated the non-hierarchical influence of
reciprocity. She was influenced by her experiences with the oppressed women she met in
India and now she is taking that experience and using it to mold her education and
potential career aspirations.
Global to Local Connections through Layers and Conditions
Students were asked about their perceptions regarding the potential connections
the international co-op program has made for them in the surrounding community. All of
the students who participated in the international co-op demonstrated a connection
between their experiences in the international co-op with the surrounding community.
The responses to this question were analyzed through the lens of the building blocks of
layers and conditions, one of Marginson and Rhoades’ (2002) building blocks in their
glonacal agency heuristic. As stated previously in this chapter, layers and conditions

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refer to “historically embedded structures” and the co-op program is an embedded
structure that is the signature program at Northeastern. The move to implement and then
expand the international co-op created the condition to be able to move in and through
global, national, and local levels. Therefore, the students’ experiences in the international
co-op allowed them to be active and to have and receive influence at global, national, and
local levels. Without the international component of the co-op, these experiences would
not have occurred as they did and the students may have never had these experiences.
The previous section provided several examples of how students used their
international co-op experiences to connect with the surrounding community. Their
actions provided concrete examples of connecting the global to the local through
experience and knowledge. Their perceptions offered insights into how the international
co-op program can and should connect to the surrounding community. Students offered
their opinions of how the co-op should connect through community engagement and
interaction. One alumnus talked about how he believes the co-op can and should connect
to the surrounding community. He noted that many students have written op-eds about
their experiences in the co-op and how that connected their experiences. He felt that the
co-op and its students could educate and inform local communities and global issues to
help convince people to look beyond their own world and show them what is out there.
Educating people in the surrounding area emerged as a theme when discussing the ways
the co-op should connect to the surrounding community. Through the structure of the co-
op, Northeastern has the ability to influence the surrounding community by providing
educational opportunities that connect the community to issues on global and national
levels.

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The students reinforced this theme with their perceptions of what the co-op
program can do. One student stated how he felt it was important to spread the word and
introduce others to different cultures. He also felt it was just as important to introduce
other countries to American culture. His experience in Peru left him to ponder, “Why
can’t Peruvians do co-ops in Boston?” He felt the exchange of ideas as well as research
possibilities would be advantageous for all and it would be a way to connect Northeastern
and the city of Boston to the rest of the world. Another student believed that students
who have been in international co-ops have a responsibility to share what they have
learned to help better the surrounding community. That sentiment was echoed by a
student who felt when students come back from their international co-op they are in a
better position to work and benefit the community. She added that learning about
different cultures and being exposed to different perspectives is something students do
not get without the co-op. Additionally, she stated that bringing in a different perspective
to the surrounding community fosters a global perspective and an awareness of
globalization. She added: “If no one ever leaves their community, how can they connect
to other places? They (the students) can go out and bring things back to the community.”
Their responses demonstrated how their experiences during their co-ops influenced them
and how their thoughts and actions move through global, national, and local levels.
Other students offered perspectives on how the co-op can connect with the
surrounding community. One student reflected on her experiences in Cambodia and
talked about what she perceived as a strong family structure in that country. She
wondered about taking the lessons learned from Cambodian families and implementing a
community development initiative to reach parts of the local community that struggle to

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keep a cohesive family structure. Another student spoke about the idea that conditions
seen abroad are not unique to that area and that they are seen locally as well. She spoke
of the connection between global and local when she expressed the notion that there are
different cultures in the U.S. but many people do not notice it until they go abroad. She
felt the co-op allows students to realize the diversity of Boston as “international
experience can open your eyes a little more, to notice things you missed at home that you
see and abroad and apply solutions.” These students offered ideas that use layers and
conditions as well as reciprocity. The co-op program afforded the students the
opportunities to work internationally and the students expressed the ideas of using the
experiences to connect to the surrounding community in ways that could benefit the
community.
A student who had a co-op in Kenya created several connections to the local
community based on her experiences. Northeastern has a “Coolest Co-op” competition
where students submit videos of their experiences while participating in the co-op
program. This student won second place and her video was on movie screens around
campus when the researcher visited Northeastern. She hoped that students would be
inspired and motivated to participate in the international co-op program. Also, she
continued her work in public health and education that she started in Kenya by working
on a malnutrition project with assistance from an American volunteer to put preventative
programs in place in Kenya. She planned on going back to Kenya to implement the
malnutrition project, but was starting the malnutrition project locally in Boston. She was
working with nutritionists in Boston to get some advice and she felt like Boston, with all

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of its hospitals and health facilities, was a good place to do the work. She was involved
with fundraising in Boston for the organization she worked for in Kenya.
In addition to all of this, she started a photography website based on an idea she
and her friend had while will she was in Kenya. They began emailing each other a
prompt, quote, or a short story and took a picture related to it and talked about it. It was a
way to keep in touch. The idea for the website was to present a prompt and take a picture
of it. Her hope was the prompts would encourage people to think more in depth about
what is going on around them. In her experience, the prompts made her think differently,
look more closely, and take pictures of things she would not have ordinarily and it got her
thinking a little more and she became better connected to where she was. She said many
of the issues she presented on the website were global in nature, but the idea was to take a
picture locally. Based on Marginson and Rhoades’ (2002), this student was exercising
agency at the global, national, and local levels. Her experiences, within the structure of
the co-op, made it possible for her to move through all of the levels.
While the majority of the faculty and staff did not note any connections between
the international co-op and the surrounding community, about half of them described
how the students with whom they have worked demonstrated a connection to the
community through their co-op experiences. The connections occurred through these
students applying what they learned abroad and applying it locally through their
experiences with community organizations. Another staff member felt that the students
who participated in the international co-op connected to the surrounding community by
raising employment rates and employee retention. He explained this occurred through
multinational companies having the opportunity to pick and choose employees that fit

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their needs and that Northeastern creates a better talent pool through students having
international experience.
Strength and Northeastern University’s Spheres of Influence
As stated previously in this chapter, when seen through Marginson and Rhoades’
(2002) glonacal agency heuristic, Northeastern is an agency at the global, national, and
local levels. By virtue of it being a single institution with a limited number of students,
Northeastern’s strength could be deemed as moderate and indirect, based on examples
provided by Marginson and Rhoades (2002). However, the university’s upward
trajectory in terms of increased money received through donation and its rise in the ranks
indicates that its expanding resources may enable the university to build in strength and,
in turn, expand its influence.
One of the ways to build strength is through name recognition and prestige.
While the vast majority of students participate in the co-op at the local level and could be
seen as an integral part of the Boston workforce, many of the faculty and staff believed
the international co-op makes Northeastern more marketable and more competitive. One
of the senior international co-op counselors believed that the ability to work with
organizations that are based in different countries and having students who represent
Northeastern be in local communities abroad helped in getting Northeastern’s name out
and helped its reputation as an American institution. Another senior international co-op
counselor thought the co-op was good marketing for the university and provided the
opportunity for collaboration on research. By being in various countries around the
world, Northeastern can build relationships that may be beneficial for faculty and staff
who wish to participate in research projects with other institutions sometime in the future.

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Furthermore, by engaging in research collaborations with other institutions, Northeastern
has the ability to expand its influence nationally and internationally.
A third senior international co-op counselor felt that through the co-op program,
Northeastern was pushing out a product, in the form of its graduates, that businesses
need. The counselor contended Northeastern graduates are a “marketable package for
employers so that the employer succeeds and their reputation grows, as does ours.” The
counselor felt that Northeastern provides good talent for companies to hire and this was
reflected in the rankings as the university was judged by the curriculum and placements
of post-graduates, how long it takes them to get hired, and who was hiring them. The
counselor felt the co-op program helped create a better student and human being, a
package society and businesses want. By raising its stature through name recognition,
the university increased its prestige, and provided the opportunity to expand its
geographical and functional scope and the feeling was that it could not be accomplished
without the co-op program.
Another strength of the international co-op program is its uniqueness. One of the
senior international co-op counselors believed that the international co-op was a factor
when it comes to making the university more competitive and played a role in
Northeastern’s rise in the college rankings. The counselor noted, “There’s no other
program like the international co-op in the country that’s already built into the
curriculum.” All three senior international co-op counselors and the Senior Director of
Central Co-op stated that the unique structure of the university, with the co-op as its
signature program, enabled Northeastern to be more competitive in a very competitive
market. The Senior Director of Central Co-op noted that depending on how one defined

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the geographic region of Boston there were approximately 60 institutions. He believed
the co-op program gives the university its niche and provides entry into companies.
Ideally, having the co-op not only provides opportunities for students to work within a
company, “but provides us with the opportunity to develop relationships beyond the co-
op into fields such as research and executive education and it also enables us to more
easily to bring corporate leaders to campus.” He continued by providing an example of
the institution’s connection to a global company who has a sizable presence in Boston.
The relationship began with the co-op, but has evolved into research projects and funded
research activities as well as other activities. Additionally, top scientists from this
company come to campus. He believed none of this would have happened without the
co-op. By having the co-op incorporated into the curriculum, these individuals felt like it
allows the university to be competitive. Furthermore, the opportunities that arise from
the co-op enable the university to engage in activities that may expand its global reach.
Students, alumni, faculty, and staff perceived there to be connections between the
international co-op and the surrounding community. For students, the main form of
connection was through their actions. Upon return from their co-op, almost all of the
students engaged in the local community through volunteering, interning, or working
with local organizations that connected to their international experiences. Some of the
faculty and staff noted the same connection through their interactions and discussions
with students who participated in the international co-op. All of the students who
participated in the international co-op believed the co-op should connect to the
surrounding community. From student responses, common themes that emerged
included educational and informational connections to share knowledge with the local

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community about other cultures and various conditions and issues that are occurring in
the world. Along those same lines, several students felt that the introduction of other
cultures into the local community could create global-to-local connections and assist in
cross-cultural exchange. All of the individuals who noted connections based their
connections off of the structure of the co-op. Without the co-op program, these
connections might not exist. In their responses regarding the co-op and the perceived
connections with the surrounding community, these individuals noted actions consistent
with elements of the glonacal agency heuristic (Marginson & Rhoades, 2002). The
students’ actions demonstrated reciprocity as their actions where brought about through
their experiences with the people they encountered during their co-ops. Northeastern’s
strength, through its increased material resources and the embedded structure of the co-
op, known in the heuristic as a layers and conditions, enable students to have these
experiences and connect with the surrounding community. Lastly, Northeastern’s
expanded influence and reach, or spheres, enable it to increase its prestige while the
unique features of the co-op make the institution competitive in the market for students as
well as an attractive partner to companies.
Chapter Summary
This chapter presented the findings of this study through the analysis of interview,
documents, and materials using Marginson and Rhoades’ (2002) theoretical glonacal
agency heuristic. The overarching research question and two sub-questions were
presented as ways to determine if Northeastern University’s global engagement, in the
form of its international co-op program, creates connections with the surrounding
community and to discover the perceptions of students, faculty, and staff regarding the

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benefits of the co-op program and the potential connections it has with the surrounding
community.
While the students connected their international experiences with the surrounding
community, it appears to be unintentional. Using the dimensions of Marginson and
Rhoades’ (2002) glonacal agency heuristic, the connections were explained. Students
used the dimension of reciprocity to bring their experiences from their respective
international locations to the surrounding community. The embedded structure of the co-
op program within the curriculum at Northeastern provided layers and conditions that
enabled students to participate in international co-ops and move through global, national,
and local levels. Northeastern demonstrated that it is an agency with a global reach and
has the ability to influence agencies and agents through its strength and the dimension of
spheres.
Students benefitted through their experiences in the international co-op program
by obtaining a global perspective. The experiences of the co-op also enhanced their
personal and professional growth as well as providing them with clarity in their academic
and professional aspirations. Faculty and staff noted these benefits, as they were witness
to the growth of the students as a result of their co-op experiences. These benefits are
associated with the dimensions of reciprocity as well as layers and conditions (Marginson
& Rhoades (2002). By virtue of Northeastern having the structure of the co-op in place,
students experienced personal and professional growth through experiential learning.
Their engagement with people of different cultures influenced their perspectives and their
actions upon return to the Boston area and thereby have the potential to influence others,
creating reciprocal flows of influence.

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Students demonstrated a connection between their global engagement through the
international co-op and their actions with the surrounding community. Many students
connected to the surrounding community through reciprocity by using the knowledge and
skills they acquired abroad and infused them into their local actions. Some of the faculty
and staff acknowledged the connection through illustrations of students using their
knowledge from their international co-op experiences to connect to the surrounding
community. This connection was made possible through the structure of the co-op as
part of the university’s curriculum. The co-op plays a major role in the rise of the
institution in college rankings and the increase in material resources enables Northeastern
to increase its activity and influence on a global scale.

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CHAPTER V
DISCUSSION
The focus of this study was to examine how an institution’s international
experiential learning opportunities connect with the surrounding community and the roles
administration, staff, faculty, and students play within the institution’s global
engagement. Chapter one explained how the forces of globalization push higher
education into a more active role in international affairs and position institutions to use
the forces of globalization to create connectedness amongst various countries and
societies. Internationalization is higher education’s response to the forces of
globalization. While there are various structural and cultural changes needed to
internationalize an institution, this study looked at the way an institution’s international
experiential learning opportunities prepare students to meet the demands of a global
society.
Chapter one detailed many of the challenges that come with the
internationalization of an institution and one of the challenges institutions face is whether
or not these international efforts have a positive effect on local and regional
developments. The availability of human capital in many areas poses a hurdle when it
comes to society’s expectation of institutions educating large portions of the population.
If institutions are to succeed in educating the people in their region, they need to
understand their environment and create programs that meet the needs of the region.
Recognizing the human capital available to them, institutions can produce students and
graduates who have the necessary skills to match the needs of the region to assist in
development. This case study examined Northeastern University, located in Boston,

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Massachusetts, as it offers a unique opportunity to blend classroom experiences with real-
world experiences through its international co-op program. The central purpose of this
study was to understand how an institution’s global engagement, in the form of its co-op
program, created connections with the surrounding community.
Chapter two provided a literature review that laid the groundwork to understand
the effect globalization has on higher education and how the internationalization of an
institution can create connections with local communities. The opportunity to create
relationships in the community and with off-campus organizations can be realized
through experiential learning, the integration of classroom studies with out-of-classroom
experiences. Experiential learning can occur on local and global levels, providing the
opportunity for students to communicate across cultures and develop as global citizens.
Chapter two also introduced the framework for understanding the dynamics of
change and interconnection at global, national, and local levels. Marginson and Rhoades’
(2002) glonacal agency heuristic provides a lens to look at the concurrent significance of
global, national, and local interactions and their effects on institutions of higher
education. The structure of the glonacal agency heuristic, interconnected hexagons in
three-dimensional space, represents the simultaneous flow from the global to the local as
well as the various agencies and agency existing on global, national, and local levels.
Three hexagons represent the different levels and represent the building blocks of the
heuristic through government and non-governmental agencies, human agency in polities,
economic agencies and markets, human agency in economies, educational and
professional agencies, and human agency in higher education. Marginson and Rhoades
used multiple dimensions such as reciprocity to denote connections and flows, strength to

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define importance and directness of activity and influence, layers and conditions to refer
to historically embedded structures that influence current activity, and spheres to measure
an agency’s or agent’s global reach. These dimensions help to demonstrate the complex
relationships, forces, and challenges that mold institutions of higher education on global,
national, and local levels.
This framework was chosen for this dissertation because Margin and Rhoades
(2002) aimed to use the glonacal agency heuristic “to foster exploration and analysis of
types and patterns of influence and activity, to reconceptualize social relations and
actions globally, nationally, and locally” (p. 290). With the focus of the research
exploring how an institution’s global engagement created connections with the
surrounding community, this framework had the desired elements to engage in a detailed
case study exploring activity and influence on global and local levels.
The unique aspects of Northeastern University’s co-op program made this
framework very useful. The co-op program operates on global, national, and local levels,
making it a quality match for the gloncal agency heuristic because this framework
explores the concurrent significance of global, national, and local interactions and how
these interactions affect institutions of higher education. Marginson and Rhoades (2002)
used the term agency to mean an organization that could exist on global, national, or local
level as well as people (agents) taking action individually or collectively (exercising
agency) at global, national, and/or local levels. The dual meaning behind this term fit the
case study as the co-op exists as part of an agency that works with other agencies that
operate globally, nationally, and/or locally. Additionally, there are individuals who

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constitute co-op program (staff, faculty, and students) who interact with other individuals
and agencies at the global, national, or local level.
Another effective element of this framework was its expansive view. While this
framework explored institutes of higher education as global actors, it also accounts for
the complex roles of the various agencies outside of higher education. This was
significant because it reflected the reality of the case study at Northeastern. The
individuals active in the international co-op program must work with various agencies in
their execution of the program. In order to run a functional international experiential
learning offering, they must work with agencies or agents Marginson and Rhoades (2002)
described as “government and non-government agencies, human agencies in polities,
economic agencies and markets, human agency in economies, educational and
professional agencies, and human agency in higher education” (p. 290) at the global,
national, and/or local levels. Students who participated in the co-op encountered these
agencies or agents in some form.
As discussed in chapter two, Marginson and Rhoades (2002) used the terms
reciprocity, strength, layers and conditions, and spheres to represent the flows of activity
and influence amongst agencies and agents. The conditions under which Northeastern
has grown its international co-op fit these criteria well. From this standpoint, the
framework can be used to identify factors that affect an institution as well as the extent to
which these factors affect an institution’s activities. Also, this dissertation has shown that
the use of this framework can demonstrate how an institution’s global engagement
created connections with its surrounding community. Therefore, if an institution seeks to

106
connect its global engagement with its surrounding community, this framework has
proven that it is appropriate for such inquiries.
While the site of the case study demonstrated the strength of the framework, there
are potential limitations of its effectiveness. A thorough search showed that Marginson
and Rhoades’ (2002) glonacal agency heuristic has not been used extensively in research
articles during the ten years since its publication. There could be a variety of factors as to
why it is not widely used, but the framework’s lack of use could be viewed as a
limitation. The unique features that made Northeastern’s co-op a fit with this framework
may not be applicable to all institutions. Lastly, this framework was used to examine
how an institution’s global engagement created connections with its surrounding
community. As such, this study did not use the framework as a means of assessment or
evaluation and cannot shed light on its usefulness in that regard.
Northeastern University was selected as the site of the case study because of its
increased emphasis on being a global university and for its signature co-op program,
which has been in existence for over 100 years. Part of Northeastern University’s
mission is “To create and translate knowledge to meet global and societal needs”
(Northeastern at a Glance, 2011). Thus, using Qiang’s (2003) organizational and
academic elements of internationalization for institutions of higher education,
Northeastern University could be viewed as an international institution. Qiang noted how
institutions that strive to be international should have internationalization entrenched in
culture, policy, and other processes in order to be successful and sustainable.
Additionally, Qiang spoke of direct links to local engagement in the extra-curricular and
external relations and services section of academic/program elements of

107
internationalization. In recent years, the university has demonstrated its increased
commitment to globalization through experiential learning. Since 2006, there has been a
145% increase in global co-ops offered and a 195% increase in global co-op employers
(Northeastern: By Any Measure, 2011). Additionally, there was a 146% increase in
undergraduates who had a global-learning experience in 2010-2011, when compared to
2006.
With Northeastern University appearing to demonstrate elements of
internationalization in its mission and curriculum, this dissertation sought to examine the
international co-op program to discern demonstrable connections with the university’s
neighboring community as well as finding the factors responsible for such connections.
By answering these questions, this dissertation provides guidance for other institutions
seeking to internationalize their programs and having these programs connect to and
benefit their surrounding communities. The overarching question examined how
Northeastern University’s global engagement, in the form of its co-op program, created
connections with its surrounding community is explored. Two sub-questions arose from
the overarching question and they were discussed:
A. SUB-QUESTION: How do agents—the staff, faculty, and students involved in
the international co-op—perceive the potential benefits of the co-op program?
B. SUB-QUESTION: How do the agents—the staff, faculty, and students involved
in the international co-op—perceive the potential connections of the co-op
program with the surrounding community?
The data were collected during a four-day site visit to Northeastern University in
Boston, Massachusetts. A total of 29 people were interviewed and 19 interview sessions

108
were conducted with staff, faculty, undergraduate students, and alumni. After the site
visit, two interviews were conducted via phone or Skype, one with an alumnus and one
with a staff member. In addition to the interviews, an analysis of documents and
materials was conducted to identify and understand the roles of individuals and groups
and how they created connections to the surrounding community. The following sections
present a summary of the overall findings as well as recommendations for best practices,
features, and supporting factors of Northeastern University’s international co-op program
that can be transferrable to other institutions seeking to create global engagement
programs that will connect with and benefit their surrounding communities.
Creating Connections with Surrounding Community
The international co-op program at Northeastern University demonstrated a
connection to its surrounding community. However, it appears to be unintentional as
there are no documents that state intentionality of connection nor was there any
individual who was interviewed who knew of any documents discussing intentional
connections to the surrounding community. Students noted a connection between their
work experiences during their international co-op and their experiences in their
surrounding community in Boston. Their connections occurred through their actions in
the surrounding community. Upon their return to Boston, many of the students sought
out opportunities to connect to their experiences from their co-op. The connections took
the form of work and volunteer opportunities. Many students noted that certain
conditions or issues were not localized to the area where they engaged in their co-op and
that they were occurring in Boston or other parts of the country as well.

109
Faculty and staff noticed how students connected their experiences while abroad to
their experiences locally. They attributed the connections to the students being immersed
in another culture and coming back to school and wanting to contribute to that culture
locally as well as applying the knowledge they gained internationally. Northeastern
University’s location in the diverse city of Boston was another important factor as the
majority of faculty and staff referenced the diversity of Boston and how students return to
the city and see it differently and explore parts of the city they may not have previously.
While the students created connections using their international experiences at the
local levels, other factors played a role in their ability to do so. Northeastern University’s
recent surge in material resources has allowed it to expand its reach. Evidence showed
that every facet of global learning has increased significantly in the last five years. This
coincided with the university’s increased success in fundraising. The increase in
Northeastern University’s material resources have enabled it to expand the reach of the
international co-op, which at the time of this study had opportunities in 66 countries, in
100 cities, covering seven continents (Northeastern: Experiential Learning, 2011). The
structure of Northeastern University played a pivotal role as well. With the co-op already
established as the university’s signature program for over a century, Northeastern
introduced the international co-op in 2005 and by all accounts, it was a smooth transition.
Without having the co-op as a major part of the curriculum, the transition may not have
gone as smoothly. The combination of resources to expand its reach and influence
globally, nationally, and locally and the structure, in the form of its co-op program,
Northeastern University provides its students with the opportunities to engage in
international experiences that create connections with its surrounding community.

110
The Benefits of International Experience
The students who were interviewed about their experiences participating in the
international co-op believed that there were many benefits. Students believed their
experiences provided them with a global perspective, which came in the form of deeper
respect for another culture as well as valuing the culture in which they were immersed
during their co-op. Another benefit of obtaining a global perspective was an increased
comfort level in the ability to work with people from different cultures. Through
obtaining a global perspective, some students became more aware of global conditions, a
perceived benefit when living in a global society. Faculty and staff members felt that
students benefitted from the international co-op experiences by obtaining knowledge
about the culture they were in and developing cultural competency skills.
Students mentioned that they experienced personal growth as a result of their co-op
experiences. Almost every student believed that he/she matured during his/her co-op.
Many of them felt that they were more confident and self-reliant because of the
international experience they obtained. Additionally, their experiences provided them
with focus and clarity regarding their academic and/or professional goals. For some
students, their experiences benefitted them by reinforcing their desire to pursue their
current path. Every faculty and staff member that was interviewed mentioned maturity as
a benefit of the students’ international experience and most of them stated that students
who returned from their international co-ops were more focused, more worldly, and more
likely to take risks.
While students believed they grew personally, they felt they experienced professional
growth as well. Many students noted that the skills they learned on their jobs while on

111
co-op were applicable to skills needed domestically. Interpersonal skills were one of the
most perceived benefits regarding the growth of professional skills. Students felt more
comfortable working with and solving problems with people from different backgrounds
and cultures. Several students learned a new language as a result of their co-op
experience and they noted this skill would help them in their careers. Another perceived
benefit was the experience itself. Many students believed that being able to put their
experiences on a résumé would provide them with an advantage over other candidates.
Faculty and staff members agreed with the students as most of them noted that their
international co-op experiences look good on a résumé and it will make them more
marketable as the students’ experiences will be great talking points during the interview
process.
Connecting the Global to the Local
All of the students who were interviewed demonstrated a connection between their
international co-op experiences and their interactions within the surrounding community.
The vast majority of the students manifested this connection through their actions. Upon
return from their international co-op, students looked for volunteer, internship, or
employment opportunities related to their international experiences. Many noted how
they were influenced by the people they came into contact with during their co-ops and
by the conditions they saw or issues they noticed while abroad. While many of the
students took action, they also had ideas of how the co-op should connect with the
surrounding community. It should be noted that many of these ideas suggested by
students came to fruition, but the scale may be have been smaller than they intended.
Many felt the co-op could connect to the community through education and information

112
about different cultures to provide a global perspective to the community. Several
students noted that the U.S. has many different cultures and that conditions that are
occurring in other parts of the world are occurring nationally and locally. Some felt that
the U.S. and its communities could learn from other countries and that the students who
return from co-op have a responsibility to share what they have learned to make the
community a better place.
For many of the faculty and staff members, prestige played an important role in the
connection of Northeastern to various agencies on global, national, and local levels.
Many faculty and staff felt the international co-op program makes the university more
marketable and competitive. Students who participated in international co-ops connected
Northeastern University to organizations in different countries. Some felt that the
structure of the co-op provides Northeastern with an entry point into companies and the
relationship builds into possible collaborations, such as research. Additionally, the co-op
program helped produce employable graduates, which connects the university to
companies and organizations and spreads the name of the university. While the co-op is
the structure, it is the students themselves who created the connections to the surrounding
community.
Recommendations
There is growing body of literature related to the effects of globalization on higher
education and how institutions engage in internationalizing their campuses. There is also
increased research on how institutions can internationalize through mission, cultural, and
curricular changes. The focus on this dissertation was on how an institution’s global
engagement, in the form of its co-op program, created connections with its surrounding

113
community. In a time when institutions are scrutinized and need to defend the value of
their programs, there is a lack of research regarding how the internationalization of an
institution can connect with its surrounding community. Demonstrating how an
institution’s internationalization efforts can connect with the surrounding community
could be seen as a benefit and of value as globalization has institutions under pressure to
produce graduates who are qualified and prepared to be part of a global workforce.
Northeastern University has demonstrated that its global engagement, in the form of
its co-op program, creates connections with the surrounding community. However,
Northeastern is somewhat unique as the scope of its co-op program makes it unlike most
institutions in the U.S. Therefore, institutions should look into all forms of experiential
learning to find what type of experiential learning program would best fit their institution.
Aside from cooperative education, other forms of experiential learning include service
learning, research, study abroad, internships, and clinical and professional practicums.
The reason for focusing on experiential education is it provides the opportunity for
institutions to engage in off-campus relationships. This type of education also promotes
cultural and international understanding. Based on interviews of students, faculty, and
staff, the international co-op provides one of the most intense educational experiences
one can have, and it also has the potential to be the most transformative. Looking at the
successes of Northeastern University, institutions may want to consider exploring
opportunities using experiential education programs that have the ability to deliver
intense, transformative experiences to its students.
As such, one recommendation from this dissertation is to conduct further case studies
on institutions with other methods of global engagement. More case studies that delve

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into how institutions create international learning opportunities that have the ability to
connect with the surrounding community while accounting for an institution’s
geographical location will be beneficial in developing programming that best fits the
needs of the students as well as the area in which the institution is located. For
recommendations regarding best practices, the research findings indicate that institutions
seeking to have their global engagement programs create connections with its
surrounding community should focus on mission, structural, and curriculum change as it
relates to the internationalization of an institution. The data show that Northeastern
University demonstrated elements of internationalization in mission, structure, and
curriculum and has been successful in the expansion of its global engagement programs.
If an institution desires to connect with the surrounding community, having its
students connect with the community would appear to be a natural path of exploration.
Providing international experiential learning opportunities to connect students’ classroom
experiences with out-of-classroom experiences enables students to create connections to
global and local issues and conditions. These experiences can lead to students seeking
out opportunities to connect their international experiences to their local community
through work and volunteer opportunities. Research showed that Northeastern’s
international co-op program enabled students to create connections with the surrounding
community through the students’ actions upon their return to Boston.
To bring about structural change that leads to internationalization, leaders from
various levels within the institution need to support internationalization efforts. At
Northeastern University, leadership comes from President Joseph Aoun. Since his arrival
in 2006, he has spearheaded an academic plan that emphasizes the internationalization of

115
Northeastern University. To successfully implement international programs, leadership
also needs to demonstrate a commitment to internationalization through resource
allocation. Northeastern demonstrated this commitment by making the expansion of
global experiential education one of the primary goals of the academic plan. This case
study showed that an institution could expand its resources by actively seeking external
funding through federal, state, or private funds and through collaboration with
government and industry. Also, connecting with alumni from across the globe to build
networks involving alumni, parents, and friends can help secure another form of external
funding.
The role of administration, staff, faculty, and students in an institution’s global
engagement programs cannot be overemphasized. Although senior administrators were
not interviewed for this case study, it was evident that President Aoun set the tone for
internationalization at Northeastern University. Also, interviews with staff and faculty
members showed that these individuals were committed to and passionate about their role
in the internationalization process as well as their work and interaction with students.
Additionally, interviews with students and alumni showed that these students were a
diverse and talented group, the type of students Northeastern University tries to recruit
and attract. They were also students who were fully engaged in the international aspect
of their education and found connections between their international and local
experiences. Furthermore, these students appeared to have positive and productive
relationships with faculty and staff, particularly their international senior co-op
counselors. Based on these findings, this case study recommends exploring the roles and
interactions of the administrators, staff, faculty, and students in creating global

116
engagement programs that connect with the surrounding community. However, it should
be noted that Northeastern does attract and matriculate a certain type of student based on
having the co-op as the university’s signature program. Therefore, in the creation of
global engagement programs, different institutions would have varying dynamics
between its administrators, staff, and faculty and the students it seeks to attract and
matriculate. This is another reason why exploration of the roles and interactions of these
groups of people would be recommended.
Perhaps the most significant finding of this study is the existence of substantive
connections made by the students between their global and local experiences, and the as
yet underutilized opportunity for this to be harnessed for the benefit of the students, the
community, and the university alike. While students who participated in the international
co-op created connections with the surrounding community, these connections appear to
have occurred by accident. There is no documentation from Northeastern University that
indicates an intentional connection between the international co-op and the surrounding
community. It appears as though the students’ international co-op experiences connected
organically with the surrounding community.
As a result of this finding, a recommendation of this case study would be for
institutions to be intentional about creating connections between its global engagement
programs and the surrounding community. An institution cannot rely on an organic
connection between its global engagement programs and the surrounding community if
creating connections between the global and the local is a goal it wishes to pursue. If an
institution desires to create connections between the global and the local, it should have
documentation stating it outright in areas such as program outcomes or student learning

117
outcomes. This intentionality may have the opportunity to manifest itself in ways that
elements of internationalization permeate through an institution intentionally going
through the process of internationalization.
Another recommendation of this case study would be to have staff who are involved
in global engagement programs create intentional connections with the surrounding
community. This can be accomplished through collaborations inside and outside of the
institution. Many institutions have community engagement already in place in the form
of service learning, community service, or other outreach programs. By having staff who
focus on the global engagement programs collaborate with staff who focus on learning
programs on the local level, there can be a sharing of information that can bring about
global-to-local connections. These collaborations within an institution can lead to
collaboration with businesses and organizations outside of an institution at the local level.
As discussed previously, many of the issues and conditions that students experience and
perceive while abroad are the same issues and conditions seen locally. By connecting
local businesses and organizations to global engagement programs, many of the issues
and conditions that are seen internationally by students could be connected with these
businesses and organizations. While there was a demonstrable connection between the
students who participated in the international co-op program and theirs actions within the
local community, there was no intentional connection between the international co-op
office and the local community. To ensure these connections occur, it is recommended
that there be an intentional connection between those involved in the global engagement
programs and those involved in the local learning programs and local businesses and
organizations.

118
Research showed that when students returned from their international co-op
experiences, there was no formal process in place where all students had the opportunity
to talk about their experiences. The students who were interviewed for this case study
created connections with the surrounding community, but several students alluded to the
fact that there was no formal process for doing so. Therefore, it is recommended that
institutions that have students engaging in international learning experiences create a
debriefing program to allow students to discuss their experiences and how it connects
them to the university and the community upon their return. By being intentional about
creating a forum where students can discuss their international experiences, students can
have the opportunity to connect their international experiences with their local
experiences.
This case study demonstrated that an institution’s global engagement created
connections with its surrounding community. Institutions that wish to engage in the
internationalization process need to have its mission, structure, and curriculum align with
the processes of internationalization. It is recommended that institutions seek to employ
individuals who are committed to providing high quality international engagement
programs and recruit and attract students who are seeking international experience in
their undergraduate careers. Being intentional about creating connections between the
institution’s global engagement programs and the surrounding community is
recommended for institutions that seek to create such connections because they cannot
rely on chance to make it happen. This case study demonstrated how the international
co-op program at Northeastern University created connections with the surrounding

119
community through its students, whose international co-op experiences and local
experiences organically connected.
Impact and Implications
As stated previously, this case study demonstrated how an institution’s global
engagement created connections with its surrounding community. However, the research
questions sought to determine how an institution’s global programs affected or impacted
the surrounding community. The most tangible way this occurs came through the
students themselves. By demonstrating a connection with the surrounding community,
the students who participated in the international co-op have an opportunity to impact the
community as well.
Northeastern University is a very unusual institution in that its signature program is
the co-op. This feature appears to attract a certain type of student who seeks out active,
engaging educational opportunities. Of particular note, the students interviewed for this
case study sought out opportunities to connect with the surrounding community separate
from their academic requirements. This is noteworthy not only because they created
connections on their own, but also because of the possible implications this type of action
has on the city and people of Boston. Students who volunteer or work for organizations
related to their international co-op experiences may expose members of the surrounding
community to the benefits and connections they made as a result of the international
experiences. This, in turn, could have a ripple effect that would be difficult to measure.
Additionally, transmitting knowledge and shared experiences throughout the city could
be viewed as a transformative act with the potential to have an enormous impact on may
people’s lives.

120
With its students using their international co-op experiences to create connections
with the surrounding community, Northeastern has an opportunity to affect change in
Boston. Along with the recommendations made in the previous section of this chapter,
this case study recommends that Northeastern create a process for developing and
monitoring connections with the surrounding community. By creating and demonstrating
such connections, Northeastern could then gauge the impact of these connections and
serve as a model of how to connect an institution’s global programs with its surrounding
community.
Conclusion
Through analysis of interviews, documents, and other materials, the overall
conclusion that can be drawn from this case study is that Northeastern University’s global
engagement, in the form of its co-op program, created connections with the surrounding
community as a result of organic connections made by the students. This was made
possible by the existence of the co-op program, a unique feature of the school and its
curriculum. The commitment by the university to be a global institution and
internationalize its campus also enabled connections to occur. With these structures in
place, Northeastern University has been able to recruit and attract students who seek
experiential learning and are given opportunities to engage in international programs to
expand their knowledge to become global citizens. Faculty and staff encouraged and
supported students to participate in international experiential learning through their belief
in international experiential learning programs and promotion of these programs. By
looking at Northeastern University’s global engagement through the lens of Marginson
and Rhoades’ (2002) theoretical glonacal agency heuristic, it was demonstrated that the

121
dimensions of reciprocity, strength, layers and conditions, and spheres played a role in
Northeastern University’s ability to create connections with its surrounding community
through its global engagement. With the continuing expansion of its international
experiential education programs and other features that make Northeastern University a
global institution, the opportunities for students who participate in the international co-op
to create organic connections with the surrounding community will continue to exist.

122
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Sage Publications.

Abstract (if available)

Abstract The forces of globalization stimulate many structural and cultural changes in higher education, and one of the major changes occurs through transforming the curriculum to prepare students to meet the demands of a global society. Experiential learning is one way to internationalize an institution’s curriculum, and cooperative education in particular integrates learning experiences in academic settings with workplace settings to develop a variety of critical skills. ❧ This dissertation examined the extent to which an institution's global or international programs connect with its surrounding community through a case study of Northeastern University. Marginson and Rhodes’ (2002) glonacal agency heuristic served as a framework to examine the perceived benefits of the co-op program and the connections it forges with the community. ❧ The principal finding from the analysis of interviews, documents, and other materials was that Northeastern’s global engagement, in the form of its co-op program, created connections with its surrounding community through the students’ actions in the form of working or volunteering for a local business or organization related to their international co-op experiences. The existence of Northeastern’s co-op program, its commitment to internationalizing its campus, and its growing material resources help provide the opportunity for students to engage in international experiential learning to make these connections. Faculty and staff encouraged and supported this process through their belief and promotion of these international programs.

Linked assets

University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

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Asset Metadata

Creator Hubbard, Ryan C. (author)

Core Title An institution's global engagement and its connection with the surrounding community: a case study

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education (Leadership)

Publication Date 07/27/2012

Defense Date 05/10/2012

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

Tag cooperative education,experiential learning,global engagement,Globalization,glonacal agency heuristic,Higher education,internationalization,OAI-PMH Harvest

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Diamond, Michael A. (committee chair), Robison, Mark Power (committee chair), Larson, Anne (committee member)

Creator Email hubbardinmotion@gmail.com,rchubbar@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c3-74605

Unique identifier UC11289383

Identifier usctheses-c3-74605 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-HubbardRya-1050-0.pdf

Dmrecord 74605

Document Type Dissertation

Rights Hubbard, Ryan C.

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

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...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA