Abstract

Based on the writings of Holly Carter, June Noronha and Janet & Milton Bennett, the paper highlights common ties between the fields of international education and multicultural education.

Also addressed is the Bennetts’ thesis that intercultural communication serves as a natural bridge between the fields of multicultural and international education.

Thirteen multicultural administrators and 14 international administrators working at colleges in the New England area are interviewed. They are surveyed about the frequency of their meeting contact with an international or multicultural counterpart; the frequency of collaborative programming efforts with an international or multicultural counterpart; which office initiated collaboration and which offices contributed to the funding of a collaborative program.

The data shows that collaboration between multicultural and international administrators remains limited. When collaboration does take place, international educators are more likely the ones to initiate contact. For some multicultural administrators, multicultural identity issues take precedence over collaboration with an international office.

The paper develops strategies for multicultural and international administrators to further facilitate collaborative work between the two fields, as well as strategies to facilitate collaborative interaction between U.S. and international student populations on campus.

Suggested strategies include: enhancing staff professional development; administrators as role models; staff mentoring of students; working with faculty; coalition building workshops for students; revamping orientation sessions; creation of an academic class.

Disciplines

Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | International and Comparative Education

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