Creating International Partnerships and Programs Abroad

Cal State Fullerton encourages and supports the development and delivery of programs abroad under partnerships with other universities, colleges, governmental agencies, and special organizations.  These are increasingly important in defining the university’s mission as a “regional university with a global outlook.” Such partnerships and programs must be of mutual benefit to both institutions and are to be developed within a standard framework of review procedures and approvals. Following proper procedures helps to insure the quality of academic program activities, while also protecting the integrity of the university and its academic reputation.

The university currently has nearly 60 formal partnerships with universities located abroad. These range from the Universidade Federal Fluminense in a suburb of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Fachhochschule Nurtingen in Germany and Hong Kong University. The largest number are located in China, where our first partnership was signed in 1984 with Fudan University in Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China.

The keys to a successful partnership rest on three factors:

1) strong advocacy by a small group of faculty or an individual willing to serve as “steward” of the relationship;

2) a focused theme, such as preparation of leaders in international business, coastal ecological research, training of governmental managers, or the teaching of English to speakers of other languages, just to cite a few examples; and

3) the commitment of support for program development, delivery, and marketing by both institutions. Because many of these linkages are implemented through “Special Session” programs, the University Extended Education unit (UEE) is frequently involved in the initial stages of developing such partnerships as well as helping define the delivery components of an academically-centered program.



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