The first Colloquium in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University series set the agenda for the future colloquia. The purpose of the Colloquium series is to create a platform for NMMU staff to engage with Higher Education internationalisation experts form within South Africa, and internationally.
The first three Colloquia addressed the following topics:
- Developing Internationalisation Policies.
- Internationalisation of the Curriculum.
- The Characteristics of an Internationalised University.
The publication of the Colloquia papers and deliberations provide a wealth of information about internationalisation of higher education institutions.
It brought together higher education practitioners from South Africa, other parts of Africa, as well as from Europe and the USA. The debates did not only contribute to the increase in knowledge about international higher education, but also highlighted the need for further debates about internationalisation. The conclusions from the third Colloquium clearly indicated that Internationalisation is more than an area of management, but it has now developed into a field of study critical to the future of the University of the 21st century.
It is envisaged that the future colloquia will continue with the debate. The future agenda still needs to include the following topics for debate:
- Internationalisation as a tool to support quality assurance of all activities of higher education institutions.
- The internationalisation models for different types of higher education institutions.
- The influence of higher education rankings on Internationalisation.
It is clear form the above that the debate has only started. Internationalisation of a higher education institution is not a single event, but a systemic process. The discussions and evaluation of the process should, in the end, result in a common understanding of internationalisation.
The NMMU Colloquium series will continue to discuss internationalisation in all its facets, it will continue to contribute to the creation of new knowledge, and provide new management insights on the management of Internationalisation.