Welcome to the International Initiatives Website. International Initiatives was established by the Provost to develop, coordinate, and sustain strategic global activities across the University's colleges and schools.

The website is an evolving resource which was developed as a tool for the Northeastern University community to access resources, information and ideas that encourage and support international engagement. The site is also envisioned as a virtual forum for the exchange of ideas and information through our international dialog, International Activities Database, and listserv. You are encouraged to visit often, and your suggestions on ways in which the site can be improved to better serve your needs will be graciously received.

Mission Statement

1. Northeastern University, a world leader in cooperative education, acknowledges the increasing interdependence among nations, and, therefore, identifies its mission as preparing its graduates to live and work in an interdependent world. To accomplish this goal, Northeastern University actively seeks qualified students from abroad to enroll in its undergraduate and graduate programs in such numbers and with such geographic origins so as to create and foster a truly global exchange of ideas and values among students, faculty, and staff. The University also encourages all colleges to continually develop and expand course offerings to include international issues and cross-cultural aspects and supports faculty to teach and conduct research in the interrelationship among nations and peoples. In addition, the University promotes international understanding and the sharing of ideas with institutions throughout the world by virtue of faculty and staff exchanges and study and work abroad programs for students.
2. International Initiatives was established to support and advance Northeastern University's commitment to internationalization and aims to enhance Northeastern's international reputation. International Initiatives has a trigonal mission to:
   1. increase Northeastern's presence around the world by establishing partnerships abroad with universities, businesses and private agencies to provide international collaboration in research, education, economic development and consultative opportunities for students, faculty, and staff;
   2. serve as a liaison between Northeastern units involved in international affairs, as well as provide a locus for new international ventures; and
   3. connect the University's international and intercultural expertise and experiences with cultural and ethnic communities and organizations in the urban Boston area.

Virtual Regional Centers

Overview

Northeastern University (NU) global engagement encompasses the alignment of academic, scholarly, and service functions to provide members of the university community with resources to develop the requisite skills, and opportunities to become productively involved in international partnerships. In our vision of global engagement, the university also serves as a nexus between the culturally-diverse communities of Greater Boston and their indigenous lands.

NU's international model centers on establishing long-term partnerships with universities and businesses in strategic regions across the world. These institutional partnerships, built upon the experience, strengths, capacity, and interests that exist within Northeastern University, its faculty, staff, students, and alumni, will focus on developing multidisciplinary strategies to address social, economic, educational, scientific, and health related issues. A visible manifestation of faculty and academic units working together toward common international goals will be achieved through Virtual Regional Centers (VRCs). VCRs provide institution-wide networks through which faculty share information and provide assistance on cultural, artistic, scholarly and academic activities related to specific world regions. Moreover, VRCs create a rich source of regional expertise which will shape NU's regional goals and institutional partnerships. Present VRCs include:

• African Continent
• East Asia
• Latin and South America
• Middle East and Mediterranean Region http://www.mec.neu.edu/
• South Asia

This is not an exclusive list, rather one that allows the university to begin focusing its international outreach. Faculty members are, and will always be encouraged to explore and develop academic and research relationships in other regions as well.

Mission

VRC's will encourage and coordinate cultural, artistic and scholarly activities related to specific geographic regions through travel, research and teaching. VRCs will engage: (a) Northeastern faculty from a range of disciplines and Colleges; (b) International scholars; and (c) Northeastern students in a cohesive set of regional activities and partnerships.

Goals and Objectives

VRCs provide organizational focal points and supportive infrastructures on which to address issues associated with specific world regions.

VRC Objectives

• Enhance communication among NU faculty and staff who share scholarly, educational and cultural interests
• Establish strategic partnerships with academic and research agencies in the region, as well as agencies and NGOs
• Increase the awareness of the university community to issues of importance related to the region
• Connect the University's international and intercultural expertise and experiences with cultural and ethnic communities and organizations in the urban Boston area.

Benefit to Northeastern University

VRCs will expand learning, training, research, and service opportunities for the University by leveraging the broad global engagement of the faculty to facilitate international cooperation and collaboration through: multidisciplinary research; the sponsorship of conferences, seminars, colloquia and curricular enhancements; the provision of support for local and visiting scholars; and the establishment of close relations with academic and research institutions.

Vision of Global Partnerships

Northeastern University, an acknowledged world leader in experiential education, seeks to achieve excellence as an international research university that prepares its graduates to live and work in an increasingly interdependent world and to compete in a competitive global marketplace, and creates opportunities for faculty and students to build mutual understanding and respect for colleagues from other parts of the world.

In order to achieve this goal, the Northeastern aspires to establish an international model comprised of long-term reciprocal partnerships with universities and businesses in strategic regions across the world. These institutional partnerships, built upon the experience, strengths, capacity, and interests that exist within Northeastern University, its faculty, staff, students, and alumni, will focus on creating opportunities to develop multidisciplinary teams to address social, economic, educational, scientific, and health related issues. They will serve to expand learning, training, research, and service opportunities for those affiliated with the University and the larger community and will be a tremendous asset to Northeastern students as they prepare for their careers.

International Partners

Argentina

• Universidad del Salvador, Buenos Aires Argentina
• Univ. de San Andres, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Australia

• Bond University, Gold Coast Australia
• Curtin University of Technology, Perth Australia
• Monash University, Melbourne Australia
• University of Sydney, Sydney Australia
• Swinburne University, Melbourne Australia

Canada

• Simon Fraser University, Vancouver Canada

Chile

• La Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago Chile

China

• Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing China
• Beijing University of Technology, Beiging China
• Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong China
• Tsinghua University, Beijing China

Egypt

• American University of Cairo, Cairo Egypt,
• Suez Canal University, Ismailia Egypt

England

• Goldsmiths College, University of London, London England
• Westminster University, London England

France

• Reims Management School, Reims France
• The American University of Paris, Paris France

Germany

• European School of Business, Reutlingen Germany
• University of Hannover, Hannover Germany

Greece

• Foundation for Biomedical Research of the Academy of Athens, Athens Greece
• National Hellenic Research Foundation, Athens Greece
• The American College of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki Greece
• University of Athens, Athens Greece

Ireland

• Dublin City University, Dublin Ireland
• Institute of Public Administration, Dublin Ireland
• The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast Northern Ireland

Israel

• Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Shiva Israel
• Israel College, Tel Aviv Israel

Italy

• Umbra Institute, Perugia Italy
• Univ. Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan and Rome, Italy
• University of Ferrara, Ferrara Italy
• University of Naples, Naples Italy
• University of Sannio, Benevento Italy

Mexico

• Fundacion Federico Hoth, A.C. Mexico Proyechtodah, Mexico City, Mexico
• Universidad de las Americas, Puebla Mexico

New Zealand

• University of Auckland, Auckland New Zealand
• University of Canterbury, Christchurch New Zealand

Poland

• Wroclaw University of Technology, Wroclaw Poland

Scotland

• The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Scotland

South Africa

• University of Cape Town, Cape Town South Africa

Spain

• Univ. Pontifica Comillas de Madrid, Spain

Sweden

• University of Trollhättan/Uddevalla, Trollhattan Sweden

The Czech Republic

• Charles University, Prague The Czech Republic

Turkey

• Middle East Technical University, Ankara Turkey
• Yeditepe University, Istanbul Turkey

United Kingdom

• Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK,

External Resources

• International Education Network
• Fulbright Scholar Program
  - Fulbright Workshop Slide Show
• Telephone Country Codes
• World Clock
• World Fact Book
• Association of International Educators
• U.S. Embassies Worldwide
• World History Network
• Compostela Group of Universities
• Translator
• John E. Fogarty International Center (NIH)
• John E. Fogarty International Center (NIH)
• U.S Department of Education
• Associate Liaison Office for University Cooperation and Development
• NSF Office of International Science and Engineering

Contact Information

Patrick F. Plunkett, Ed.D
Executive Director, International Initiatives
Office of the Provost
112 Hayden Hall
Northeastern University
Boston, MA 02115

Phone: 617-373-2170
FAX: 617-373-8589
E-mail: p.plunkett@neu.edu

• Home
• Mission Statement
• Virtual Regional Centers
• Vision of Global Partnerships
• International Partners
• External Resources
• Contact

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Northeastern University

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