“Internationalization by Stealth”: The U.S. National Higher Education Internationalization Policy-Making Arena in the Twenty-First Century

• Published in: Higher education policy Vol. 36; no. 2; pp. 307 - 328
• Main Authors: Veerasamy, Yovana S., Durst, Snejana S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Palgrave Macmillan UK 01.06.2023; Palgrave Macmillan
• Subjects: 21st century; Change; Education; Education Policy; Educational partnerships; Educational Policy; Educational Policy and Politics; Foreign Students; Global Approach; Globalization; Higher Education; Institutional Cooperation; International Cooperation; International Education; Mapping; Original Article; Policy making; Student Recruitment; Study Abroad; U.S. higher education policy arena; U.S. national higher education internationalization policy; Policy-making process; Policy analysis
• ISSN: 0952-8733; 1740-3863
• DOI: 10.1057/s41307-021-00257-7

By mapping novel national higher education internationalization policy initiatives in the USA in the first two decades of the twenty-first century, this study identifies the ways in which diverse national actors shaped policy directions between 2000 and 2019. The study identified 112 internationalization policy efforts initiated by leading national public, voluntary, and private agencies. These policy efforts comprised four policy categories: (a) international education at home; (b) international student recruitment; (c) education abroad; and (d) international institutional partnerships. Higher education internationalization policy emerged as actors from the public, voluntary, and private sectors complemented, supplemented, and at times opposed each other’s efforts.