Global Cities, Global Citizenship: An Urban-Themed Mobility Project Kathi A. Ketcheson, Ph.D. Portland State University Portland, Oregon USA

Description of the project Excellence in Mobility Project. European Union-United States Atlantis Program from 2008 to Partners: University of Bologna, Italy; University of Nottingham, UK; University of Denver, USA; Portland State University, USA. Faculty and student exchanges focused on the study of cities in the 21 st century.

Atlantis Program Transatlantic Declaration on EU-US Relations. First agreement signed Renewed 2000 until 2005, the 2006 to US funding ended in 2012.

Types of projects Transatlantic Degree Consortia Projects (TD): dual/double or joint degree programs; included mobility funds for students and faculty. Excellence in Mobility Projects (EIM): short-term, transatlantic mobility, students and faculty. Policy-oriented Measures (POM): collaboration in higher education and vocational training.

Funding Six EIM, eight TD, and two POM projects funded in Global Cities: $180,000 divided among four partners; no-cost extension to Students: 5000 or $5,000 for four months. Faculty: $3,500 up to two weeks. Administrators: $3,000 up to two weeks.

Themes Demographic Socioeconomic Spatial Ecological Aesthetic

Goals Inter-institutional and interdisciplinary learning and community engagement. Interdisciplinary perspectives on sustainable urban futures. Common curricular focus. Continuing relationships.

Student mobility 48 students over four years, divided evenly among institutions. Courses within five urban themes, offered in English. Internship or community-based learning component. US students complete two weeks of language training in Bologna.

Faculty mobility Five faculty members from each institution. Stipends for up to two weeks stay abroad. Lectures and presentations. Establish collaboration beyond the grant period.

Proposed student mobility DenverBologna66 PortlandNottingham66

Actual student mobility DenverBologna Portland Nottingham 92 32

Actual faculty mobility DenverBologna 21 Portland Nottingham 30 21

Successes Bologna: development of new course, envisioning the possibility of interdisciplinary courses. Nottingham: curriculum review of interdisciplinary courses, new systems to support internationalization strategy. Portland: lasting impact on students, signing of formal agreements. Denver: new internships, transformation of courses.

Assessment Required of US institutions only. Pre-departure and post, returning questionnaires and interviews. Journals & reflections, weekly log of learning and extracurricular activities.

At PSU…. Exchange students completed power point presentations and reflected on their learning within the urban themes of the project.

Learning in the community Lorenzo has been awarded this Certificate of Appreciation for making a valuable contribution to his project team in the development of a unique water passport and also for providing his cohort with an international perspective on drinking water. Michael P. Stuhr, Chief Engineer, Portland Water Bureau

What students had to say Not only did the education I received…fit in with my educational goals, but the substantial financial support allowed studying abroad to become a possibility… I was thrown head-first into Italian culture, as well as other cultures…These connections with Italians and people around the world became priceless to me. I can say with absolute surety that the city itself has been the most informative classroom of all.

Challenges Bologna: Limited resources and time; establishing interdisciplinary collaboration among faculties. Nottingham: Negotiating departmental cultures; short funding period. Portland: Limited funding and short funding period; assessing organizational differences among institutions. Denver: Ambiguous learning environment; administrative transitions.

Overall challenges Competing study abroad opportunities for students. Lack of urban-themed courses. Difficulty in engaging faculty across disciplines. Not enough courses in English. Small number of students. Students language competency.

Overall challenges--continued Semester vs. quarter systems. Transferability of credits to specific programs of study. One-semester internships. Staff changes. Loss of influential leader.

Lessons learned Designate coordinators. Involve faculty from the beginning. Facilitate and host faculty visits. Obtain campus leadership and international affairs support.

Postscript: Is Europe Passé? Atlantis de-funded by USDOE. … as Western universities struggle to establish substantial partnerships and branch campuses in emerging nations, traditional partners may regain some appeal. Chronicle, Aug. 2, Go beyond bilateral agreements to rethink the global century. Trilateral or multilateral agreements? What do you think? Examples?

Questions? Please contact Kathi A. Ketcheson