LSU Commits to First Global Engagement Strategy

November 30, 2021

BATON ROUGE – LSU is one of 13 colleges and universities participating in the 19th cohort of the American Council on Education, or ACE, Internationalization Lab, which is designed to provide customized guidance and insight to help institutions achieve their internationalization goals. As a leader in higher education strategy, ACE has supported more than 170 colleges and universities in their pursuit of global engagement since 2002.

“Internationalization is foundational to our success moving forward as a world-class flagship research institution,” said Interim Executive Vice President & Provost Matt Lee. “LSU’s participation in the ACE Internationalization Lab is just one example of our commitment to increasing institutional support for our international students and for students seeking to enhance their studies through global exploration. Further, this process will build a roadmap for us to enhance research collaborations around the world, positioning LSU as a more globally oriented and internationally connected institution.”

Over the next 14 months, LSU’s ACE Internationalization Lab leadership team and subcommittees will work towards issuing a strategic and tactical plan to present to the president and provost for implementation by December 2022. To achieve this goal, these subcommittees will work collaboratively with faculty, staff, and students from various sectors of the university. LSU will receive guidance and support from Dr. Ross Lewin, an appointed ACE advisor and Associate Vice President for International Affairs at the University of Maryland. "Global Learning has become essential in higher education in order to prepare the next generation of students to compete successfully in a global economy and to tackle the grand challenges threatening our world. LSU's internationally-oriented faculty and senior leaders, well-known reputation around the world, and commitment to impactful research to improve the global common good make it well positioned to advance comprehensive internationalization to the next level," said Dr. Lewin.

LSU’s Senior Internationalization Officer and Executive Director of International Programs Samba Dieng, will head up the ACE Internationalization Lab leadership team along with Jonathan Earle, Dean of the Ogden Honors College; James Spencer, Dean of the Graduate School; Helen Regis, Associate Professor of geography and anthropology; and Pallavi Rastogi, Professor of English.
“LSU is a flagship university, and international activity is not new to our institution. This internationalization lab process will give us the opportunity to collectively think about what has happened here in terms of global engagement, and what might happen on an institutional scale. I am excited to work with colleagues from across the university as we try to unveil our potential as a leader on the world stage,” said SIO Dieng.

For our university, a comprehensive internationalization strategy promises to have a broad and long-lasting influence on our ability to think creatively and boldly about our potential as a global institution. Today’s interconnected and interdependent world demands that higher education respond by internationalizing institutions for the good of students and the global community in general. Most conspicuously, this involves equipping students with the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to live and thrive in a globalized society,” said SIO Dieng.  
Historically, LSU has had internationalization activity in the target areas listed below. The committees are tasked with articulating clear global engagement goals, resulting in comprehensive coordination of global initiatives that would align and integrate policies, programs, and initiatives to position the university as a more globally oriented and internationally connected institution. In order to address LSU's most critical areas of growth, five sub-committees were formed:  

  • Education Abroad
  • International Recruitment and Retention
  • International Research, Scholarship, and Partnerships
  • Curriculum and Co-Curriculum
  • Faculty and Staff Support

Each sub-committee is composed of academic and professional staff from across campus. In addition to the tasks listed above, the sub-committees will be charged with ensuring that the internationalization strategic plan is academically aligned and operationally sound.   
For more information, visit lsu.edu/acelab or contact ldean@lsu.edu.

About ACE

ACE is a membership organization that mobilizes the higher education community to shape effective public policy and foster innovative, high-quality practice. As the major coordinating body for the nation’s colleges and universities, our strength lies in our diverse membership of more than 1,700 colleges and universities, related associations, and other organizations in America and abroad. ACE is the only major higher education association to represent all types of U.S. accredited, degree-granting institutions: two-year and four-year, public and private. For more information, please visit www.acenet.edu  or follow ACE on Twitter @ACEducation