Transforming the University: Systemwide Academic Task Force on Forging an International University

Abstract

To become one of the top three public research universities in the world, the University of Minnesota must become a global university. This demands that internationalization, diversity, and academic excellence be inextricable intertwined and central to the University’s core mission. Two critical trends make the internationalization of the university a necessity. We live in an increasingly internationalized world. As the world is becoming internationalized, so too is the production of knowledge to understand that world. These twin trends have major implications for the University’s identity and mission – it must develop a global orientation and realize its place in a developing global network of engagement and scholarship. The University must be situated to provide expertise for practical action in fostering global social and economic change.