Internationalizing higher education requires significant institutional and academic change. This book addresses how the U.S. federal government affected the development, institutionalization and diffusion of this change process across the higher education system from 1958 to 1988.

International education in the United States is at a significant crossroads. The magnanimity of the 102nd Congress has raised the possibility of federal financial support of international studies to a new level. The newly established governing board of the National Security Education Act can provide unprecedented coordination of federally supported international education programs. If federal financial support can be maintained and coordination achieved, the objectives of the IEA of 1966 can be realized in the 1990s. The academic community and public policy makers need to be made aware of the opportunities at hand in order for this to be possible. U.S. education generally and higher education specifically have a responsibility to improve our international capabilities in order to meet the post-Cold War challenges of a complex world.

The SAGE Handbook of International Higher Education examines the internationalization of higher education from a marginal to a core dimension of higher education worldwide. This mainstreaming of internationalization is a fascinating phenomenon: new concepts, programs, providers, and methods of delivery are emerging; impressive national and regional scholarship programs have been established; radical reforms have been undertaken to make higher education globally competitive; and mobility of students and scholars has increased around the world. This groundbreaking handbook serves as a guide to internationalization of higher education and offers new strategies for its further development and expansion in the years to come. With a decidedly global approach, this volume brings together leading experts from around the world to illustrate the increasing importance of internationalization. The text encompasses the diversity and breadth of internationalization of higher education in all its thematic facets and regional impacts.