Goal Two: Lead and influence global scholarship, research, and teaching

Strategy 1: Select partners that magnify and expand Emory’s global activities

In support of Emory’s commitment to meaningful collaboration, the university should prioritize strategic partnerships to magnify its impact abroad. With many universities expanding their global footprint, Emory must lead with its internationally recognized strengths and select partners that complement them. This approach will bring greater recognition and more lasting impact than if Emory acted alone.

Initiative 1: Seek strategic partnerships with foreign governments, universities, and other organizations that foster collaborative research and discovery

Emory’s highly successful international projects, such as the Maternal and Newborn Health in Ethiopia Partnership and the ICGEB-Emory Global Vaccine Center in India, demonstrate that engaging foreign governments and organizations can result in more successful outcomes and greater impact. Many countries with growing economies—like China, India, and Brazil—are acutely aware that current demographic trends are leading to a serious capacity gap in their ability to educate and train their own citizens. With this demographic shift in mind, massive investment in skills and education are already underway abroad. This investment represents a clear opportunity for growth at Emory. Cultivating strategic partnerships abroad with governments, universities, and other organizations will form the basis for robust academic and research collaborations that will enhance the scholarship of Emory faculty.

Strategy 2: Connect and lead globally through the production of knowledge and the direct exchange of ideas

The creation of knowledge is increasingly a global endeavor. In 2002, Emory publications with an international coauthor made up 19% of Emory’s total research output. In 2015, 43% of Emory publications featured an international coauthor. Internationally coauthored publications received more than 6.6 times the citations than domestically coauthored publications alone. As Emory looks to further its international agenda, it must promote opportunities to bring together Emory faculty with researchers abroad to advance knowledge. Emory’s vibrant international student population has grown substantially over the past decade—a success of the university's 2005 internationalization plan—from 1,031 in 2004 (7% of total student body) to 2,440 in 2015 (17% of total student body). However, most of Emory’s international students hail from only a few countries, and our international community can benefit from further diversification. With unique perspectives and backgrounds, Emory’s international students make significant contributions to on-campus dialogue and teaching, building a more dynamic community in the process. These contributions should be better communicated and leveraged.

Initiative 1: Invigorate scholarship through direct faculty exchanges

More than 50 Emory faculty and staff have won Fulbright fellowships since 1998, with at least one recipient each year. These fellowships often have served to spark long-term projects and ongoing collaborations. Emory should strengthen support for exchange opportunities like these and develop similar exchanges with strategic partners abroad.

Initiative 2: Advocate for immigration policies that increase Emory’s ability to attract top talent

One significant hurdle to attracting top talent from abroad is the complex web of U.S. immigration requirements. Through numerous avenues, Emory should advocate for policies that minimize immigration hurdles, ensuring that the university can hire the best candidates and attract the best students regardless of citizenship.

Initiative 3: Support strategic conferences and meetings

Conferences and expert meetings are important parts of the research process, allowing for critical feedback and discussion. Emory leverages the resources of the Halle Institute for Global Learning to support strategically aligned conferences and meetings, facilitating the direct exchange of ideas between the university and its global partners.

Strategy 3: Empower faculty to address the opportunities and challenges of global work

Faculty members are central to Emory’s global reach. To maximize global engagement, Emory must find ways to better support faculty members in their teaching, scholarship, and research.

Initiative 1: Create a global engagement database

One of the major weaknesses identified by the Task Force was a lack of awareness of Emory’s wide-ranging global activities among both internal and external stakeholders. Emory’s Global Health Institute has developed a global faculty directory that details what Emory’s faculty are doing abroad and helps bridge the gaps between researchers, departments, and schools. Simultaneously, GSI has developed a global database of memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Emory’s institutional partners.

Initiative 2: Launch a global services function to support the ability of faculty to work globally

Global work is often a significant administrative and operational undertaking. After a yearlong collaborative effort to explore how Emory could strengthen its support of international activity, the Task Force proposed establishing a Global Services resource in the Office of Global Strategy and Initiatives (GSI).

Initiative 3: Facilitate intercultural and linguistic training opportunities for faculty doing research abroad

Language acquisition is a key facilitator in forming productive collaborations with partners abroad. To support faculty who are interested in expanding the scope and reach of their work into regions Emory has deemed strategic priorities, the university should ensure access to appropriate language training.