“Internationalisation has been gaining a lot of traction for several years now, but along the way the process has come to be associated with a huge variety of activities, so much so that it has begun to lose its meaning,” Ross Hudson, programme officer at IAU told The PIE News.

The paper discusses the potential pitfalls of internationalisation. “Affirming Academic Values in Internationalization of Higher Education: A Call for Action” cites risks of cultural homogenisation due to the widespread use of English, brain drain, foreign branch campuses disadvantaging local institutions and questionable or unethical recruiting practices as some of the consequences of internationalisation.

The appeal comes from the IAU International Ad-hoc Expert Group on Re-thinking Internationalisation. It espouses intercultural learning, inter-institutional cooperation, mutual benefit and fair partnership.

Other principles IAU highlights include safeguarding cultural and linguistic diversity when working outside one’s own nation, promoting social responsibility, placing academic goals at the centre of initiatives and ensuring that non-mobile students – still the vast majority – can benefit from internationalisation as well.

The benefits and draw-backs of the process continue to dominate discussions among international industry experts. At the Institute for International Education’s 2012 Summit this month 50 high-level delegates from around the world put economic impact, academic mobility and institutional cooperation in international education as top priorities.