Post-secondary governance of international education : a Saskatchewan study

The purpose of the study was to describe and evaluate the nature of international education and the governance of international activities in two Saskatchewan post-secondary institutions: the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) and the University of Saskatchewan (U of S). The study used Leginsky and Andrews' (1994) theoretical framework to describe international education and a governance model derived from the general literature to examine academic governance. Moreover, Etzioni's (1988) deontological model was used to evaluate the governance of international education in the two institutions. The study was premised on two assumptions. First, international activities have diverse but related underlying goals which fundamentally drive the strategies used and set the tasks for "going international." Second, the governance of international education in post-secondary institutions is complex. A case study approach was adopted with both institutions being examined as two distinct cases. Data were obtained from interviews and documents. The interviews used chain samples of 15 SIAST and 26 U of S respondents. In both institutions, the respondent groups represented a cross-section of interests within the organizations. It was confirmed that international education in the two Saskatchewan post-secondary institutions was driven by competing underlying philosophical orientations. The sources and degrees of support for the orientations varied. The findings showed that international education at SIAST was predominantly the technical assistance project. The university situation was more complex. Moreover, it was noted that the governance model used at SIAST was different from that employed by the U of S. The SIAST model was influenced by a bureaucratic perspective of governance whereas the U of S model was more complex and represented a myriad of different perspectives of academic governance. In general both SIAST and the U of S models of governance were found to be efficient. As well, the governance of international education at SIAST and the U of S were morally sensitive. It was noted that the Leginsky and Andrews' (1994) framework was useful for organizing the data and understanding international education. The model for academic governance used in the study captured the plurality of post-secondary contexts. Etzioni's (1988) model for policy analysis was useful for assessing a complex phenomenon in a pluralistic context. Areas for further research were suggested and implications for theory and practice were discussed