Gone global? The MUSC International Affairs Committee needs to know about it. That’s why the committee sent out their “MUSC Faculty Survey on Collaborative Activities.”

They need to get a firm grip on the international relationships university faculty members have established with colleagues and institutions around the world. “The Medical University has been aware of many of the international collaborative efforts sponsored by the six colleges, various departments and members of the faculty and staff,” said International Programs and Services director Susan Brooks. She suspects, however, that the exchanges she’s aware of are but “the tip of the iceberg.”

Academic institutions around the country are beginning to realize the impact that foreign scholars and research have on institutions and states in helping to establish mutually beneficial international exchanges. Said Dr. Todd Davis, director of the United States Institute for International Exchange, “Foreign students bring dollars to the campuses; foreign scholars bring connections and expertise.”

“We can take that a step further,” Brooks said, “by stating that a strong international patient base will bring dollars to health institutions.” With constant funding cuts in research, education and patient care, educational institutions and state-supported colleges and universities must look beyond the borders of their states and the United States for innovative ways to expand. So, MUSC has activated the International Affairs Committee to help prepare for the global challenges of the future. The committee’s first initiative is to gather official data on current international collaborative efforts campus-wide and establish a functional database. A survey has been sent to 950 faculty members asking for a list of collaborative activities. The response so far indicates that 83 faculty members are conducting collaborative activities in research, education and patient care in 47 countries. But that information was compiled from only 174 surveys returned. Brooks suspects the committee is still looking at only the tip of the iceberg.

It’s vital that the committee, chaired by Dr. Peter Cotton, who was appointed by Drs. James B. Edwards and Ray Greenberg, compile as near complete a report as possible, and they appeal to any faculty members who have not yet filled out the survey to please do so at their earliest convenience.

A copy can be obtained from http://www.musc.edu/catalyst/internationalsurvey.htm. A copy can also be requested by calling the International Programs and Services Office at 792-7083, or fax, 792-1506. That same office offers a resource list to any interested in international research, education and patient care opportunities.

International Affairs Committee

The charge:

• Develop a vision/mission statement for international activities that can be incorporated into the university's planning process, organizational structure and operations.
• Develop and maintain a database of university faculty, staff and student interests, experiences, contacts, and resources with respect to international activities that relate to the university's missions of education, research, and patient care.
• Establish criteria for the review of proposals for international initiatives and agreements, regardless of funding sources (departmental, college, university, external). These criteria shall include but not be limited to relevance to the university's mission, potential benefits to the university and the state (good will, economic development, entrepreneurship), and impact on human, material and fiscal resources.
• Review proposed international initiatives/agreements or those initiatives/agreements that include an international component, and make recommendations to the vice president for academic affairs and provost regarding their relevance to the university's missions, potential benefits, and impact on resources.
• Work with the Office of Research Development to develop a database of grant and contract funding sources, assure that interested parties receive notices of funding sources, assure that interested parties receive notices of funding sources and requests for proposals, and document/track grants and contracts received that support international initiatives.

MEMBERSHIP: Sixteen members shall include a chairperson, one representative each from the President's Office, the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, the Office of the Vice President for Research Development, and the colleges of Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy; the Dean of Student Life (or designee), and three members at large, at least two of whom shall be international students; and the International Student Services coordinator (ex-officio).