ABSTRACT
The deep and pervasive tensions of early twenty-first-century life are significant enough to move even the most entrenched skeptic. There are on the hand, the gathering storm clouds of political instability across Europe and other Western democracies, hostility to immigrant populations, attacks on the free press, and a rising degree of economic inequality. Successful international education leaders and senior international officers (SIOs) possess more than global experience—they are skilled at strategic planning, forming alliances, establishing partnerships, managing risk, making the case for internationalization, fostering a global culture on campus, and relating well to others across difference. Successful leaders of internationalization understand that global institutions do more than move students around the world through education abroad. Finally, such leadership also requires a high level of personal effectiveness that includes entrepreneurial sensibilities, ethical behavior, finely honed intercultural communication skills, empathic instincts, and a commitment to fostering intercultural engagement.
