Internationalization, Student Experience and Graduate Studies Governance in Canada: Twenty-first Century Challenges and Possible Solutions

Leading universities around the world today see the internationalization of the graduate studies as key to educating the best knowledge makers of the future. For some time, science, medicine and technology disciplines have recognized that advanced PhD students benefit from visiting other laboratories. That students not only benefit from learning how other scholars practice their discipline, but also from comparative perspectives, is gaining ground in the humanities and social sciences. At the same time, demographic pressures mean that Canadian universities must increasingly rely on recruiting international students to maintain and develop their programs. Internationalization is consequently a key element in the strategic plans of almost every post-secondary institution. Graduate expansion remains a key priority for many, including now at the community college sector.

Yet, all the factors that shape student success become more acute in the case of international graduate students. Financial burdens are a key barrier to completion. A mental health crisis brought on by student isolation is becoming increasingly evident. The ability of specific programs to assist students in their career choices is uncertain. Supervisor-student relationships can flounder because of differences in expectations, in cultural learning styles and unclear communications. The nature of the professoriate is also changing, which in turn adversely affects student-supervisor relationships.

The result is a perfect storm of countervailing pressures and institutional imperatives, one that threaten to catch international graduate student in their midst. These challenges all point to the need to rethink the governance of graduate studies to ensure the success of all capable students while maintaining quality and building the international reputations of Canadian institutions.