When Internationalization Funding Feels Tight: Satisfaction With Funding and Campus Internationalization Strategies

This study investigated predictors of satisfaction with an institution’s strategy for campus internationalization among international affairs staff (N = 1,520) and compared the varying perceptions of their institution’s funding to fulfill this mandate. This study identified factors that influenced these individuals’ sense of their institution’s internationalization strategy. Among international affairs staff who were most dissatisfied with their institution’s funding, satisfaction with how their institution managed the outsourcing of university functions, and perceived competition with other universities most influenced their perceptions of strategy. For those moderately satisfied with funding, retention of senior university leadership most influenced their perceptions of strategy. Support from senior administration, communication with faculty, and capacity to support increased student enrollment influenced perceptions of strategy for all respondents. The results of this study suggest the negotiation of the educational and entrepreneurial rationales for internationalization are far more complex—and dependent on far more factors—at institutions where international affairs staff perceive fewer human and financial resources to be available.