​Ann McGee, president of Seminole State College in Florida, sees potential abroad. Like a growing number of community college leaders, McGee sees the overseas market as a place to send students for an international experience, recruit new students and even develop partnerships.

To learn more about those opportunities—and to hopefully develop some connections—McGee is heading to Russia in April for two weeks through the Fulbright Scholars program with a group of community college leaders to meet with peers in higher education, local government officials and business leaders. She and fellow administrators will explain how the U.S. community college system develops educational programs that combine workforce training and civic education and how the system prepares students for additional higher education.

“This program fits with the direction we’re taking the college,” said McGee, a community college graduate who has served as CEO of Seminole State since 1996.

Bringing an overseas experience to campusInvolving community colleges more in its efforts overseas is also the direction the U.S. Department of State is heading. The department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs—which sponsors Fulbright, the flagship international exchange program—is aware of the benefits of allowing community college leaders to interact with peers in other countries. The Russia Federation program, which is the only Fulbright program tailored specifically to two-year administrators, not only gives American education leaders a glimpse at Russia’s higher education system, but it also helps Russia become acquainted with the U.S. community college model while helping the country meet a national goal of higher education reform.

The focus on Russia

Russia has one of the largest educational establishments in the world, but a disconnect between education, workforce and community needs still exists, according to Andrew Riess, assistant director for outreach with the Council for International Exchange of Scholars. The U.S. community college model has been adopted by several countries, but in Russia two-year vocational institutions don’t necessarily serve non-traditional students, such as older workers or people with disabilities, Riess said. 

“This is one area where we see the greatest impact of the community college administrators,” he said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for American administrators to get together with fellows and talk about the issues.”

Community college leaders also recognize it as a chance to help other countries interested in providing access to higher education to more of its citizens.

Russia is one of several countries where engaging in partnerships and sharing the community college model could help “raise the standard of living and make the best use of people and natural resources,” said Debra Tervala, vice president of academic affairs at College of Southern Maryland (CSM).

Tervala participated in the program last April. She spent much of her two weeks outside Moscow, meeting with local government officials and representatives from universities and learning about Russia’s rich educational traditions.

“I found the Russian people to be spectacularly open and very interested in learning more and engaging in partnerships,” Tervala said.

Despite that willingness, there are challenges. Developing a higher education system similar to the one in the U.S. in a time of economic and societal changes is “quite a daunting task” for a republic as large as Russia, Tervala noted.

Acknowledging differences

Social and political structures put some constraints on education reform, agreed Patricia Hsieh, president of San Diego Miramar College (SDMC). Hsieh visited 24 institutions—mostly vocational and four-year institutions—in Russia in 2010 on a Fulbright scholarship. She spent most of her time in the Republic of Tatarstan.

In Russia, men are required to join the army at 18 unless they enroll at a four-year institution. Anyone who can afford to send their child to a four-year college or university does, Hsieh said, making the baccalaureate the norm, and therefore required in most industries. Mechanics in both the automotive and aviation industries are required to have four-year degrees.

Hsieh visited the chamber of commerce in Kazan and discussed the benefits of college and industry partnerships. She highlighted the partnership SDMC has with Toyota, through faculty become certified to teach the company’s curriculum.

She also shared some of her insight about online education and language learning, which many education leaders were interested in.

“Information sharing certainly has some impact,” Hsieh said about the conversations she had during her travels.

The connections she made and interest she generated abroad has led to some Russia educators and others to travel to the U.S. for the American Association of Community Colleges’ annual convention.

Though lack of funding has prevented some Russian faculty from visiting U.S. community colleges, Hsieh said the potential for future partnerships exists.

Accessibility, accountability and assessment

While in Russia in 2010, John Sbrega, president of Bristol Community College (Massachusetts), saw firsthand the need for reform in terms of workforce development while he examined the country’s manufacturing industry. But it’s access, he said, that also is causing an issue, and the “tight” education system that makes it difficult for students who want to transfer or even pursue a different path.

“We always talk about the open door,” Sbrega said. “It didn’t seem to resonate as much there.”

Sbrega was encouraged, though, that accountability and assessment are valued as highly in the Russian system as in the U.S. community college system. The two also share a similar goal of fostering educational systems that ensure student success.

“The standards they keep echo ours,” he said.

Thinking globally

Riess hopes the community college administrator program expands to other countries, leading to more partnerships, cultural exchanges and expanded points of view.

“While community colleges are thinking locally for practical reasons, they also should be thinking globally,” he said.

Many community colleges, like Seminole State, have already moved in that direction. At CSM, global citizenship is now a core learning area, and SDMC has developed partnerships in Brazil and China.

Tervala emphasized that “an awareness of diversity, cultural sensitivity and an awareness of world” are necessary to fostering the skill sets students need to compete in a global economy.

As for McGee, she’ll get a head start on making those connections. A group of Russian university delegates will visit Seminole State this month to discuss workforce issues, distance learning, sustainability, and community college and university partnerships.