Centre for
Higher Education
Internationalisation
Centre for
Higher Education
Internationalisation
“CHEI is a thriving research and educational centre in the heart of Europe
that unites young researchers with senior scholars on cutting edge and
emergent issues in higher education internationalisation.”
Professor Amanda Murphy, Director CHEI
About CHEI
CHEI was founded in 2012 and is based at Università Cattolica’s Milan campus. After the
centre had been successfully launched by Prof. Hans de Wit, the Rector, Prof. Franco Anelli,
nominated Prof. Amanda Murphy as Director, and Dr. Fiona Hunter as Associate Director.
The Rector’s Delegate for Internationalisation of the University, Prof. Pier Sandro Cocconcelli,
directs the Management Board and the Scientific Committee, chaired by Prof. John K. Hudzik
of Michigan State University, has a general advisory role, as well as an active role in PhD
supervision.
The Centre for Higher Education Internationalisation contributes significantly to higher education research around the world. One recent example of its work is the European Parliament study on Internationalisation of Higher Education published in 2015, which was
carried out in cooperation with the International Association of Universities (IAU) and the
European Association for International Education (EAIE). One-day public seminars held in
2016 focused on key topics such as ‘Internationalisation of the University: Process and Practice’ and ‘English-Medium Instruction in Higher Education’.
CHEI’s mission
The Centre for Higher Education Internationalisation (CHEI) at Università Cattolica del Sacro
Cuore designs, conducts and commissions research, disseminating results through publications and conferences to strengthen the international dimensions of higher education.
CHEI faculty organize seminars, conferences, educational courses and workshops and, in
conjunction with the Schools of Education and Languages at Università Cattolica, offer a
unique doctoral programme focused on higher education internationalisation.
Themes in focus
Within the diverse and rapidly growing area of higher education internationalisation, the
work of CHEI concentrates on four key areas:
■■Emerging trends in internationalisation: policies, strategy, mobility, recruitment, internationalisation of the curriculum, transnational higher education, English as a medium of
instruction (EMI);
■■Rationales for internationalisation: economic drivers, political factors, social/cultural motives, educational rationales;
■■International education and institutional development: incorporating at home and abroad
dimensions into institutional strategy; using data to shape institutional strategy;
■■Internationalisation of Italian universities in the European and global context: creating a
forum for dialogue for Italian institutions.
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC) is Europe’s largest private university and the only university in Italy operating on a national scale. Founded in Milan in 1921 by Father Agostino Gemelli,
UCSC also has campuses in Piacenza-Cremona, Brescia, and Rome. At Università Cattolica, 41,000
students from around the world study across 12 Faculties.
Università Cattolica offers some of the most challenging academic programs in areas of medicine
and health sciences, economics and business, political and social sciences, psychology, humanities,
and agricultural, food and life sciences. Ongoing dialogue between teaching and research allows
for an approach drawing on various disciplines, which helps students navigate within the sphere of
scientific knowledge in an independent and responsible manner. Università Cattolica researchers
work with peers at some of the world’s leading universities and research institutes, creating new
knowledge to help understand and solve some of the world’s most complex problems.
Università Cattolica strives to uphold its international reputation for high quality and relevant scholarship. As one of the top 500 universities in the world (QS World University Rankings), ongoing
investment in teaching, research and social development in Italy and abroad ensures that the
influence of the University reaches beyond its campus population to touch an expanding global
audience.
Research activity at Università Cattolica spans over 120 research hubs and is aimed towards the
study of issues crucial to life and society: new frontiers in economics and bioethics, the recovery
of cultural assets, family trends, the phenomenon of the mass media, the development of political
systems, the aims of medicine, technological applications of mathematics and physics, the most
recent discoveries in environmental research. With the Centre for Higher Education Internationalisation, Università Cattolica will make an important contribution to higher education research around
the world. The CHEI publications, education and seminars are illustrative of that contribution, such
as the Seminar “International and European Higher Education: Trends and challenges for Italy” with
distinguished scholars Philip Altbach (USA), Jo Ritzen (The Netherlands) and Michele Lenoci, Renata
Viganò, Simona Beretta, Mario Maggioni from Cattolica, 24 May 2013, Milan, in collaboration with
CeRiForm/School of Education.
Activities of CHEI
Doctoral programme in higher education internationalisation
With the development of higher education internationalisation as a priority for institutions around
the world, the demand for expert education and research in the field has increased over the last
decade.
CHEI operates a doctoral programme for aspiring researchers and professionals in higher education
internationalisation, which is offered in collaboration with the Faculty of Languages and the Faculty
of Education at Università Cattolica. The three-year programme focuses on internationalisation of
higher education and is offered exclusively in English. It is primarily a distance doctoral programme
and most candidates continue to work in their home countries whilst undertaking the programme.
The formal admission process takes place annually, usually between June and September, depending on the dates and deadlines specified in the annual call for applications for doctoral places
published by Università Cattolica. In addition to listed prerequisites, candidates are expected to
undertake a preparatory year before they apply, during which they attend two research seminars at
the centre, where they can receive guidance in the preparation of their research proposal.
The doctoral programme starts in November each year and those admitted onto the programme
receive supervision from members of the doctoral schools and of the CHEI Scientific Committee
who have expertise in the candidates’ areas of research.
PhD Research Seminars
One of the centre’s major contributions to research and education in the internationalisation of
higher education is the doctoral research seminars. These are organised twice a year for a broad
international community of students and scholars.
The seminars include lectures on current trends and issues from leading experts, and bring together a unique combination of senior scholars, international education practitioners and aspiring or
current PhD students to discuss emerging research topics, develop research proposals and acquire
or hone methodological and analytical skills. Participants benefit from each other’s expertise and
experience, and have the opportunity to exchange ideas and resources while working together
on joint assignments. These gatherings contribute to the growth of a knowledge community in
higher education internationalisation which is beneficial to those contemplating doctoral study or
already undertaking research in the field. The seminars are open to candidates enrolled in doctoral
programmes at other institutions; they continue to attract participants from all five continents, and
also provide a useful international platform for networking.
The PhD seminars originally developed in 2012 with the support of the Researchers in International
Education Special Interest group of the European Association of International Education (EAIE) as a
means of providing more formalised training in international education research.
International Research projects
In addition to the research projects undertaken by its PhD candidates, in 2016 the Centre is involved
in the following international projects in collaboration with scholars around the world, including
Israel, Russia, Spain and Chile:
1) IN2IT - Internationalisation by Innovative Technology (Erasmus +). Project IN2IT aims to develop
and implement an innovative technological infrastructure for the purpose of advancing internationalisation in higher education, and thereby to expand the practical applications of internationalisation in Israeli academic colleges, to strengthen the capacities for teaching, learning, research, and
training, and to improve the quality and positioning of Israeli state-funded academic colleges in
higher education.
2) In collaboration with CIHE in Boston, CHEI is working within Project 5:100, a Russian excellence
project which aims to get 5 Russian universities into the first 100 in the world. During the course of
2016, CHEI and CIHE are providing training on higher education internationalisation to 25 representatives from Russian universities, together with Milan Polytechnic, and the universities of Groningen
and Göttingen.
3) SUCTI Systemic University Change Towards Internationalisation
This European Strategic Partnership project, coordinated by Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Catalonia
and involving 12 European universities, concentrates on the internationalisation of administrative
staff in universities. Its aim is to raise awareness and shift the internal culture of institutions towards
internationalization, thus creating a systemic change in our institutions and in European Higher
Education.”
4) CHEI is undertaking research within the project ‘Catholic Universities: Identity and Internationalization’, together with CIHE in Boston College and the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.
Key Publications
CHEI faculty are among the leading scholars in the field of higher education internationalisation.
Elspeth Jones, Emeritus Professor at Leeds Metropolitan University, is editor of the series published
by Routledge entitled Higher Education Internationalization.
Recent titles in the series include:
Betty Leask 2015, Internationalizing the Curriculum
John Hudzik, 2015, Comprehensive Internationalization: Institutional Pathways to Success.
Chris Ziguras and Grant McBurnie (2015) Governing Cross-border Education
Other important publications include:
Hans de Wit (Editor). 2013. An introduction to higher education internationalisation. Vita e Pensiero,
University Press of Università Cattolica.
CHEI collaborates with the Boston College Centre for International Higher Education in producing
the quarterly publication International Higher Education, in which Fiona Hunter is editorial advisor
for the section entitled Focus on Internationalisation. Fiona Hunter is also an active blogger on The
World View, sponsored by CIHE and on the EAIE sponsored blog Learning Internationalisation
Strategy, which she writes together with Neil Sparnon.
Tony Adams Visiting Scholars Scheme
As part of a commitment to the development of a knowledge community in higher education internationalisation, CHEI welcomes
visiting scholars. The Tony Adams Visiting Scholars Scheme provides
an international research environment in higher education internationalisation for junior or advanced scholars needing a space to
develop their research. During their stay, visiting scholars participate
in the research, educational and dissemination activities of CHEI,
make use of the CHEI resource centre and administrative support,
and contribute to the Università Cattolica research community through occasional seminars or
guest lectures.
The scheme is named in honour of the late Tony Adams, a leading international educator, advisor
to Università Cattolica, and friend and colleague to many in the field.
Past Visiting Scholars
2015
Anna Chamchiyan, PhD student, Ulyanovsk State Technical University, Ulyanosk, Russia: 10 months
Adriana Pérez Encinas, PhD student, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain: 1 month
2014
Miki Horie, Ritsumeikan International, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan: 3 months
Adriana Pérez Encinas, PhD student, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain: 3 weeks
Addy Rodriques Benzos, Universidad de Quintana Roo, Mexico: 1 month
2013
Wendy Green, University of Queensland, Australia: 2 months
Addy Rodriques Benzos, Universidad de Quintana Roo, Mexico: 1 month
Christopher Ziguras, RMIT, Australia: 3 months
CHEI’s first PhD Graduate
CHEI’s first PhD graduate, Gabriele Weber Bosley, from Bellarmine University, Kentucky, successfully
defended her thesis in March 2016 in the School of Education. The title of her thesis was “Action Research towards a Sustainable Pedagogy: Development of Intercultural Competence in the Context
of Institutional Commitment to Internationalisation and the Preparation of Students for Global Citizenship”. Her work was supervised by Hans de Wit, Elspeth Jones and approved by Renata Viganò.
Current Participants - CHEI PhD Programme
2012-2013
Jos Beelen
Title of Research:
The Implementation of Internationalisation of the Curriculum
Supervisor: Hans de Wit
Co-Supervisor: Betty Leask
Università Cattolica faculty: Renata Viganò
Home Institution: Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
2013-2014
Felix Wang
Title of Research:
The Assessment and Cultivation of Global Identity through Study Abroad: Understanding Formative Variables as Mediators and Moderators of Global Identity
Supervisor: Craig Shealy
Co-Supervisor: Hans de Wit
Università Cattolica faculty: Renata Viganò
Home Institution: James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia
Jeanine Gregersen Hermans
Title of Research:
How do European Higher Education Institutions Develop Intercultural Competence in its Students?
Supervisor: Hans de Wit
Co-Supervisor: Betty Leask
Università Cattolica faculty: Antonella Marchetti
Home Institution: University of Hull, United Kingdom
Roberta De Flaviis
Title of Research:
Higher Education Internationalisation in Italy: An Overview and Analysis of Challenges and
Opportunities
Supervisor: Fiona Hunter
Co-Supervisor: Amanda Murphy
Università Cattolica faculty: Antonella Marchetti
Home Institution: Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
2015-2016
Visnja Schampers-Car
Title of Research:
Internationalisation of Roman Catholic higher education institutions in Europe – the role of the
International Federation of European Catholic Universities (FUCE)
Supervisor: Fiona Hunter
Co-Supervisor: Giuseppe Mari
Università Cattolica Doctoral School Representative: Antonella Marchetti
Home Institution: Leiden University, the Netherlands
Ravi Ammigan
Title of Research:
Assessing international student engagement in university support services and programmes
Supervisor: John Hudzik
Co-Supervisor: Elspeth Jones
Università Cattolica Doctoral School Representative: Dante Liano
Home Institution: University of Delaware, USA
Biodata Permanent CHEI Staff
Amanda Murphy
Amanda Murphy, Director of CHEI, is a full professor of English Language at the Department of
Language Sciences and Foreign Literatures at Università Cattolica, in Milan and Brescia. She holds
a doctorate from the University of Birmingham, and is an experienced PhD supervisor and external
examiner. She is an active promoter of Study Abroad and Exchange at student and faculty level. She
has published widely on aspects of English and is a reviewer of the journal of Studies in International
Education. Her research interests within the field of internationalisation focus on English-Medium
Instruction as a means of internationalisation, the training of staff and research students in successful
international communication, strategies for communicating HE internationalisation, teaching an
international classroom and the learning outcomes of experiences of internationalisation at home.
Fiona Hunter
Fiona Hunter is Associate Director at the Centre for Higher Education Internationalisation (CHEI) at
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, Italy. She is Co-Editor at the Journal of Studies for International Education (JSIE) and Past President of the European Association for International Education
(EAIE) where she is now a member of the newly-formed Knowledge Development Taskforce. Her
main research interests are internationalisation of higher education and strategic management. She
also works as a consultant and trainer around the world to help institutions internationalise and
think more strategically about their future.
Elizabeth Moffatt
Elizabeth Moffatt is Communications Manager of CHEI. She was Associate Managing Director of the
Confucius Institute at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore for five years, and is responsible for the
Global Engagement and International Education language service. She is also a qualified English
language instructor and academic writing lecturer.
Francesca Finotello
Francesca Finotello is Administrator of the Centre. A graduate in Modern Languages from Cattolica
University, she is experienced in dealing with both national and international administrative processes. She has previously worked for the Outbound Unit of UCSC International and for the University’s
Confucius Institute.
Governance of the centre
Management Board
Chair - Pier Sandro Cocconcelli Professor and Rector’s Delegate for Coordination of Internationalisation Projects, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Piacenza, Italy
Board Members
Amanda Murphy, Director of CHEI, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan
Caterina Gozzoli, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan
Gianlorenzo Martini, Regione Lombardia, Bruxelles, Belgium
Edilio Mazzoleni, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan
Federica Missaglia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan
Giancarlo Spinelli, Politecnico di Milano, Milan
Scientific Committee
Chair - John K. Hudzik Michigan State University (MSU), East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
Vice-Chair - Simonetta Polenghi Università del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
Director of CHEI - Amanda Murphy Università del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
Associate Director of CHEI - Fiona Hunter Università del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
Committee Members
Raul Caruso, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy
Roberto Cauda, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
Hans de Wit, Director of Center for International Higher Education, Boston College, USA
Stephen C. Dunnett, State University of New York at Buffalo, NY, USA
Elspeth Jones, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, UK
Betty Leask, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
Francisco Marmolejo, The World Bank, Washington, DC, USA
Location
CHEI is located in Via Carducci, a five-minute walk from the
main University campus.
Address
Via Giosuè Carducci 28/30, 20123 Milan, Italy
Public transport
S. Ambrogio metro stop (Line M2 - green line)
Bus 50, 58 and 94
Contact information
Centre for Higher Education Internationalisation (CHEI)
Via Carducci 28/30, 20123 Milan
Phone: +39 02 7234 5116
Fax: +39 02 7234 5806
Email
> [email protected]
Web
> www.unicatt.it/CHEI
> http://progetti.unicatt.it/progetti-ateneo-dottorati-home
@CHEI_Unicatt
