ADVANCING GLOBAL STRATEGY AMID COMPETING INSTITUTIONAL PRIORITIES AND EXTERNAL PRESSURES: A STUDY OF SENIOR INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS AT LAND-GRANT UNIVERSITIES

Abstract

This dissertation explores how Senior International Officers (SIOs) at U.S. land-grant universities lead internationalization while navigating alternative institutional priorities and complex external pressures. In an era of shifting political, financial, and global dynamics, responsibility for internationalization often rests with SIOs whose authority, influence, and scope vary widely across institutions. This qualitative study draws on interviews with 15 SIOs and is guided by two research questions: (a) How do SIOs at U.S. land-grant institutions formulate and implement comprehensive internationalization strategies in the face of competing priorities among multiple internal campus stakeholders?, and (b) How do external forces, such as geopolitical conflict and global pandemics, influence how SIOs formulate and implement internationalization strategies? The study produced five findings. First, the SIO role is inconsistently defined and highly context specific. Second, internationalization priorities are set through varied and unsystematic approaches. Third, SIOs face institutional obstacles that hinder the advancement of internationalization. Fourth, SIOs are restricted by conditions and policies at global, national, and state levels. Finally, SIOs advance internationalization through pragmatic actions amid the constraints. These findings show internationalization is not a standardized or linear process but an institutionally context-dependent endeavor, constrained by pressures, shaped by institutional priorities, and carried forward through the pragmatic leadership choices of those charged with advancing internationalization in higher education.Keywords: internationalization, higher education leadership, senior international officers, land-grant universities, institutional priorities