Organizational change and international student enrollment: a multiple case study of three U.S. higher education institutions

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of increasing international student enrollment in three distinct U.S. higher education institutions on organizational change. The study used a qualitative, multiple case study approach with a cross case analysis in order to compare the experiences of different institutions based on their unique organizational cultures. The research findings were grounded in literature regarding globalization and internationalization, organizational culture, academic capitalism, and organizational change. Participants among the staff, faculty, and administration from the institutions studied provided insight regarding their experiences of change in relation to institutional attempts to recruit international students. The findings suggest that the experience of internationalization in various institutions does not readily conform to the prevailing literature. Results also show that organizational culture is an integral element in how an institution's perceptions of the need or desire to recruit international students. Also, organizational culture has a strong impact on the strategies of change an institution will employ. The findings indicate distinct differences in change as experienced by private, public, religious, and secular institutions.