Creating brand recognition abroad when there are so many higher education institutions can be an ongoing challenge for universities. Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio has instituted an exciting and novel approach to building brand awareness, spreading its educational message and educating international students who otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity to attain an American degree. At the 2012 NAFSA Region VI Conference three Franklin University leaders presented their exciting on-location international degree programs. A special thank you to Suzie Arehart, Bridget Banaszak and Tamer Khadre for presenting this information.
In recent years Franklin has partnered with a number of international institutions to offer a Franklin degree to international students who will not need to set foot on American soil to earn the degree. These programs combine online learning with more traditional classroom teaching. Franklin has a long history of online learning programs so this was a natural next step for the university.
Through Franklin's Department of Global Programs potential partners are identified, contracts are developed and strategic boards are created. The partner institution appoints a liaison to represent the institution, participates in the strategic board, markets the program and recruits students, accesses course materials and provides a site and teaching faculty for the classroom courses. Franklin University faculty modify the curricula based on available course materials and calendar considerations. Faculty from Franklin also travel to the various international locations to teach students and advise international faculty on teaching methods. The Office of International Students and Programs admits and enrolls students in cohorts, provides a single point of contact for the partner, monitors student progress and coordinates faculty travel. As you can see many colleagues work together to seamlessly ensure the success of the program and each and every student.
For Franklin offering degree programs abroad allows for greater global branding and an internationalization of the institution. The partner institution gains an opportunity to offer an "American" degree. Furthermore partner institutions benefit from the exposure to new teaching methods and curricula.
This program has been quite successful as new locations have been added. Currently Franklin degree programs are offered in: Poland, Macedonia, Slovakia, Oman, Turkey, India, and Ukraine.
While developing a similar program is not ideal for all institutions, this is a great example of a university using one of their unique attributes (online learning) and adapting that talent for export abroad. Embracing who you are, rather than trying to be something you are not, is the key to longterm success. Nice work, Franklin. Please keep us posted on your future successes.
