Societās Internationalization Assessment

In the modern university, internationalization is a fundamental driver of institutional excellence. When strategically integrated, it elevates research impact, enriches the educational experience for all students, and enhances the institution's capacity to solve complex global challenges.

The "Implementation Gap": The ambition to internationalize is universal, but genuine transformation where global engagement elevates an institution to excellence is rarely achieved. This is due to the "Implementation Gap": Ambitious plans often gather dust, hindered by underlying, undiagnosed failures such as:

• Strategic Incoherence: "Flawed blueprints" that lack a clear global identity

• Governance Paralysis: Siloed structures and inertia that inhibit action

• Resource Chasms: The chronic mismatch between ambition and investment

• Cultural Dissonance: Top-down initiatives that fail to engage the academic core

The Societās Internationalization Assessment dismantles these barriers, moving your institution beyond mere activity to embed a global perspective into its core DNA.

Societās Internationalization Assessment

We move beyond standardized audits that perpetuate "Measurement Myopia," which focuses on what is easy to count rather than what drives excellence.

The Societās Internationalization Assessment is a "Strategic Diagnostic Engine" an "organizational MRI" designed to identify the root causes of implementation failure. Our proprietary methodology evaluates your global efforts across three core pillars, utilizing up to 50 indicators to provide the rigorous evidence required to catalyze change.

The Assessment: A Strategic Diagnostic Engine

Our rigorous, research-based approach across three core pillars unlocks the drivers of success by identifying opportunities for growth

1. Institutional Capacity and Culture: We assess the integration of global perspectives into the academic mission, the capacity to develop global talent, campus inclusivity, and the critical alignment of faculty incentives with international work.

2. Structural Readiness and Resource Alignment: We analyze the external environment and identify the "resource chasm" and structural bottlenecks that inhibit innovation and prevent transformation.

3. Leadership and Governance Integration: We evaluate the coordination of the international apparatus, the effectiveness of leadership vision, governance agility, and the strategic positioning required to overcome "governance paralysis”

Assessment Dimensions: The Pillars of Transformation

The Assessment is tailored to your desired level of transformation, the scope of data collection and stakeholder engagement

Compact (1-2 months): A rapid diagnostic of international preparedness, key challenges, and immediate opportunities, using up to 18 indicators

Standard (2-4 months): A deep dive analysis to drive significant changes to the internationalization approach, strategy, and aspirations, using up to 25 indicators

Comprehensive (3-6 months): A foundational analysis for the complete transformation of your international apparatus, governance structure, and institutional culture, using up to 50 indicators

Internationalization Assessment Levels: Tailored to Your Ambition

How Mature Is Your Institution's Global Engagement?

Our assessment helps you understand where your institution is on its journey to excellence:

• Stage 1: Naïveté: Characterized by ad-hoc activities applied without a clear vision, strategic rationale, or understanding of institutional capacity.

• Stage 2: Limited Engagement: Actions are reactive and transactional. Partnerships are pursued for volume over impact. Success is inconsistent, localized, and often siloed.

• Stage 3: Rising Performance: The institution has a clear vision and capacity. However, the implementation gap persists; impacts remain inconsistent due to unresolved structural or cultural barriers.

• Stage 4: Transformative: Internationalization drives excellence. Guided by a coherent vision and agile governance, the institution understands its unique global identity. Engagement is systemic, sustainable, and impactful.

About the Internationalization Assessor

Carlos Vargas founded Societās Partnership to provide universities with the rigorous, nuanced guidance required for meaningful internationalization. With over 13 years of strategic and operational experience at leading institutions (University of Toronto, University of Calgary, Carleton University), Carlos brings a profound understanding of academic culture, governance, and the realities of global engagement. His expertise, reinforced by an MEd in Leadership in Higher Education focusing on Internationalization, ensures this assessment is a strategic engagement designed to catalyze institutional improvement.

Consultation

Begin your transformation: Ready to unlock your global potential? Let's begin with a confidential consultation to discuss your institution's unique challenges and ambitions. Schedule your initial discussion today.

About Societās Partnerships: Societās Partnerships is a specialist consulting firm dedicated to resolving the complex structural, strategic, and cultural challenges that prevent higher education institutions from implementing transformative international strategies.

We move beyond strategy to execution.