Alfred Deakin, Internationalisation and Deakin University

Deakin International

A distinctive addition to Deakin University’s new Strategic Plan, Delivering Effective Partnerships, is a core commitment to having an ‘International Outlook’. Were he alive today, Alfred Deakin would be proud of his namesake.

Mr Deakin appreciated that much could be learned by systematic study in other countries. In the mid 1880s, for example, he visited California to study irrigation and conservation and upon his return to Victoria introduced groundbreaking legislation in Victoria to promote irrigation in this state. In the mid 1890s he also visited India and Sri Lanka and published a book on irrigation in India; his writings on the subject becoming a minor classic.

This aspect of Deakin’s life is reflected in the University’s commitment to study abroad and study tour programs. These programs provide enormous opportunity for intellectual enrichment by enabling students to spend a full semester at an overseas university undertaking local units, or to study Deakin units at relevant locations in China, India, Europe or South East Asia.

Mr Deakin also appreciated that Australia was part of an international order – that whether our country succeeded or failed as an emerging nation would be determined by its success in international trade and international relations. As Prime Minister he sought to expand Australian interests in the near Pacific and supported collaborative arrangements that bear a resemblance to the aspirations we have today for the United Nations. On the economic front, he argued for free trade arrangements that are similar, in principle at least, to aspects of our current free trade agreements and the operation of the World Trade Organisation. In short, it was obvious to Mr Deakin that regardless of where a country is located, it remains very much part of the world order and that its prosperity is tied inextricably to its ability to operate successfully as an international trading nation.

He would be proud, therefore, of Australian universities in general and of Deakin in particular. As part of the education sector, Australian universities have been one of, if not the, great export success story of the last 25 years. International education (which embraces the VET and school sectors, as well as universities and consultancies) is now Australia’s third highest export earner – in 2007 contributing $12.5 billion in export income behind only coal (number one) and iron ore (number two). This form of export activity also has the great advantages of being environmentally friendly, decentralised rather than located in only one or two geographic areas and egalitarian in the sense that the revenue it generates is diffused very widely throughout our community, rather than concentrated in a few hands. In this area, Deakin University has performed strongly with 19 per cent of our total enrolment being international students, the tenth highest in Australia.

There is, however, another dimension of internationalisation that in the long run is more important than enrolments. It is the preparation of students for working and living in a world in which many occupations have an international dimension and where most important markets operate without regard to national boundaries. Recognising this, Mr Deakin would have approved of the strategies in the University’s new strategic plan. These include:

• Providing a curriculum and learning experience that encompass international and intercultural perspectives and experiences.
• Providing services to enhance the student experience and enable students to obtain the most out of their time at Deakin, including employment of their choice upon graduation.
• Supporting staff to undertake professional development programs that enhance their ability to work in an international environment, develop and deliver an internationalised curriculum and pursue international research opportunities.
• Developing international research and research training partnerships.
• Supporting students to undertake international study experiences and learn another language.
• Undertaking activities with local, regional and international bodies that involve sharing with them Deakin’s expertise in areas in which we excel, thereby advancing our mutual interests.

In these ways, Deakin will demonstrate its commitment to all aspects of internationalisation and to being a catalyst for positive change for the individuals and communities it serves.