International education's importance in higher education: Social and economic impact

In a globalizing society, international education is an increasingly important element of higher education. Public and private universities offer different levels of international opportunities. Some may argue that this is because private colleges and universities have more dollars to contribute to the effort. This thesis makes the point that there are various ways for public universities to overcome the money barrier. The thesis further makes the case that a country's economic and social success requires an educated, culturally aware workforce. Employers state the competitive advantage in hiring of those graduates with international education experience on their resume. Public higher education has a responsibility to educate its students so that they can compete with private school graduates. Through a series of case studies, surveys, and interviews I describe how the University of Massachusetts Lowell can overcome its 'dollars' gap and establish a top notch Office of International Relations and successful study abroad programs.