Internationalization at Community Colleges: Innovative Practices for International Student Support, Study Abroad, and Virtual Exchange

ABSTRACT Community colleges have a strong rationale for engaging in global education and internationalization, given the benefits of these opportunities to students, the institution, and the local community. This article focuses on two common student mobility‐related strategies, often housed in the same office or department: enrolling international students, that is, students attending the community college on a temporary visa that allows for academic work, and facilitating study abroad programs. Given the rise in virtual exchange programming during the pandemic and its potential as a lower‐cost alternative to study abroad, we also include virtual exchange offerings in our discussion on study abroad. The article draws on two qualitative research projects by the authors to highlight innovative practices and strategies for engaging in this work. Our recommendations are starting points to creating robust internationalization efforts at community colleges, allowing this sector of higher education to engage in global activities with a local impact.