Wanting somewhere else: institutional and department support for foreign-born leadership educators

Abstract

ABSTRACT Reflective of the growing efforts to advance institutional missions and aspirations of increased internationalization, foreign-born leadership educators (FbLEs) add a global dimension to the student learning experience and the ethos of the academic departments in which they work. Leadership departments, specifically, benefit from multiculturally diverse definitions and perspectives on leadership from FbLEs. Foreign-born leadership educators bring to the classroom different contexts of leadership and leadership dynamics informed by their cultural identities. The ways an academic department chair or university administrators support the FbLE's professional development and transition to the host community have implications on that faculty members success and satisfaction. A qualitative exploration into the experiences of FbLEs reveals inconsistent and insufficient formal and informal networks of support. Many foreign-born leadership educators turn to personal relationships with family and other foreigners to maneuver the challenges of unfamiliar cultural expectations. The findings of the current study may serve academic administrators in more effectively recruiting and supporting foreigners who teach leadership.