The Emergence of the American University Abroad Kyle A. Long Submitted in partial fulfillment of ...

306 Pages·2017·3.6 MB·English

The Emergence of the American University Abroad
Kyle A. Long
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
under the Executive Committee
of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
2018
© 2018
Kyle A. Long
All rights reserved
ABSTRACT
The Emergence of the American University Abroad
Kyle A. Long
This dissertation explores the relations of independent American universities abroad to
one another and to American higher education through a mixed-method comparative case
study of three eras (1919-1945; 1946-1990; 1991-2017). Applying insights from the
study of organizations and social movements, it investigates 1) the formation, evolution,
and eventual maturation of an organizational field of American universities abroad; and
2) the strategies field actors utilize to align frames about American universities abroad
with values of potential supporters in the United States. The study employs both
qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze data that come from archives, news
media, institutional websites, interviews, and an original database. Findings have
implications for study of international higher education, American higher education, and
American foreign relations. I argue that over the course of a century, the American
university abroad has emerged as a distinct institution and structural feature of American
higher education. Episodic cooperation among various American universities abroad has
served to organize the field to the extent that its “rules” eventually became
institutionalized. Instances of continuity and change in the field’s rules are often the
result of pressures emanating from U.S. higher education and foreign policies.
Meanwhile, the field of American universities abroad, representing the frontier of
American higher education, has continually enlarged the latter’s boundaries with each
successive period of global expansion.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Tables and Figures ii
List of Acronyms iii
Acknowledgments iv
Dedication vii
Preface viii
Chapter 1: Introduction—American Universities Abroad 1
Chapter 2: Theoretical Framework 15
Chapter 3: Research Methodology, Data Collection Methods, and Analytical Strategies 29
Chapter 4: Field Formation, 1919-1945 52
Chapter 5: Field Evolution, 1946-1990 97
Chapter 6: Field Expansion, 1991-2017 145
Chapter 7: Field Maturation, 1991-2017 193
Chapter 8: Conclusion—The American University Abroad as an American Institution 234
References 247
Appendices 283
i
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Figure 1.1 Cumulative number of American universities abroad 2

Figure 1.2 Number of countries with an American university abroad 2

Figure 1.3 Location of American universities abroad in 2017 3

Figure 3.1 Comparative case study and glonacal agency approach to the study of the 31
field of American universities abroad

Table 3.1 Matrix of research questions, data sources, and analytical methods 31

Table 3.2 List of archival sources by chapter 35

Table 6.1 Independent American universities abroad established in Eastern Europe, 190
the Caucasus, and Central Asia, 1990-2017

Table 6.2 Independent American universities abroad established in the Middle East 191
and North Africa, 1989-2017

Table 6.3 Comparisons of new entrants (1989-2017) to the field of American 192
universities abroad by region

Table 7.1 Number of appearances by AAICU institutions in selected media, 228
1991-2017

Table 7.2 Number of appearances by comparison institutions in selected media, 230
1991-2017

Table 7.3 Frames employed about the American university abroad model 231
in the media

Table 7.4 List of institutions in mission statement analysis 232

Table 7.5 Results of chi-square tests for inclusion of terms in mission statements 233
by institution type

iii
LIST OF ACRONYMS
AAICU The Association of American International Colleges and Universities
AALE American Academy for Liberal Education
ABET Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
ACBSP Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs
ACG American College of Greece
ACP American College in Paris (later AUP)
AICU The Association of International College and Universities
AICU-E The Association of International College and Universities—Europe
ASHA American Schools and Hospitals Abroad
AUAF American University of Afghanistan
AUB American University of Beirut
AUBG American University in Bulgaria
AUBiH American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina
AUC American University in Cairo
AUCA American University of Central Asia
AUD American University in Dubai
AUIS American University of Iraq, Sulaimani
AUN American University of Nigeria
AUP American University in Paris (previously ACP)
AURAK American University of Ras al Khaimah
CEU Central European University
CHEA Council for Higher Education Accreditation
CIA Central Intelligence Agency
C-RAC Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions
FRACHE Federation of Regional Accrediting Commissions of Higher Education
GAU Georgian-American University
IIS International Institutional Services
IRS Internal Revenue Service
KAFU Kazakh-American Free University
LAU Lebanese American University
NEASC New England Association of Schools and Colleges
NECA The Near East College Association
OSS Office of Strategic Services
REP Office of Regional and External Programs (American University of Beirut)
SACS Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
UN United Nations
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
USAID United States Agency for International Development
USIA United States Information Agency
iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am eternally grateful to my advisor and the sponsor of this research project, Oren
Pizmony-Levy. He saw my passion for this subject before I did and tactfully drew out my
awareness of it. He has always let me think out loud, even when those thoughts were ill formed.
Oren is a model of patience, but also of infectious enthusiasm. His excitement about this project
from its embryonic stages to its completion never wavered and it spurred my own. He is a credit
to the academic life.
A couple years ago, I cold called Lisa Anderson. That she agreed to advise my work has
been one of my nascent career’s great fortunes. Her insights on American universities abroad in
particular and higher education in general have been invaluable. I had a sense of what I wanted
to write about before we met, but I only started to see the big picture after she came on board. If
there is any clarity in this manuscript it is because she helped me to brush away the clutter.
I have had the privilege of conducting this research under the auspices of some of the
world’s greatest educational institutions. Certain faculty members at these universities have
made innumerable contributions to my work. Noah Drezner, Carolyn Riehl, and Andrew
Delbanco joined Oren and Lisa on my dissertation committee. I am sincerely appreciative of
their time and talents. I could not ask for a more distinguished and thoughtful group of advisors.
Current and former Teachers College faculty members, such as Gita Steiner-Khamsi, Mary
Mendenhall, Garnett Russell, Elizabeth Buckner, and Kevin Dougherty, have also left their
imprints on this project along the way. Special thanks go to Nancy Green Saraisky, who has
always made me feel that my research was important and that I was capable of completing it.
Ted Purinton and Jennifer Skaggs of the American University in Cairo invited me to contribute a
chapter to their book, which provided a helpful early opportunity to work out some of the ideas
iv
that found their way into this manuscript. Elisabeth Anderson sponsored me as a Visiting Scholar
at NYU Abu Dhabi, where I conducted much of the research for Chapters Six and Seven.
Throughout the project I received assistance from a wide range of graduate and
undergraduate students. Phoebe Linh Doan was always collegial and too kind in sharing her
advanced statistical expertise. Abda Kazemi adeptly transcribed dozens of interviews. Hayat
Seid, Giulia Turchetti, and Jakub Bartoszewski also provided transcription assistance. The
intrepid Allison Davis made multiple trips to the archives of the American College of Greece on
my behalf in order to access and digitize the papers of Louis Vrettos. Kris Ahn capably
performed, often on short notice, numerous and vital web-based research tasks. An assemblage
of volunteer graduate student research assistants helped me to create an initial database of
American universities abroad in the early part of 2015. I am deeply grateful to each of these
aides.
Over the past few years, several organizations have provided important financial and in-
kind research support, including the Center on Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern
California; the National Security Education Program; New York University Abu Dhabi; and
Columbia University’s Harriman Institute and Teachers College.
I am indebted to the more than 50 individuals who participated in the research project as
interview subjects. Without their voices, Chapters Six and Seven would not have been possible.
Andrew Wachtel and Celeste Schenk let me be a fly on the wall of the AAICU annual meeting,
which was a turning point in my research. I am much obliged to them and the other meeting
participants for welcoming me so warmly. I also extend thanks to my former colleagues and
students at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani. They changed my life in immeasurable
ways. Val Rust, Carine Allaf, and Dawn Dekle wrote the letters of recommendation that brought
v
me to Columbia University. Once I got there Ryan Allen and Emily Richardson made things
enjoyable. Thor Halvorson, Eric Brown, and JP Schnapper-Casteras have repeatedly gone out of
their way to express confidence in me. I am grateful for their encouragement, which has been
supplemented by periodic sage advice from long-time mentors Charlie Blaich, Kathy Wise, Rick
Legon, and Susan Johnston.
My parents—Juanita and Mike Farley, Mark Long, and Betty Long— and my in-laws,
Steve and Beth Burroughs, have provided essential emotional and material support, for which I
will be forever grateful.
Stacie Long has done everything and more to get us to this point. Together we have the
power of standing still. These pages belong to her. So do I.
vi
Dedicated to the memory of Athanasios Moulakis (1945-2015),
who showed me what an American university abroad could be,
and whose erudition, wit, and humanity continue to inspire me.
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