students study abroad, how many agreements we sign, or how many countries we visit.
Those numbers matter, but they are not the goal.
From Global Engagement to Global Impact
The goal is impact.
I want us to build a Montclair where every student has meaningful opportunities to engage with the world, whether that happens in another country, in a classroom, through research, an internship, a global partnership, or right here in New Jersey.
That means challenging some of the traditional assumptions about international education. A semester abroad can be transformational, but it cannot be our only model. Cost, work, family responsibilities, and many other realities make traditional study abroad difficult for many students. If global learning is truly part of a Montclair education, we need multiple pathways to make it possible.
We are already beginning this work. We are exploring new international partnerships and degree pathways, expanding opportunities for students to study, intern and conduct research abroad, strengthening our global recruitment, and thinking about how international partnerships can create opportunities not only for students, but also for faculty, research, scholarship, and the communities we serve.
But this cannot belong to one office—or even one division.
Some of Montclair's best global ideas are probably already sitting in the minds of our faculty, staff, and students.
One Question for Our Community:
What Should Global Montclair Look Like in Five Years?
So I want to ask you one question:
What should Montclair's globalization efforts look like five years from now?
What opportunities should every Montclair student have? Where in the world should Montclair have meaningful partnerships and a strong presence? What should distinguish us from other universities?
Please email me your ideas at suzukit@montclair.edu. They can be ambitious, practical, unconventional, or something we have never tried before. I want to hear from faculty, staff, and students across our campuses. The global future of Montclair should not be designed by one office—it should be something we imagine and build together.
The world is changing quickly. Montclair should not simply prepare our students to enter that world.
We should prepare them to shape it, and I would like to ask one favor of our campus community.
Call for Action: Interested in Building a Degree Pathway with India?
As President Koppell mentioned during the opening day event, we are working to connect Montclair more intentionally to the global stage. One of the places where I would like us to begin is India.
If you are a faculty member or academic leader interested in developing a degree pathway with an institution in India, please reach out to me. Building an international degree pathway is not a simple process. It requires academic alignment, the right institutional partner, careful planning, and coordination across many parts of the University. You do not need to know how to navigate all of that. That is where I can help.
At this stage, I am looking for strong interest from approximately five undergraduate programs and two or three graduate programs that would like to explore India partnerships with us. You do not need to have an Indian partner identified already. Bring me your academic program, your interest, and your ideas, and we can explore the possibilities together.
India is only a starting point. Our larger ambition is to think together about what it means for Montclair to be a truly global university.
Listening, Learning, and Just Getting Started
I could not be more excited about what lies ahead. Since my first day at Montclair, I have spent much of my time listening and having conversations—by my count, about 72% of it! I have met individually with every member of the Montclair Global team, and I am so happy to have such talented and dedicated professionals on our team. They share my excitement about where we are going and, more importantly, are ready to help us get there.
I have also met with all of our deans, many faculty members, and students across our campuses. Every conversation has given me another idea, another perspective, or another reason to be excited about what we can build together. I am still listening, still learning, and just getting started. I cannot wait to see where we take Montclair next.
