THE SUCCESSFUL INTEGRATION OF FOREIGN-BORN INSTRUCTORS IN THE ACADEME: LESSONS FROM ISRAEL’S LARGEST PUBLIC COLLEGE

Similarly to other industries, the academic world has increasingly become a 'global village', in which foreign-born instructors constitute a large proportion of university faculty. Most studies on foreign-born faculty members have documented various difficulties in the integration of foreign-born instructors in academic institutions. This paper presents data indicating the successful integration of foreign-born instructors in Israel's largest public college, and identifies the factors that contributed to this success. Data are based on several measures used to assess faculty members on an annual basis in teaching, research, administration, and community service. Linear discriminant analysis (LNA) was performed to examine whether faculty assessment scores distinguish between Israeli-born and foreign-born instructors. Findings show that foreign-born instructors have become successfully integrated in the institution. Four complementary explanations for their successful integration are proposed. We conclude with a discussion of managerial implications for institutions seeking to diversify their staff and successfully integrate foreign-born instructors FBF in higher education institutions.