APUW International Status
When we refer to an educational institution, what do we mean by “having International Status"? There are many definitions for that. Books, articles and documents have been written on the topic. Often, the focus is on the global, regional and national rankings found in mission statements and policy documents around the world. Yet, the real meaning of the term "international" is unclear and its many interpretations did not lead to commonly recognized indicators or defined concepts.
As for Auream Phoenix University for Women, we consider our institution as international for several reasons: during the first six months of this year its enrolled students came from over 120 countries around the world (Google data). A Distance Learning educational institution enjoying a global citizenship with no borders, open to great humanistic values of every culture, religion and political belief. The status of Auream Phoenix is international; that is not due to its belonging to specific organizations, governments, political systems or bilateral agreements. It is referred to its daily transnational practices where human, social and cultural synergies from all over the world intersect.
Auream Phoenix University is international since its students recognize this status. Auream does not issue degrees molded on the governmental standards of a specific country, rather on the graduate’s specific global professional skills. According to its mission, the knowledge APUW promotes corresponds to the needs of a structured knowledge, modern, organized, effective, able to unite peoples and countries.
Recently, the university world has seen the spread of keywords such as global citizenship, internationalization, international partnership in discussions related to international higher education. We believe that being international means interpreting the basic needs of education, without limits or prejudices; helping students from developing countries, adopting low-cost accessible policies with low taxation, facilitating study programs access through distance learning systems, making knowledge accessible from any part of the world without bureaucratic complications.
Many institutions use the term "international" but often operate within a single country. In our opinion, universities should not misuse seemingly attractive but vague terms. They should focus instead on the quality of what they are doing. "International" is a fashionable term that does not classify the institution as “global” just because of some partnership or program sharing with institutions in other countries. Being international means operating globally. Auream Phoenix University for Women has students from more than 90 countries around the world. That is why it has an international status.