Binational/Global Impact

To become a university of the 21st century, we must expand our global reach.  This effort will require reframing our relevance to society and our methods of communicating SDSU’s  goals and achievements externally; rethinking our approaches to research, teaching, and learning; and collectively determining the impact we wish to have.

The obligations of the modern university are not site-specific, and the world of higher education is more connected than ever before. Fortunately, so are our students.

San Diego State University is ranked No. 8 in the nation for the number of students studying abroad, according to the IIE, which produces the annual Open Doors report tracking U.S. students studying abroad for academic credit. In 2016-17, 3,039 SDSU students participated in approved study-abroad programs.

When SDSU incentivizes the discoveries, innovations, and technological breakthroughs that contribute to the public good—locally, nationally, and globally—our work will have a profound and enduring impact. At the same time, we will strengthen our presence in Mexico and Latin and South America to become the gateway academic institution for binational academic and research activity in the region.

San Diego State is uniquely poised among all California public institutions for success in this area. The university’s geographic location and relationship with universities and communities in Mexico and the border region are strengths to be leveraged to support our shared educational, economic, environmental, and workforce goals. SDSU’s location provides opportunities for a robust and enduring relationship with Mexico that encompasses student and faculty exchanges, internship and job opportunities—especially within the business and health sectors—and research and scholarly activity that solves problems and advances knowledge on issues of mutual importance.