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.