Chris Hightower

In January, Chris Hightower received an invitation to submit a case study proposal outlining how intercultural competence is being developed and assessed at TCU. As the assistant director for Institutional Effectiveness and a recent graduate of the College of Education’s Leadership program, he jumped at the opportunity and his enthusiasm is paying off.

Hightower’s proposal will be part of a new book titled Intercultural Competence in International Higher Education publishing later this year.

Intercultural competence is the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with people of other cultures. Hightower’s dissertation research focused on the subject and the skills, attitudes and beliefs that first-year students bring to college. He used that research and the knowledge gained from his work at TCU for the proposal.

“The book is a collection of case studies, which outlines how various institutions implement intercultural competence at their campuses,” said Hightower. “TCU’s initiatives include the Quality Enhancement Plan: Discovering Global Citizenship. My proposal examines how TCU constructed its program, how it is measured, what we are learning from programmatic activities and what students are achieving by participating in the activities.

“TCU won the Institute of International Education Heiskell Award for Internationalizing the Campus last year and is becoming a leading institution in intercultural competence. Other colleges and universities can model what we have done for their programs.”

The editors of Intercultural Competence in International Higher Education, Dr. Darla Deardorff, whom Hightower knows through a professional organization, and Dr. Lily Arasaratnam-Smith, are leading scholars in the field of intercultural competence. The duo chose only 30 proposals from 135 submitted by professionals in 26 countries.

“I am thrilled that our work demonstrates the high quality global, disciplinary and innovative perspectives the editors sought,” said Hightower.

Hightower earned his bachelor’s degree from TCU and his master’s degree from the University of Georgia. He worked in higher education at Emory University and held various positions in sales and a corporate setting before joining TCU in 2012. He has been instrumental in the development of the QEP, now in its fourth year of operation.

TCU’s Office for Institutional Effectiveness is responsible for providing support services to all academic units in their assessment efforts and to serve as a resource to educational support units. Its mission is to enhance student learning through assessment activities.