In 2008, Teachers College (TC) established the Office of International Affairs (OIA) to renew its commitment to global education. In 2022, Dr. Portia Williams renamed the office as the Office of Global Engagement (OGE). OGE's mission is to lead the College in building sustainable and mutually beneficial partnerships that promote quality scholarship and practice. OGE is responsible for developing, coordinating, and expanding the scope of TC's international initiatives. The office acts as a liaison between internal and international entities, sets guidelines for collaboration, and serves as a clearing house for international information and resources.
Teachers College (TC) has an extraordinary history of engaging in international education that has shaped the field both in the United States and abroad. At its founding in 1887, TC faculty members prepared teachers to educate immigrant children in public schools. In 1889, James E. Russell offered the first course on comparative education. TC was the first American institution to develop a program in Comparative and International Education, and it has become a center for groundbreaking scholarship in comparative education and international collaboration. The College attracted international students, encouraged international exchange, and thus greatly influenced international education reform throughout the world.