Integrating International Students Into the Life of the University

courtesy of liblogs.albany.edu

Integrating International Students Into the Life of the University

This post over the weekend by Dori Kelsey at the University of Toledo, reminds us all involved in international education about the importance of the on-campus experience for international students as essential to the long-term success of an institution in their international enrollment management strategy. If you are already in the field, I realize I am preaching to the choir. But for those new to the field, or those who have administrators who don't get, I mean really get, international education, I hope this blog can help.

Far too often these days, international students are seen as cash cows by institutions around the world. Whether it's in Australia, UK, Canada, and, yes, the U.S. too many colleges and universities view these students as little more than dollars or pound signs. In the U.S. this struggle is particularly visible at public institutions that face increasingly tighter budgets and less funding coming from the state government. Pressures on upper administration officials to find new revenue streams can and do turn often to international students. Clearly, there are financial advantages of enrolling students who pay out-of-state tuition rates to attend state institutions, but for that to be the driving motivation for expanding international enrollment, is truly short-sighted.  In the end this drive can have long-term negative ramifications for colleges unprepared to meet the needs of these new students from abroad.

For those who have been in international education for more than a few minutes they will tell you, institutions that think the students from the Brazil, Burkina Faso, Belarus and Bangladesh have the same needs as U.S. students from Boston, Bismark, Beaverton, and Boca Raton are in for a very rude awakening. Whether it was the Libyan and Iranian students of the '70s and '80s, the Saudis of the '00s or the Chinese now, large concentrations of full fee-paying students can pose a myriad of challenges to even well-established colleges and universities. From the admissions process, orientation, academic advising, residence life, ESL, food services, campus ministry, career services, to, of course, the international student office the entire campus is impacted by expanded flows of overseas students. Staffing, space, time, and resources must be committed to ensure that these new students have a positive experience. The alternative for institutions which cannot commit to meeting the needs of their international students (or domestic for that matter) is a ruined reputation, and a long-term hole that will be very difficult to climb out of, and in the end, far more costly that what it would have taken to do it right the first time.

The true benefit for both international students and their U.S. counterparts on college & university campuses, long term, is to promote mutual understanding.

The truly successful institution is one that, as Dori Kelsey explains in her post, recognizes "its responsibility for the well-being of international students.... To this end, colleges and universities have sought to match international students with domestic students and have tailored programs to particular target groups to assist with the adaptation process." There are dozens of successful international student programs offices (and their institutions) around the U.S. that embrace these overseas students as an essential component of their colleges' success in meeting their various missions & goals.

Ms. Kelsey again hits the nail right on the head when she posts, "Assessing and addressing the problems that international students experience will impact many areas. It will aid not only in the internationalization of the campus—as stated in the mission and goals of most universities—but it will expose domestic students to the life styles, values, and culture of people throughout the world and thereby enrich their experience. It will also foster goodwill between nations and will help all students develop beneficial bonds for their personal lives and future careers."

Well said.