Recruiting and Retaining International Students on a Limited Budget

1
Recruiting and Retaining International Students
on a Limited Budget

• Thy Yang and Desiree Johnson
• Center for Multicultural Affairs
• Dickinson State University
• Dickinson, ND

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Introduction

• What position do you serve on your campus?
• What do you hope to gain through this program?

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Dickinson State University

• 13 Consecutive Years of Enrollment Growth
• International students make up nearly 15 of the
  total enrollment
• In 1998, DSU had only 24 international students
  on campus. Today, we have over 400 students
  enrolled at DSU.

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Global Awareness Initiative

• Established in 2000 with four main objectives
• To create a more diverse and invigorating
  learning environment by recruiting and retaining
  international students and faculty
• To increase student and faculty involvement in
  foreign exchange programs
• To engage students and area citizens in
  activities which foster a greater understanding
  of the economic issues and opportunities related
  to globalization and
• To foster the ideal that individuals can
  contribute to world peace through education,
  understanding, tolerance and interaction with
  people from other cultures.

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Center for Multicultural Affairs

• Thy Yang, Director of Multicultural Affairs
• thy.yang_at_dickinsonstate.edu
• Tracy Peterson, Native American and Student
  Support Specialist
• Desiree Johnson, Administrative Secretary
• desiree.m.johnson_at_dickinsonstate.edu

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International Students

• 2006-2007 260 international students from 30
  different countries (122 new for Fall 2006)
• 2007-2008 328 international students (180 new
  for Fall 2007) from over 30 different countries
• 2008-2009 400 international students (225 new
  for Fall 2008) from over 30 different countries

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International Student Enrollment2006- Present
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Diversity InitiativeTuition Assistance

• Students must maintain a 2.00 GPA and complete a
  minimum of 24 credits per academic year
• Cultural Diversity Tuition Waiver
• In 2007-2008, 120 recipients were identified as
  4-year degree seeking
• 28 identified as Native American
• 10 Tribal Nations Represented
• Global Awareness Tuition Waiver
• In 2007-2008, 170 recipients were identified as
  4-year degree seeking

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Dual Degree Joint Program (DDJ)

• Over 160 of this years international students
  enrolled at DSU are DDJ students and will return
  to their home country in 1- 2 years time.
• DSU has an agreement with schools from China and
  Russia.
• The principle behind the DDJ Program is
  reciprocal acceptance of credits earned at either
  institution.

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Chinese Schools

• Beijing University of Technologies
• Central University of Nationalities
• Dalian Jiatong University
• Sichuan International Studies University
• Sichuan Normal University
• Soochow University
• Taiyuan University

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Russian Schools

• Voronezh State University

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Dual Degree Joint Degree Programs

• Art
• Business Administration
• Finance
• Communications
• Computer Science
• History (VSU)
• Political Science (VSU)
• University Studies

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Disney International College Program

• Unique study abroad opportunity which enables
  students to experience two unique settings a US
  Residential Campus plus placement with a Fortune
  500 Company
• Students study at DSU for one semester and then
  live and work at the Walt Disney World Resorts
• Students can choose to pursue a Certificate in
  Human Resources Management or take credits needed
  for their home university degrees.

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Disney International College Program Enrollment
Trend

• Fall 2007--27
• Spring 2008--32
• Fall 2008--41

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Visiting Scholars

• 8 Visiting Scholars in residence at DSU for Fall
  2008
• 7 from China
• 1 from Japan

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New Initiatives

• 1-Year Pre-Med Program with students from Japan
• Fall 2008 4 students bound for medical school
  in Eastern Europe
• Students will enroll in ESL and pre-med courses
  (Biology, Chemistry, etc)
• Projecting 20 students for Fall 2009

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New Initiatives

• ESL position added in Academic Success Center
• Alumni Trip to China
• Led by Executive Director of Alumni Foundation
• Group of 20 individuals to tour China
• Reunion and Alumni Gathering to be held in Beijing

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Challenges

• Culture clashes between domestic and
  international students
• Culture clashes among and between international
  students
• Community and campus misperceptions about
  benefits
• Tuition Waiver
• Services provided
• Preferential treatment of students
• Classroom management issues (cheating, grading
  curve, etc)

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Good Problems

• Fewer ND students to recruit
• International students supplement lost revenue
• Increased interest in study abroad by US students
• Real world global education
• Economic development
• Promotes world peace

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Overview of International Student Recruitment

• Intensive ESL Programs
• Attending College Fairs
• Advertising in magazines or newspapers
• Retaining Agents
• Developing Sister School Relationships
• Armchair Recruitment
• Web
• Telephone Calls

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Dickinson State University

• Center for Multicultural Affairs
• Director of Multicultural Affairs
• Native American and Multicultural Student Support
  Specialist
• Administrative Secretary
• Travel Budget is 24,000 per annum
• We do not have an intensive ESL program
• We do not advertise in magazines
• We do not attend college fairs
• We have limited agency agreements

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Dickinson State University

• Sister School Relationships
• Dual Degree Joint Program
• Disney International College Program
• International student and scholar exchange
  program
• Global Awareness Tuition Waiver
• Reduces out of state tuition (10,796) by 62
  (6,653)
• Students only pay 4,143 or 2,071.50 per
  semester

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Tools

• Questions to ask
• How are my students finding us?
• What are my best international markets?
• Visa rejection rate
• English language requirement
• Financial viability
• What attracts international students to your
  school?
• Are you making the most of your strengths?
• Is your portfolio diversified?

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Tools

• What are your short term goals?
• What are your mid term goals?
• What are your long term goals?
• How do your communication strategies address
  these?
• Emails
• Telephone Calls
• Postcards
• Letters

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Tools

• Do you know how many inquiries you receive from
  each country?
• What do you do that is intentional? What action
  do you want to see?
• Do you know your conversion rate?
• Inquiry to application
• Application to acceptance
• Acceptance to I-20
• I-20 to SEVIS Fee
• SEVIS Fee to Visa
• Visa to Matriculation

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Tools

• Focus on your strengths and duplicate in other
  markets or programs
• Athletics
• Dual Degree Programs/ Exchange program
• Referrals

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Are you maximizing the Free Stuff?

• NAFSA membership directory
• http//www.nafsa.org/member_services.ms
• Community colleges
• http//communitycollegesusa.net/
• TABS (The Association of Boarding Schools)
• http//www.schools.com/directory/state.cfm
• US Embassy
• http//educationusa.state.gov/centers/
• SEVIS
• Current Students

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Question

• How many of you have a database of current
  students high schools and colleges?

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Question

• How many of you use SEVIS to track your students
  progress?
• Do you email them their SEVIS Number so that they
  can pay their SEVIS Fee immediately?

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Question

• How many of you use the NAFSA Membership
  Directory to set up meetings when you travel?

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Question

• Do you offer to send support letters to the
  Embassy prior to students interviews?

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Retention How Do We Do It?

• Takes a Village
• Cross-collaboration with other departments on
  campus
• Residential Life
• Student Senate
• Campus Activities Board
• Food Services
• Student Orientation and Registration (SOAR)
• International Student Orientation

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Retention How do we do it?

• Residence Life
• Home away from home
• Recruit international students to become Resident
  Advisors
• Assist with training Resident Advisors on issues
  of diversity and global awareness
• Collaboration on Residence Life Programs
• Attend Residence Life Programs

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Retention How do we do it?

• Student Senate
• Create a student centered culture
• Dont ask for a separate programming budget just
  for international students help students
  understand the process of obtaining funding
• Encourage students to be part of student
  government
• Assist with campus dialogue on diversity
• Address the issues in a responsible manner
• Build campus unity

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Retention How do we do it?

• Campus Activities Board
• Encourage student leaders to view programming
  from international and multicultural students
  perspectives
• Encourage international students to be active in
  various clubs and organizations on campus teach
  them how to form their own clubs
• Involved students connect with a campus
• Weekend programming to help with home sickness

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Retention How do we do it?

• Food Services
• Our student frustrations begin and end in the
  cafeteria
• Provide a more diverse menu
• Increase fruits, vegetables
• Rice available at every meal
• Help cater cultural events

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Retention How do we do it?

• Student Orientation and Registration (SOAR)
• Parent Forum to discuss Globalization Initiative
  
• What is true, what is false?
• What are the benefits?
• How can they help?
• Advise the students of our diversity

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Retention How do we do it?

• International Student Orientation
• Semester long, 1 credit course
• Meets once a week for an hour
• Reduces unnecessary office traffic
• Enables detailed discussion of
• Roommate issues
• American customs
• Differences in cultures
• Academic policies and procedures
• F-1 and J-1 visa rules

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Retention How do we do it?

• Friendship Families
• Support of the community
• Local churches
• Local organizations
• Provide support
• Provide transportation
• Provide family structure in the absence of their
  actual family

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Student Development Approach

• All students need to be coached and treated as
  learners.

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• Questions or Comments?