Expanding ACCESS to International Students

Tuesday,November1, 2011

11:00am-12:30pm

21st Annual Strategic Enrollment Management Conference: The Origin and Future of SEM

San Diego, California

Presenters:

  • Daniel Robb, Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Development/Associate Dean of Admissions, George Mason University
  • Nicole Sealey, Director for the Center for International Student Access, George Mason University

Abstract:Internationalization and student access rarely come together in one sentence, but one institution has found a method to expand opportunities to internationalstudents for admission. This session describes the year-long foundation program and its development with tips for institutions interested in creating their own similar programs.

Presentation Outline:

  1. Context
  2. Internationalization

Defined “... as the process of integrating an international perspective into a college or university system. It is an ongoing, future-oriented, multidimensional, interdisciplinary, leadership-driven vision that involves many stakeholders working to change the internal dynamics of an institution to respond and adapt appropriately to an increasingly diverse, globally focused, ever-changing external environment” (Ellingboe, 1998, p. 199).

  1. Overview of Mason
  2. Institutional Profile
  3. Young public institution located close to Washington, DC Metro area
  4. Enrollments upwards of 32,000
  5. International enrollment averaging 6%
  6. Institutional Culture
  7. Students enrolled from over 136 nations
  8. Active engagement in internationalization-related efforts
  9. Student academic and social environment ripe for efforts
  10. Institutional Prioritization: Institution-specific goal(s) must be articulated from the top for success
  1. Why Grow International Enrollments?
  2. Increase campus diversity
  3. Moral: Feeling that “it’s the right thing to do”
  4. Increase tuition revenues
  5. Increase international profile
  6. Considerations:
  7. What kind of issues do international students have at your institution(s)?
  8. What are the barriers to admission, retention, and graduation for international students?
  9. Can these be mitigated?
  10. Options Explored
  11. Possible Approaches:
  12. External: Outsourcing
  13. Internal: Utilizing internal resources
  14. Internal – New: Creation of New Structure
  15. Selected Approach:
  16. Internal – New
  17. Reasons: Retain high level of control and work with our students directly; utilize plentiful existing resources without overtaxing them
  18. Conceptualization of Project
  19. ACCESS Program Pilot
  20. International Freshmen
  21. Alternative Admission Requirements
  22. Meets academic qualifications
  23. Lower English Proficiency threshold
  24. Provisional admission
  25. Goal: One year comprehensive first-year experience
  26. Established “Center for International Student Access” in Fall 2010; located in Office of Provost
  27. Collaborative “coalition”
  28. English Language Institute (IEP)
  29. Enrollment Management Offices (e.g., Admissions, Registrar)
  30. Academic units
  31. University Life (e.g., Student Involvement, Immigration Services)
  32. Special Programs (e.g., Honors College, MSU)
  33. Resource Sharing
  34. Special Programs (e.g., Honors College, MSU)
  35. Resource Sharing
  36. Pilot uses “Initiative-based” budget model
  37. Set aside funding
  38. Some of net revenues were reallocated to support specific internationalization efforts
  39. Self-sustaining
  40. Enrollment Strategies: Vision for Enrollment
  41. Attracting: From where, at what cost, how many?
  42. Enrolling:Alliances, embassies, differences in yield
  43. Retaining: What services and at what cost?
  44. Programmatic Structure
  45. Research Informed approach
  46. Thoughtful academic sequencing and custom courses
  47. Co- & Extra-Curricular components
  48. Lessons Learned
  49. Program Needs
  50. Achieving appropriate balance of human resources
  51. Securing needed space/housing requirements
  52. Obtaining uninhibited access to qualified faculty resources
  53. Fully developed enrollment funnel model for recruitment, retention, and graduation through program assessment & environmental analyses
  54. Institutional Prioritization
  55. Consensus building
  56. Structural Adjustments (Work In-Progress)
  57. Internal buy-in/marketing
  58. Adjusting Revenue model
  59. Marketing & recruitment strategies
  60. Personnel
  61. Qualified faculty
  62. Qualified staff
  63. Results
  64. Assessment
  65. Enrollment
  66. Momentum
  67. Future Implications
  68. How big does this program need to be?
  69. How do we work with potential partners?
  70. How do we effectively share the model?
  71. How nimble are we in adjusting each year?
  72. Do we need to control costs and max revenues?
  73. How do we develop metrics to best “tell the story”?
  74. How can we leverage lessons increase benefits to more members at the institution?

References

ACCESS Program website. George Mason University’s Center for International Student Access -

Davis, R., Mallett, K., Sealey, N. & Zgheib, G. 2011. “Expanding ACCESS to International Students.” Presentation at 3rd Annual Colonial Academic Alliance Global Education Conference. Fairfax, VA.

Ellingboe, B.J. (1998). 'Divisional strategies to internationalize a campus portrait: Results, resistance, and recommendations from a case study at a U.S. university, in Mestenhauser, J.A. and Elllingboe, B.J (eds.), Reforming the Higher Education Curriculum: Internationalizing the Campus. Phoenix, AZ: American Council on Education and Oryx Press, pp. 198-228.

Fischer, K. (May 29, 2011). Colleges Adapt to New Kinds of Students From Abroad: Younger, sometimes less-experienced students require more academic and social support. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from

Fischer, K. (August 7, 2011). College 101 for Non-Native Speakers: Pathways programs blend English and academics to help foreign students succeed. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from

Habib, A. S. and Mallett, K. E. (eds.). 2011. “Diversity at Mason: The pursuit of transformative education.” Fairfax, VA: Diversity Research Group, George Mason University.

Hill, B. A. (2008). A Guide To Internationalization For Chief Academic Officers. American Council on Education.

International Association of Universities. 2010. Internationalization of Higher Education: Global Trends, Regional Perspectives. IAU 3rd Global Survey. Paris: UNESCO House.