After several years of stagnant international enrollment at Ohio University, officials say they hope a new Department of Homeland Security initiative will reinforce the value of international students.
In a Friday conference call, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced the unveiling of a website to encourage international students to not only come to the U.S. to study, but to work here once they graduate.
“This is a critical part of our efforts to improve our program,” Napolitano said. “It is important because we have 1.1 million visitors and families and 10,000 students in the U.S. This is the finest place in the world to come and study. The visitors enrich our academics and our institutions.”
During the past several years, OU has enrolled students from about 100 countries.
Between 2008 and 2010, OU’s undergraduate and graduate international enrollment has hovered just under 1,500, which has risen from about 1,100 in 2005 and 2006.
The most students have come to OU from China and India, with the most common majors being finance, electrical engineering, and physics and astronomy.
“From a diversification standpoint, attracting, admitting, enrolling and retaining international students is in the best interest for all of us,” said Becky Watts, chief of staff to President Roderick McDavis. “One of the most important things as a university is for students to broaden our worldview and encourage thinking about different ways at issues.”
This site will be a “one-stop shop” for international students who want to study in the U.S. and remain as professionals. It will provide students with information about visas and universities that offer international programs while offering content that translates to many different languages.
The site says it brings together organizations involved in international students’ processes to “enhance coordination.” The Student and Exchange Visitor Program, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S Customs and Border Protection, and the Department of State have all contributed information to the site.
Students looking at the website have access to the paperwork necessary for immigration, including visas, passports and driver’s licenses. The site also allows them to view universities in the U.S. that have certified international-student programs.
“We wanted to have a program that is easy to use,” said John Morton, director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in the conference call.
“It is tremendously useful, and in the first time in the history of the federal government, it is the start of an interaction with students that will lead to the finest program in the world.”
Watts said she believes the website will be a good way to encourage international students to study and work in the U.S.
“The international student program is indeed a source of pride for (OU),” Watts said. “It speaks so strongly of the faculty and the rich heritage that we have had for many decades.
“OU has opened its doors to international students dating back many presidents. It has been a concerted effort of many of McDavis’s predecessors. We are building strong, positive relations to strengthen the international culture of OU.”
sj950610@ohiou.edu
