The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

UVM seeks internationalization

Sophomore Sunny Jiang has a lot in common with her classmates at UVM.But one thing that sets her apart is that she is an ocean and half a continent away from her family and friends in Jiangxi Province, China.The Educational Policy and Institutional Resource Committee of the board of trustees had students like Jiang in mind as they planned to triple international presence on campus during the meeting Feb. 8.The meeting focused on the Universitys partnership with Study Group, a global education recruiting firm, in order to triple the current international student body of 1.8 percent within the next four or five years.This program will start with an inaugural class of about 50 students in January 2014.The partnership is five years in length and will be renewed if both parties agree to do so, said Gayle Nunley, associate provost for faculty affairs and internationalization.The program is designed to be self-sustaining, Nunley said.Study Group will bring students to UVM from all regions of the world in addition to the U.S.-Sino Pathways Program, which targets students from China to study in the U.S., said Chris Lucier, vice-president of enrollment management.Until we started the U.S.-Sino Pathway program three years ago, [UVM] never had a focus effort in internalization, Lucier said. Schools that we would call our peers are at a minimum of five to seven percent [of undergraduates international students].The Universitys admissions office will still make all admission decisions and international students must meet the academic requirements, Nunley said.Joe Cece, managing director of higher education in North America for Study Group, said building the structure of the partnership was a quick process since UVM had a good idea of what they were looking for.The nature of the partnership is not only to recruit students, Cece said. We want to wrap around student support services to help accommodate and ultimately retain international students.He also said he thinks internalization would help diversify the school and strengthen the Universitys finances.[International] students are able to pay full tuition, Cece said. Students are fully [academically] qualified and fully financially qualified.The expected increase in international students is coordinated with offices such as the International Office of International Education, ResLife and ALANA Centers so that the University can accommodate foreign students, said Emma Swift, assistant director of international student services.The University would not do something in terms of expansion that we couldnt support with the same quality that we are doing right now, Swift said.The push for internationalization is the latest initiative the University has planned in order to triple the number of international students and meet its out-of-state enrollment goals, a University Communications article stated.Even with the way UVM is going to grow, it will still be at a rate that will allow [international] students to integrate, Swift said.Jiang said she was attracted to UVM because of its safe environment and early education program. While Jiang said she is satisfied with her experience at UVM, she thinks that some things could be made easier for international students.I have to pay the full tuition, Jiang said. Probably some international students have assistance from the school, but we have less chances to achieve that. Most Chinese students just pay our fee by ourselves.Lucier said he thinks international and American students should be in closer contact at the University.To not allow them to have a class or live in a residence hall with students from other countries and cultures, we are not building the kind of experience we want to, he said.With this in mind, Swift said she is excited to help build an international student community at UVM.This is a special place to studyit is the right size, it is the right atmosphereI think adding a little bit of extra international flair is going to be a really nice twist for the University, Swift said.Although Jiang said she thinks improvements could be made to the Universitys international program, she thinks the University is moving in the right direction.I love UVM because it made me feel comfortable when I first came to America, Jiang said. Its a good idea to increase international students, so we can be communicating and share our experiences with each other.

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UVM seeks internationalization