This week we read about international partnerships, problems institutions are having on their home-front, and quality assurance, among other things. The readings cover challenges that many higher education institutions face when venturing into new areas. Among these challenges lay: cultural awareness. What’s nice about this week’s report is that the ACE listed programs that were founded by different higher education institutions that can act as a base line for other institutions that want to venture on the same path. This method that is or can be applied to life itself has been used for years. If I am trying to do something, I am going to look for people who have done it before and do what they did improving on their method if need be.
It is not surprising that with a little investigation we can unveil many issues within higher education on American soil, so while the benefits are great; it seems a little odd that we as a country would want to push forward with internationalization. The biggest issue we have in this country in terms of access to higher education is the cost and prestige that is given to colleges and universities. There are hundreds if not thousands of affordable outlets for access to higher education; right here in New York, we have CUNY (College and University of New York) which has over 270,000 students (in 2014) enrolled in its 23 institutions. Coming from an inner-city high school, I for one did not want to attend a CUNY school, but here I am a grad student in Baruch, one of the top schools in the CUNY system. I do regret every now and then not going to CUNY for undergrad because I wouldn’t have the massive loan balance I have now, this is a reality for a number of students all over the country, if we choose to attend a cheaper, more cost effective school, we probably be semi-financially independent without having to worry about much if any loans at all. The same way many colleges entice foreign students in a ploy to attract them to the institution, is the same ploy that is used on students within America just more tailor-made.
This can be seen with the increase of attract to get veteran students. All schools, public, private, for-profit, or not for profit, know that government money is some of the most reliable money, so why shouldn’t they push to have these students be enrolled. Not saying it’s wrong, but it’s not entirely right either. There are a few schools that don’t really care about its students but care more about the money that is generated by a flux of students instead. If this is the treatment of students who are living in, or of American descent, imagine students with little to know ties of the American educational system. We have students within our borders that know nothing about the system and get hurt by it unfortunately. One thing to be noted however, higher education is a customer service, which many institutions have realized and are working to improve the treatment of its students, whether its American students or international students. This can be viewed as quality assessment along with transparency and accountability, its only right and makes sense that our students, faculty and staff are informed and knowledgeable about the happenings of the school that are need to know.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/exclusive-cuny-enrollment-hits-all-time-high-fall-article-1.1949121
Hello
I could not agree with you more on the information that you discuss in your blog. I feel that the readings are looking at the quality aspect , which many schools are really not focusing on due to the fact that prestige gets higher numbers. Although it gets higher numbers it does not necessarily teach students anything more but just takes more money and acts as a place of business and not necessarily an a place of learning and self-discovery which is what education is meant for . Especially in the international sector.
I agree, that the prestige aligned with many colleges that have international programs can over shadow the actual depth and aptitude of an international program. Then we have CUNY that is affordable but tends to not over emphasize its international education capacity to its current students but recruits quite substantially to gain international students.
As far the increase in the recruitment of veterans as you mentioned, it is my hope that these institutions also consider providing more services to veterans on campus and while enrolled in college. This is also a time for colleges to align themselves with community partners, businesses and non-profits to bring together multiple resources to ensure that these veterans can earn degrees and credentials for a successful civilian lifetime.
There are certainly many ethics issues regarding the type of students higher ed institutions recruit and their motivations for doing so. Your example of veterans brings to mind the predatory tactics of some for-profit colleges to recruit students for their VA educational benefits.
While the comparably affordable price of attending a public institution in ones state of residence would seem to be the obvious choice, the decision about where to attend is a complex one. Small liberal arts colleges have the advantage of a more personal campus culture and smaller class sizes. It can be argued that a degree from a prestigious institution can be an advantage when pursuing a career. Moving to a new region to attend college can be an enriching experience.
Regardless of cost, there will always be a desire to attend private/prestigious/out-of-state institutions. It would be interesting to compare the student debt carried by domestic vs international college graduates. Some countries like Sweden and Saudi Arabia provide partial or full funding for their citizens to pursue studies/degrees abroad. Many international students studying in the US come from higher income families who can fund their studies. To receive the F1 student visa, they must provide proof of liquid assets. Who can better afford an American higher education, American students or their international classmates?
Allison Olly
You make a great point starting off with higher education is customer service, and in a sense it has grown to be that. Since international students pay twice as much as local students, colleges and universities really try to meet their needs and accommodate them. From my experience so far, international students have a very difficult time transitioning and readjusting to the college in the US. Many are young, have never left their country before, don’t speak the language and have a difficult time balancing school work. As the first point of contact with many international students, international student office should really become holistic in that they address the students personal, social, academic and legal needs.
I think one of the main points of your posting comes down to the saying “quality over quantity”. It’s not benefitting the students, both domestic and international, the faculty and staff and the college to put in a large effort to bring in international students to a college campus in large numbers, if they are not properly prepared to fully support these students through training of administrators and faculty and programming to support their success while here in the United States. I think this speaks to your point about Veteran students as well. Schools are quick to take their money and enroll them, but how many schools have services tailored specifically to helping veterans succeed. Both veterans and international students have the capitol to “access” these schools, but we need to build the support systems here so they can be successful once enrolled.
Higher Education is a mix between customer service and a business. As much as we have to take care of our playing clients we also need to make strategic decisions to make sure the business does not fall apart. As easy as it is to state that there is an increase in wanting veteran students, we also cannot deny that there has been many programs in place to take care of veterans for many years in higher education. There is a definite lack in the quality of the students because of the business aspect of higher education. If all the seats are not filled budgets and programs will be cut and people can loose their jobs. I think that many people who come from the city are turned away from CUNY’s without seeing their value, not just monetary but educationally. This turns the question to what can institutions do better to market themselves as successful even though they are not private schools.
Melissa Fernandez