International
students require
special attention
and services
By Stacie Nevadomski Berdan
ggressive recruiting of international students necessitates
A
student services for an increasingly diverse student body. “Every campus
must develop a process, institute a structure and support system to breed
goodwill,” says Jeremy Cooper, a Brit who’s been living in Cincinnati for
the past three years. Cooper adds, “Universities should put equal time,
effort and money into both recruiting and retention efforts and create a
positive experience to build a reputation as an international school.” Jer-
emy Cooper is not an international student. He heads up the Integrated
Marketing Solutions business for Hobsons in the U.S. and its Interna-
tional Counselor Network (ICN).
For the last six years, Houston Community College (HCC) has
grown its international student base through word-of-mouth reputation
and ranks number one among community colleges for having the most
international students, according to the Institute of International Educa-
tion’s Open Doors 2009 report. This year, HCC hosts more than 6,000
students from all over the world.
Dedication to practical detail is a differentiator for HCC, where
reputation helps spread the word about its offerings in downtown Hous-
ton. “Retention is our number one priority,” says Rose Rougeau, Senior
Communications Director at HCC. “HCC counselors are essential to
retention. It begins with a mandatory orientation during which students
meet their professors, counselors and campus coordinators, get a feel for
the campus, and work with the registrar’s office to complete necessary
paperwork and find affordable living arrangements.”
Orientation at HCC includes the practical issues of immigration
laws and the rules and regulations students are bound by when they re-
ceive student visas. It also covers what to do when a student experiences
difficulties with a course. Orientation also includes cross-cultural issues
and the potential dangers that confront any new person in a large city.
Cross-cultural comfort and competence
International students need help with culture shock, making friends in
a new country and language—three essentials for success in a foreign
academic environment.
Culture shock is a mix of confusion, disorientation and emotional
upheaval. Its intensity can range from mild to debilitating. Extreme cul-
ture shock can spawn emotional illness. Most campuses take the issue
quite seriously, offering group lectures and one-on-one counseling ses-
sions. They publish handbooks that recount numerous experiences that
48 T
oday’s
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ampus
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