College attracts many foreign students
astephenson@medicinehatnews.com
Russel Boris has been to China 56 times in the last 15 years.
As Manager of International Education for Medicine Hat College, Boris goes overseas regularly to recruit foreign students who are interested in a Canadian education. It’s not always an easy task, but one that is vital for both the financial and cultural health of the college campus.
There are currently between 150 and 170 international students studying at Medicine Hat College, the majority from Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea, China, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, although the college also recruits from Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and is beginning to expand its reach into South America.
“With the economy, we didn’t hit our goal this year,” Boris says. “Our goal is to have roughly five per cent of our student population, excluding the ESL (English as a Second Language) program, to be international. We’ve achieved that at times, but we’re a little bit below that right now.”
The reason that goal is so important is because the benefits to Medicine Hat College from having a strong international program are two-fold. International students pay at least double the tuition of a Canadian resident, so the college depends on them as a source of income. But more importantly, Boris says, is that it creates multiculturalism within the institution’s halls and classrooms.
“It’s the global village approach,” Boris says. “Not every
student in Canada has the money or can take the time to study abroad. So if we’re going to have that global approach, the best way to do that for our Canadian students is to bring the globe to us.”
Students all over the world are often looking to spend at least part of their university studies in an English-speaking country, so that they can better compete in business or their chosen profession. But getting those students to choose Medicine Hat can be a challenge — Medicine Hat College does not have the name-brand recognition that the University of Toronto does, so Boris and his colleagues have to sell their institution by promoting its low student-teacher ratios, affordability, friendliness, and more.
“Our No. 1 selling point for Medicine Hat is service,” Boris explains. “We out-service the other universities through good homestays, safety of the city - there isn’t a parent in the world who doesn’t like to hear this is a very safe and quiet city.”
It’s also very important to build relationships with post- secondary institutions around the globe. Medicine Hat College has a couple of feeder joint-venture campuses in China, through which Chinese students will do half of their program at home and half in Medicine Hat. The college also has relationships with universities in South Korea that offer an International Business program — students come to Medicine Hat to improve their English before embarking on the practicum required for their program.
Medicine Hat College is also hoping to expand its exchange
The 2010 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty is the
NEWS PHOTO EMMA BENNETT Jessy Sun takes part in a mixed conversation class as part if the International Education program at the Medicine Hat College.
program over the next few years, so that more Canadian students take advantage of opportunities to study abroad. The college already partners with large, world-class universities in Japan and Korea where Canadian students can study in English, and Medicine Hat College has tuition vouchers available for students who want to study overseas.
While Medicine Hat may not be the most multicultural of cities, Boris and his colleagues are working to change that, at least within the halls of the college.
“You go to Vancouver or Toronto, you don’t have to strive for that - they already are multicultural cities,” Boris says. “Medicine Hat is not there yet, but we want that atmosphere at the college.”
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