Recruiting and Retaining
International Students on
a Limited Budget
Thy Yang and Desiree Johnson
Center for Multicultural Affairs
Dickinson State University
Dickinson, ND
Introduction
 What
position do you serve on your
campus?
 What do you hope to gain through
this program?
Dickinson State University
 13
Consecutive Years of Enrollment
Growth
 International students make up
nearly 15% of the total enrollment
 In 1998, DSU had only 24
international students on campus.
Today, we have over 400 students
enrolled at DSU.
Global Awareness Initiative

Established in 2000 with four main objectives:
– To create a more diverse and invigorating learning
environment by recruiting and retaining international
students and faculty;
– To increase student and faculty involvement in foreign
exchange programs;
– To engage students and area citizens in activities which
foster a greater understanding of the economic issues
and opportunities related to globalization; and
– To foster the ideal that individuals can contribute to
world peace through education, understanding,
tolerance and interaction with people from other
cultures.
Center for Multicultural Affairs
 Thy
Yang, Director of Multicultural
Affairs
– thy.yang@dickinsonstate.edu
 Tracy
Peterson, Native American and
Student Support Specialist
 Desiree Johnson, Administrative
Secretary
– desiree.m.johnson@dickinsonstate.edu
International Students
 2006-2007:
260 international
students from 30 different countries
(122 new for Fall 2006)
 2007-2008: 328 international
students (180 new for Fall 2007)
from over 30 different countries
 2008-2009: 400+ international
students (225 new for Fall 2008)
from over 30 different countries
International Student Enrollment
2006- Present
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
New
Total
Fall
2006
Fall
2007
Fall
2008
Diversity Initiative—Tuition
Assistance
Students must maintain a 2.00 GPA and
complete a minimum of 24 credits per
academic year
 Cultural Diversity Tuition Waiver

– In 2007-2008, 120 recipients were identified
as 4-year degree seeking
 28%
identified as Native American
– 10 Tribal Nations Represented

Global Awareness Tuition Waiver
– In 2007-2008, 170 recipients were identified
as 4-year degree seeking
Dual Degree Joint Program
(DDJ)
 Over
160 of this year’s international
students enrolled at DSU are DDJ
students and will return to their
home country in 1- 2 year’s time.
 DSU has an agreement with schools
from China and Russia.
 The principle behind the DDJ
Program is reciprocal acceptance of
credits earned at either institution.
Chinese Schools
 Beijing
University of Technologies
 Central University of Nationalities
 Dalian Jiatong University
 Sichuan International Studies
University
 Sichuan Normal University
 Soochow University
 Taiyuan University
Russian Schools
 Voronezh
State University
Dual Degree Joint Degree
Programs
 Art
 Business
Administration
 Finance
 Communications
 Computer
Science
 History (VSU)
 Political Science (VSU)
 University Studies
Disney International College
Program
Unique study abroad opportunity which
enables students to experience two unique
settings: a US Residential Campus plus
placement with a Fortune 500 Company
 Students study at DSU for one semester
and then live and work at the Walt Disney
World Resorts
 Students can choose to pursue a
Certificate in Human Resources
Management or take credits needed for
their home university degrees.

Disney International College
Program Enrollment Trend
Fall 2007--27
 Spring 2008--32
 Fall 2008--41

50
40
30
20
10
0
Fall 2007
Spring 2008
Fall 2008
Visiting Scholars
8
Visiting Scholars in residence at
DSU for Fall 2008
– 7 from China
– 1 from Japan
New Initiatives
 1-Year
Pre-Med Program with
students from Japan
– Fall 2008: 4 students bound for medical
school in Eastern Europe
– Students will enroll in ESL and pre-med
courses (Biology, Chemistry, etc)
– Projecting 20 students for Fall 2009
New Initiatives
 ESL
position added in Academic
Success Center
 Alumni Trip to China
– Led by Executive Director of Alumni
Foundation
– Group of 20 individuals to tour China
– Reunion and Alumni Gathering to be
held in Beijing
Challenges
Culture clashes between domestic and
international students
 Culture clashes among and between
international students
 Community and campus misperceptions
about benefits

–
–
–
–
Tuition Waiver
Services provided
Preferential treatment of students
Classroom management issues (cheating,
grading curve, etc)
Good Problems
 Fewer
ND students to recruit
– International students supplement lost
revenue
 Increased
interest in study abroad by
US students
 Real world global education
 Economic development
 Promotes world peace
Overview of International Student
Recruitment
Intensive ESL Programs
 Attending College Fairs
 Advertising in magazines or newspapers
 Retaining Agents
 Developing Sister School Relationships
 Armchair Recruitment
– Web
– Telephone Calls

Dickinson State University

Center for Multicultural Affairs
– Director of Multicultural Affairs
– Native American and Multicultural Student
Support Specialist
– Administrative Secretary
Travel Budget is $24,000 per annum
 We do not have an intensive ESL program
 We do not advertise in magazines
 We do not attend college fairs
 We have limited agency agreements

Dickinson State University
Sister School Relationships
– Dual Degree Joint Program
– Disney International College Program
– International student and scholar exchange
program

Global Awareness Tuition Waiver
– Reduces out of state tuition ($10,796) by 62%
($6,653)
– Students only pay $4,143 or $2,071.50 per
semester
Tools

Questions to ask:
– How are my students finding us?
– What are my best international markets?
 Visa
rejection rate
 English language requirement
 Financial viability
– What attracts international students to your
school?
– Are you making the most of your strengths?
– Is your portfolio diversified?
Tools
 What
are your short term goals?
 What are your mid term goals?
 What are your long term goals?
 How do your communication
strategies address these?
– Emails
– Telephone Calls
– Postcards
– Letters
Tools
Do you know how many inquiries you
receive from each country?
 What do you do that is intentional? What
action do you want to see?
 Do you know your conversion rate?

–
–
–
–
–
–
Inquiry to application
Application to acceptance
Acceptance to I-20
I-20 to SEVIS Fee
SEVIS Fee to Visa
Visa to Matriculation
Tools
 Focus
on your strengths and
duplicate in other markets or
programs
– Athletics
– Dual Degree Programs/ Exchange
program
– Referrals
Are you maximizing the Free Stuff?

NAFSA membership directory
– http://www.nafsa.org/member_services.ms

Community colleges
– http://communitycollegesusa.net/

TABS (The Association of Boarding
Schools)
– http://www.schools.com/directory/state.cfm

US Embassy
– http://educationusa.state.gov/centers/
SEVIS
 Current Students

Question
How many of you have a
database of current students’
high schools and colleges?
Question
How many of you use SEVIS to
track your students’ progress?
Do you email them their SEVIS
Number so that they can pay their
SEVIS Fee immediately?
Question
How many of you use the NAFSA
Membership Directory to set up
meetings when you travel?
Question
Do you offer to send support
letters to the Embassy prior
to students’ interviews?
Retention: How Do We Do It?
Takes a Village
 Cross-collaboration with other
departments on campus

–
–
–
–
–
–
Residential Life
Student Senate
Campus Activities Board
Food Services
Student Orientation and Registration (SOAR)
International Student Orientation
Retention: How do we do it?
 Residence
Life
– “Home away from home”
– Recruit international students to become
Resident Advisors
– Assist with training Resident Advisors on
issues of diversity and global awareness
– Collaboration on Residence Life
Programs
– Attend Residence Life Programs
Retention: How do we do it?

Student Senate
– Create a student centered culture
– Don’t ask for a separate programming
budget just for international students: help
students understand the process of
obtaining funding
– Encourage students to be part of student
government
– Assist with campus dialogue on diversity
 Address
the issues in a responsible manner
 Build campus unity
Retention: How do we do it?
 Campus
Activities Board
– Encourage student leaders to view
programming from international and
multicultural students’ perspectives
– Encourage international students to
be active in various clubs and
organizations on campus; teach them
how to form their own clubs
 Involved
students connect with a campus
– Weekend programming to help with
home sickness
Retention: How do we do it?
 Food
Services
– Our student frustrations begin and
end in the cafeteria
– Provide a more diverse menu
 Increase
fruits, vegetables
 Rice available at every meal
– Help cater cultural events
Retention: How do we do it?

Student Orientation and Registration
(SOAR)
– Parent Forum to discuss Globalization Initiative
 What
is true, what is false?
 What are the benefits?
 How can they help?
– Advise the students of our diversity
Retention: How do we do it?
 International
Student Orientation
– Semester long, 1 credit course
– Meets once a week for an hour
– Reduces unnecessary office traffic
– Enables detailed discussion of
– Roommate issues
– American customs
– Differences in cultures
– Academic policies and procedures
– F-1 and J-1 visa rules
Retention: How do we do it?
 Friendship
Families
– Support of the community
 Local
churches
 Local organizations
– Provide support
 Provide
transportation
 Provide family structure in the absence of
their actual family
Student Development
Approach
All students need to be
coached and treated as
learners.
Questions or Comments?