COLLEGE BROADENS HORIZONS; FOREIGN STUDENTS IN DEMAND.Byline: Jennifer Hamm Staff Writer GLENDALE - Aiming to increase its standing in a growing area of community college competition, Glendale Community College Glendale Community College can refer to one of two colleges in the United States.
Paying higher tuition and offering a desired diversity, international students are an increasingly hot commodity on community college campuses. ``It's financially rewarding,'' said Robert K. Holmes, president of the board of trustees board of trustees Politics The posse of thugs who oversee an institution's administration. See Board of directors. . ``The foreign students pay full-blast tuition.'' The 530 international students enrolled now make up around 3 percent of the school's population and pay more than 10 times the enrollment fees residents pay. Last year, the small number of non-resident students generated more than $2 million in revenue. Resident tuition accounted for $1.8 million in revenue. College administrators insist it's not just financial incentives that prompted them to beef up their international student program by bringing in a recruiter to focus exclusively on foreign students. American students benefit from the international perspective and vice versa VICE VERSA. On the contrary; on opposite sides. , officials say. ``We've had a long-standing commitment to incorporating international students, because we feel it enriches the educational experience of our native students,'' said Jewel Price, dean of student services at Glendale Community College. To make the dream of turning a local college into a global village a reality, the college hired David J David J. Haskins (b. April 24, 1957, in Northampton, England) is a British alternative rock musician. He was the bassist for the seminal gothic rock band Bauhaus. Life and work . Nelson for the newly created position of director of international recruitment and outreach Outreach is an effort by an organization or group to connect its ideas or practices to the efforts of other organizations, groups, specific audiences or the general public. . Just weeks into his job, Nelson is already preparing for a three-week trip to Asia later this month. He'll join other college recruiters on a handful of stops to talk with students about studying in Glendale. Nelson will hand out pamphlets that highlight academic programs and are filled with scenic pictures of Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . The trip will be the first of three Nelson expects to take in the next year. Nelson, who had a similar position at Golden Gate University in San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden , said recruiting isn't just about making Glendale look attractive. ``We want to grow in a qualitative way,'' Nelson said. ``It's not just making the sale. It's getting the right fit.'' College officials are confident they have a lot to offer students who want to study in the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. area, including good academic programs, small class size, courses that transfer easily to four-year schools, a good location and relatively low cost, Nelson said. Dimitrios Sinodinos, a 24-year-old student from Greece, is pleased to see the college increase its efforts to recruit foreign students. The school has needed someone to show the advantages of Glendale to foreign students, he said. ``The only pitfall pit·fall n. 1. An unapparent source of trouble or danger; a hidden hazard: "potential pitfalls stemming from their optimistic inflation assumptions" New York Times. is it's very hard to attract students to Glendale. You don't have a beach or Disneyland nearby,'' said Sinodinos, who is the school's student body president. ``The quality of the school will become the main attraction.'' Once international students do arrive, they take their studies and experience seriously, he said. ``You're paying $2,300 a semester se·mes·ter n. One of two divisions of 15 to 18 weeks each of an academic year. [German, from Latin (cursus) s . You want to get the best out of it,'' said Sinodinos. The school maintains two full-time counselors, admissions officers, an international student club and other ways to make those new to the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. feel at home. Sufficient support is essential to having an international student program that works well, said Darryl-Keith Ogata, director of international programs at Santa Monica College Santa Monica College was first opened in 1929 as Santa Monica Junior College. Current enrollment is 32,000 students in more than 90 fields of study. The college also has one of the largest international student populations of any community college in the US, with approximately . Santa Monica College has one of the nation's largest international student populations. They make up nearly 10 percent of the student body and account for some $10 million in annual revenue, Ogata said. The Westside school began heavily recruiting abroad in the mid-1980s. Many two- and four-year colleges have placed a stronger emphasis on international students in the last decade, Nelson said. About 500,000 foreign students who study in the United States annually contribute $10 billion to the U.S. economy, he said. An increased push to attract foreign students has made recruiting a competitive business. ``It's a much greater challenge on an international scale,'' Price said. ``Not a lot of people internationally know about Glendale, California Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It lies at the eastern end of the San Fernando Valley, is bisected by the Verdugo Mountains, and is an important suburb in the Greater Los Angeles Area. .'' Within the next four years, Nelson hopes to boost the international student count to 800. STUDENT STATISTICS/1998-1999 Non-resident tuition revenue......$2.05 million Resident tuition revenue...........$1.8 million Total revenue.......................$45 million SPRING SEMESTER 2000 530 international students 55 countries 14,500 total student enrollment CAPTION(S): chart Chart: STUDENT STATISTICS (see text) |
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