Spring Break
OSU seeks increased international enrollment
INTO OSU program seeks growth, ease of transition, doubling of international student population
Lauren Sigel
Issue date: 2/11/09 Section: News
Within five years, the number of international students attending OSU will be 10 percent of the total student body, doubled from its current levels of 5 percent.
This is one objective of INTO OSU, a joint venture between OSU and INTO University Partnerships, a company founded in the United Kingdom that offers high-quality preparation for international students who wish to participate in undergraduate and graduate study in the United States and the United Kingdom.
OSU is the first American university to partner with INTO. Legal documents were signed in early November 2008, and INTO OSU is currently in the process of implementing the English Language Institute. All former ELI staff will remain OSU employees under their existing employment terms, and many of them will continue to work at INTO OSU.
"We feel that it's very important that OSU is a multicultural place with a diverse mix of students and different nationalities," said Valerie Rosenberg, student experience director for INTO OSU. "The world is becoming more and more interconnected and OSU students need to be exposed to international influences to prepare them for life after graduation."
Universities across the world couldn't agree more with this statement. According to a Jan. 15 issue of The Economist, INTO has made deals with five universities in Great Britain and is in discussions with several more.
INTO founder Andrew Colin estimated that nearly 30 other institutions have made agreements with one of their four competitors.
"OSU's partnership with this unique program is a major step in reversing the decline of international student enrollment," said Chris Bell, director of academic programs for INTO OSU.
"Students are recruited through agents that are independent educational advisors for schools all over the world. These agents are managed by INTO regional managers, and currently more than 1,000 agents work with INTO worldwide."
During their first year at OSU, undergraduate INTO students will participate in a pathways program that is designed to move students successfully through the first year of a four-year degree program.
This is one objective of INTO OSU, a joint venture between OSU and INTO University Partnerships, a company founded in the United Kingdom that offers high-quality preparation for international students who wish to participate in undergraduate and graduate study in the United States and the United Kingdom.
OSU is the first American university to partner with INTO. Legal documents were signed in early November 2008, and INTO OSU is currently in the process of implementing the English Language Institute. All former ELI staff will remain OSU employees under their existing employment terms, and many of them will continue to work at INTO OSU.
"We feel that it's very important that OSU is a multicultural place with a diverse mix of students and different nationalities," said Valerie Rosenberg, student experience director for INTO OSU. "The world is becoming more and more interconnected and OSU students need to be exposed to international influences to prepare them for life after graduation."
Universities across the world couldn't agree more with this statement. According to a Jan. 15 issue of The Economist, INTO has made deals with five universities in Great Britain and is in discussions with several more.
INTO founder Andrew Colin estimated that nearly 30 other institutions have made agreements with one of their four competitors.
"OSU's partnership with this unique program is a major step in reversing the decline of international student enrollment," said Chris Bell, director of academic programs for INTO OSU.
"Students are recruited through agents that are independent educational advisors for schools all over the world. These agents are managed by INTO regional managers, and currently more than 1,000 agents work with INTO worldwide."
During their first year at OSU, undergraduate INTO students will participate in a pathways program that is designed to move students successfully through the first year of a four-year degree program.
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