Drew University looks to attract more foreign students

A joint venture between Drew University and INTO University Partnerships aims to draw international students to the Madison campus and expand the university’s global reach, the school announced this week. This announcement comes one month after Drew University named its first full-term woman president in the school’s 146-year history, and six months after it signed a dual admissions agreement with Raritan Valley Community College. Dubbed INTO New York at Drew University, the new partnership means the university will be marketed by recruiters all around the world, including to students in Europe, the Middle East, South America and Asia. The university’s goal is to bring about 130 new international students to the campus for the 2014-2015 year this fall, with a goal of bringing about 500 students within the next five years. “The INTO partnership is an exciting venture for the Drew community and helps us build on our longstanding international programs at home and abroad, including launching the first United Nations Semester in the country in 1962,” Drew Interim President Vivian A. Bull said in a new release announcing the partnership. “Inviting more international undergraduates to join the Drew community offers the rest of the student body the opportunity to learn with, and from, their global peers, giving them an advantage in a highly connected world.” Currently, Drew’s undergraduate College of Liberal Arts has 47 foreign students representing about 21 different countries, with additional international students attending Drew’s Caspersen School of Graduate Studies and the Theological School. Incoming international students will complete the first two years of undergraduate studies and English language coursework at Drew, and then will become eligible to complete the remaining two years of a degree program at Drew or another institution in the New York metropolitan area. “Comprehensive internationalization cannot be a ‘one size fits all’ effort,” said John Sykes, group managing director of INTO University Partnerships, in a statement. “One of the great advantages of the U.S. higher education system is that it is a rich tapestry of models and structures. “Smaller, private, well-established liberal arts institutions like Drew have much to offer international students, but may not have the resources to reach them. We are excited to introduce this unique study option to prospective international students while investing in Drew’s efforts to foster global perspectives through comprehensive internationalization.” INTO has partnerships with 19 universities around the world, including the United States, United Kingdom and Asia. In the United States specifically, INTO works with Oregon State University, the University of South Florida, Colorado State University, Marshall University and George Mason University. Source: Education News