University diversity
Sara Haghipour
The Signal
UHCL is taking steps and implementing programs to make it a more internationalized campus, one of which is recruiting international students.
“We have approximately 10 percent international students,” said Sameer Pande, executive director of the Office of International Initiatives. “When international students come in, they learn from us and we learn from them.”
There are several elements of how internationalization takes place at the university level, such as bringing international students to universities, sending local students abroad, faculty and scholar exchange programs, and internationalizing curriculum.
An internationalized curriculum is “the development of international majors and minors; the inclusion of international, cross-cultural, global, and comparative perspectives in exiting courses, and integration of global learning outcomes and competencies through general education and other wide-ranging initiatives,” as stated on the National Association of Foreign Student Advisers (NAFSA), the largest nonprofit professional association dedicated to international education, on its website.
“If you have information about that country, that culture, it increases your competency and increases your skill set,” said Pande. “That’s why in today’s world, you really can’t survive without knowing about other countries. You need those skill sets to be really successful at life. We really need to focus on how we can truly make our university internationalized.”
UHCL reported on its International Initiatives website that in 2011, 800 international students from 49 countries enrolled in courses at UHCL.
“Mainly we get international students from word of mouth,” Pande said.
Larry Rohde, program chair and associate professor of biotechnology echoed Pande’s statement. UHCL’s biotechnical program has 78 students enrolled this spring, 71 of which are international students.
“We are bringing in a lot of international students because of our heavy emphasis in lab,” Rohde said. “The international students that come here go back and tell their friends about how great the program was and then they apply.”
UHCL is also offering more study abroad programs this year. Last year, there were three study abroad programs available; this year there are five available.
“We tripled the numbers this year for students studying abroad,” Pande said. “When our students go to other countries, they increase awareness about another country and, at the same time, they let people know about us.”
There will be study abroad trips available to students to The Amazon in Brazil, Egypt, Turkey, the Czech/Slovak Republics, and Costa Rica this summer. Each trip lasts at least two weeks but some last for up to three.
Students can find more information about the trips by going to the International Initiatives website at www.uhcl.edu/OII or by contacting the International Initiatives Office at (281) 283-3972. The requirements for the trips vary and some prerequisites are required.
There is also a scholarship for students interested in internationalized education, which can be found on the International Initiatives website.
“The International Education Fee Award is merit-based financial support available for graduate and undergraduate students wishing to internationalize the education experience at UHCL,” states the International Initiatives site.
Several members of UHCL will also be attending the annual National Association of International Educators conference being held in Houston, May 27 through June 1. Members of the admission staff, communication staff, faculty and Pande will be in attendance.
“International education is fundamental to establishing mutual understanding among nations, preparing the next generation with vital cross-cultural and global skills, and creating the conditions for a more peaceful world,” the NAFSA website states.
“We’re participating [in NAFSA] because it tells the rest of the world about what we’re doing,” Pande said. “In terms of feedback, other people will give us feedback and tell us what they are doing. It’s an exchange of ideas.”
Pande expressed that he thought UHCL was on the right path towards internationalization.
“I’m very positive about what our campus is doing,” Pande said. “I’m really happy that we have such a good faculty, staff, and student body. It makes my job much easier.”
