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UB is 10th in international enrollment
By JOHN DELLACONTRADA
Contributing Editor
The university has moved up to No. 10 among 2,700 accredited U.S. universities in international enrollment, according to an annual report released by the Institute of International Education (IIE).
UB last year was ranked No. 11 in the IIE's "Open Doors" report and was ranked 15th in 2004.
This year's ranking indicates that UB enrolled 4,072 international students among a total enrollment of 27,220 in 2005-06, an increase of 2.7 percent from the previous year. The ranking includes undergraduate and graduate students, as well as students taking part in optional practical training programs.
Among major public research universities, UB is ranked highest in terms of the percentage of total enrollment that is international, according to the report.
President John B. Simpson said UB's continued rise in the ranking is a reflection of the institution's excellent reputation overseas and demonstrates UB's growing prominence as one of the most globalized public research institutions in the U.S.
"In today's ever-flattening world, higher education institutions throughout the world have a special responsibility to educate students who are globally aware and culturally fluent," Simpson said. "As a public research university serving a truly global community, UB takes this responsibility very seriously."
Simpson pointed out that increased recruitment of international students, as well as increased recruitment of out-of-state students, is an important part of the plan to grow enrollment by 10,000 students over the next 15 years, according to UB 2020, the university's strategic planning process.
"Our scholarly community is greatly enriched by the growing numbers of outstanding students who come to us from around the globe to study at UB, and we are committed to creating even greater opportunities for international academic exchange and collaboration," he added.
Stephen C. Dunnett, vice provost for international education, said the presence of so many international students—15 percent of UB's student body is international—greatly enhances the educational experiences of all UB students by exposing them to diverse cultures, viewpoints and languages. Academically, international students perform exceptionally well at UB, and they contribute in many different ways to the educational, research and public service endeavors of the university.
International students, who pay double the tuition of New York State students, make a major financial contribution to the university, as well. The overall economic impact of UB's international students and their families is estimated to be nearly $70 million annually.
"UB's international students are a source of cultural and economic enrichment for the Buffalo-Niagara community and, in turn, they are attracted to the region's cultural offerings, its proximity to Toronto and other major cities, and its established international communities," Dunnett added.
According to the "Open Doors" report, 564,766 international students were enrolled at U.S. institutions in 2005-06. This ended two years of national declines attributed to new student-visa regulations instituted in the aftermath of 9/11. Those regulations, which created delays in student-visa approvals, were relaxed last year.
UB's international recruitment strategies are a major reason for increases in its international enrollment, according to Dunnett. Even under the tougher visa regulations, UB's international enrollment continued to grow, he pointed out, due to the efforts of its international enrollment management staff, which worked hard to seek out and recruit high-quality, self-funded students from many countries around the world.
The Office of International Education organized UB's first overseas recruitment trips in 1995 when international enrollment had fallen to a low of 1,600 after several years of decline, Dunnett noted. The success of these early recruitment efforts led to the establishment of UB's Office of International Enrollment Management (IEM) in 1998, and since then IEM has increased the university's international enrollment two-and-half fold.
"UB was among the first U.S. institutions of higher education to set up an international enrollment management office and to develop an international enrollment strategy, which has served us well," Dunnett said. "The fact that we are able to increase our enrollment in the face of stiff competition from our peers—and when confronted by challenging visa regulations—is a testament to the outstanding work of Joseph Hindrawan, assistant vice provost for international education and director of international enrollment management, and his colleagues."
Hindrawan said that unlike many competing institutions, "UB maintained a consistently strong international recruitment effort during the period immediately following 9/11, and as a result, UB did not experience the substantial declines other U.S. universities did."
In addition, the Office of International Student and Scholar Services has made great efforts to provide a welcoming and supportive environment for international students—beginning with an intensive and comprehensive week-long orientation program when they first arrive on campus, Hindrawan added.
Mariam Assefa, CEO of World Education Services Inc., which evaluates the academic credentials of international students seeking visas, said UB stands out as one of the top institutions in the U.S. for its strategic recruitment of international students.
"UB's international office deploys its team very smartly to the places in the world they need to be," said Assefa, an Ethiopian native who earned a master's degree from UB in 1978. "They also provide excellent student services. International students know that UB is very attentive to their needs, and that pays off in the long run."
The new ranking is the latest evidence of UB's status as a world leader in international education. UB's international reputation was a major reason Simpson was invited to join U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings on a tour of Asia earlier this month to promote U.S. higher education to international students. In addition, UB in October celebrated the 25th anniversary of its historic educational exchanges with China. UB was the first U.S. university to establish exchange programs with China following the normalization of diplomatic relations in 1979.
The three-day visit to UB by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in September also was an indication of UB's increasing international stature, particularly in Asia. Moreover, UB's domestic students show more interest in studying abroad than do their peers at other U.S. colleges and universities. Ten percent of UB students study abroad, five times the national average.