To:
SenEx
From:
International Affairs Committee
Re:
Final report
This year's committee was charged with two main tasks. The first charge was to evaluate teaching by student teachers whose primary language was not English and to determine steps that might lead to more classroom success. The second charge was to determine if tuition enhancement or other student fees was a viable option for helping further the University’s international goals.
The
committee was split into two parts to separately address the two charges. It
was felt that a faculty member needed to head each subcommittee but that the
student members and ex-officio members could be given a choice of
sub-committees. Of the faculty on the committee two were on sabbatical leave
during one semester making it difficult to find chairmen for both
sub-committees and eventually leading to split duties over the year.
In
the case of the second charge this procedure worked well but for the first
charge this was more difficult. Originally there were only ex-officio members
as volunteers to work on that charge. The one faculty member willing to lead
this sub-group was on sabbatical in the fall. Although there was discussion
about the direction to take with this charge it was felt that little data were
available for either English or non-English student teachers' classroom success
and that any such existing data would be confounded by effects perhaps
universally applicable to first-time teachers and by such issues as the
definition of success, comparisons across disciplines, level of course and
cultural issues. Consequently what started out as a perhaps naďve view that the
committee would discuss the issue and suggest a straightforward remedial
action, such as more language training, it soon became apparent that the issue
was far more complex. As a result there was a general belief that the charge,
as stated, could not be accomplished and was put into abeyance. Before
approaching this charge in the future the committee would like to suggest that
SenEx request appropriate University offices to identify available data, if
any, on which to base a careful analysis of this issue and to provide expert
guidance in such an evaluation.
The
committee took more robust action in regard to the second charge. In this endeavor the committee determined
that a combination of student fees and tuition enhancement usage for
scholarships would be an excellent way to encourage international education
through both study abroad and international students coming to the KU campus.
The original draft of this suggestion was to propose a matching arrangement
from tuition enhancement and student fees. Discussions with University
administrators indicated that the matching aspect would not be of interest.
Consequently the proposal was split into two parallel proposals asking for
different types of support - one for the University Planning and Resource
Committee and one for the student senate. The differences in the two proposals
reflected the committee's belief regarding the appropriate types of funding
from each source. In both cases the committee received considerable input and
support from the offices of International Student and Scholar Services and
Study Abroad and from the student members of the committee. A copy of both proposals
is attached. Both met the same fate in different ways.
The
student proposal was the closest to being successful. As you can see from the
attached report it included a $4 per credit hour student fee which would have
generated approximately $190,000 in need and merit-based study abroad
scholarships. This would be four times more than the amount currently available
through the Chancellor's office. With excellent support, guidance and help from
several student senators and officers, this proposal passed the appropriate
Student Senate committees and the Student Senate by the required 2/3rds
vote in order to be placed on the student referendum this spring. Unfortunately
that vote went against the proposal by approximately 51% to 49%.
The
P&R proposal result was a bit less clear in that the International Affairs
Committee only received a copy of an internally circulated draft response from
that committee. In that document the committee suggested that they had
questions regarding the criteria to be used to distribute the scholarships and
whether our committee was seeking funding from other sources. That draft report
went on to say that this was the first proposal the P&R committee had
received and that they were still working out guidelines and criteria for making
awards. This draft report was circulated among the P&R committee and also
seems to have been sent to SenEx. Since the draft was not intended for the
International Affairs Committee, we decided not to respond but to wait for
further clarification. At the same time the committee felt that achieving the
student fee portion had a good chance of success and that this would provide a
clear answer to the question of other funding sources. It was also felt that
the refined statements being made to the Student Senate proposal about the
make-up of the committee that was envisioned to allocate these funds and
determine guidelines for future allocations would answer the P&R
committee's concerns in that area as well. In addition to study abroad
scholarships the P&R request included funding of scholarships for
international students attending KU.
In
discussions with International Student Services and Study Abroad and the
outgoing Student Senate officers, it is felt that a continued effort to pursue
these two sources of funding would be appropriate. Next year's committee could
focus on the two areas from the beginning of the year. Regarding the student
proposal the committee should, once again, rely on the good work of the student
members. Careful selection of the Student Senate members placed on the
International Affairs Committee would be very important. Regarding the P&R
proposal it is suggested that next year's International Affairs Committee move
quickly to meet with the P&R Committee to obtain a clearer idea of the
types of proposals it will entertain and the criteria it would like to apply so
that this proposal can be modified in a way to improve its chance for success.
DRAFT PROPOSAL to P&R Committee
Global Education Scholarship Program
International Affairs Subcommittee on Enhancement
Funds
Executive Summary
The
International Affairs Committee of the University Council, supported by the
International Recruitment Advisory Committee (IRAC), requests that the
University of Kansas develop a scholarship program to support credit-bearing
international education opportunities for KU degree-seeking students. The proposed Global Education Scholarship
Program (GESP) would be funded through a redistribution of $ 160,000 annually
in tuition enhancement funds. All funds
would be returned directly to students in the form of scholarships. Administration would be handled through the
existing university structures.
Scholarships
would be provided for KU students participating in study abroad opportunities
and for international students studying at KU.
The split between study abroad and international student scholarships
will be determined annually on the basis of perceived needs and benefits to the
KU international experience. It is
recommended that the scholarships be awarded in a mix of visible “named” $
7,000 awards and a larger number of $ 1,000 - $1,500 assistance grants.
A
new award committee composed of students, staff, and faculty will oversee the
development of award procedures and the selection of recipients on an annual
basis. Financial administration will be though the Offices of Study Abroad and
International Student and Scholar Services.
Background
In
our global marketplace, the importance of international experience or exposure
cannot be overstated. The KU Administration
has indicated a desire that every KU student should have an international
experience. One way to achieve this is
through a study abroad experience. Students returning from such an experience
share their experience broadly among their peers, leveraging the benefit to the
larger community. Another method of
gaining international exposure is through the presence of international students at KU. The need for this is particularly acute in the undergraduate
programs as we have only 750 international students. The proposed program is designed to increase student
participation in both opportunities.
Study
Abroad
Students report that the
single greatest impediment to their participation in study and research abroad
is cost. As student expenses continue
to escalate each year in tuition, transportation, and currency rates, it is
becoming increasingly difficult for students to participate in international
education. At the same time, students,
faculty, parents, government representatives and prospective employers
understand the immediate needs within the U.S. to develop international
awareness and expertise among our citizenry.
KU
has inadequate scholarship support for international study especially
considering the number of students who participate in study and research
abroad. The Chancellor makes available
$45,000 each year to the Office of Study Abroad to support a portion of the
1,000 students that study and conduct research abroad each year. In addition, some academic units have
departmental or school funds to help students get overseas. The Centers for African Studies, East Asian
Studies, Latin American Studies, and Russian and East European provide
indispensable student support through their research resources and federally
supported Foreign Language and Area Studies programs. The current proposal would nearly triple the general
institutional funding available for study abroad students enabling many more
students to participate.
International
Students
Many students from a variety of countries
are very interested in studying in the United States. Studying in the U.S. is very expensive for most. For those students who can afford to come on
their own funds or those from sponsoring agencies, there are literally hundreds
of potential universities from which to choose. The proposed program addresses both the issue of providing
incentive to choose the University of Kansas and providing facilitating
financial assistance to pay for the cost of doing so.
The availability of visible, significant
scholarships for international students will have a major impact on our ability
to recruit qualified international students.
At present KU has only about
$ 30,000 for international student scholarships. Yet the 750 undergraduates attending KU
spend about $ 20,000/yr or $ 15,000,000 in total. The presence of these new scholarships will generate great
interest among prospective students.
The advertising and competitive award selection process will generate a
large pool of qualified applicants and contacts for KU. We fully anticipate that the increase in
numbers of international students resulting from these scholarships will exceed
considerably the number of actual scholarships awarded. Sponsoring agencies and
governments will appreciate the “partnership” implied by KU’s participation in
making study opportunities available, even if the amounts involved are
small.
Many universities and colleges in the US
are utilizing scholarships to recruit top-notch students from overseas. One of the first questions international
applicants ask is whether KU has scholarships available. KU will be in an advantaged position in the
recruitment of highly qualified sponsored students and in attracting highly
qualified self funded students.
Moreover, since a portion of the TE funds generated comes from tuition
paid by international students, it is fair that population have a proportionate
participation in global scholarship funds.
Administration
We
recommend that the GESP be administered by a new committee composed of
students, faculty and representatives of central administration. This committee would define the program
parameters well in advance of each academic year, defining the allotments for
study abroad and international scholarships, allotments for graduate and
undergraduate awards, any geographical targeting, and other aspects of the
program as needed.
The
committee will oversee the solicitation and award process. This may be done directly or through
evaluation subcommittees. Any
evaluation subcommittees appointed will have an appropriate membership of
faculty, staff, and students.
Administrative and financial services will be provided by the Offices of
Study Abroad and International Student and Scholar Services.
The
committee will be appointed by the provost.
A suggested membership breakdown is:
3 undergraduate
students appointed by Student Governance*
2
graduate students
appointed by Student Governance*
3
faculty (from different
schools)
1
representative from
Provost’s office
1
representative from
Graduate School and International Programs
1 representative
from International Undergraduate Admissions
Director of Study Abroad (ex officio)
Director of International Student Services (ex officio)
Proposed
Awards
We
suggest that the size and distribution of awards should be flexible and
ultimately be in the hands of the GESP Committee. As an initial guideline, we propose that there be two levels of
awards for both study abroad and international students. We propose a number of large ($ 7,000) “named”
grants, which will be very visible and awarded on the basis of a campus wide
competition. A larger number of
assistance awards ($ 1,000 – 1,500) will also be made on a competitive basis. This allows for impacting a significant
number of students, but also of creating visibility and interest, and
importantly, grants large enough which could facilitate participation by
students who simply could not afford the opportunity, even with a small
assistance award. The awards would be split between graduate and undergraduate
applicants.
Study Abroad
- For KU students panning to study
abroad: ($ 80,000)
·
8 “named” prestigious awards of $ 7,000 ($
56,000)
The selection process would be in the
form of a competition to maximize visibility and interest. Geographical or
other restrictions may be considered to optimize the impact of our study abroad
results. A suitable “name” for these
awards should be selected, again in the interest of visibility.
·
16 “assistance awards” of $ 1,500 ($ 24,000)
Awarded on a competitive basis, but through a more routine application
process. The purpose of these awards is
to assist with the costs of a study broad experience and to provide some
incentive for students to consider this option.
International Student Scholarships – For attending KU ($
80,000)
·
8 “named” $ 7,000 scholarships to attend KU ($ 56,000)
These scholarships would be advertised
broadly overseas and awarded on a competitive basis. Applicants would be required to apply to KU and award would be
contingent on admission as degree seeking students. The committee may choose to target these opportunities to
particular regions. It may be possible
to enlist the assistance of international KU alumni to assist in on site
interviews for region specific opportunities to further enhance the visibility
of the process.
·
24 “assistance” awards of $ 1,000 ($ 24,000)
Scholarships will be awarded competitively on the basis of an application. Applicants would be required to apply to KU
concurrently and award would be contingent on admission as degree seeking
students. It is recommended that the application and award process be
coordinated with international recruitment activities for maximum effect.
Total Funding: $
160,000
The distributions presented above are
guidelines and should be reconsidered by the committee on a reasonable schedule
to maximize impact.
Summary
To
ensure marketable skills and continuing professional development, University of
Kansas should ensure that all students have access to international study and research
possibilities and exposure to individuals from other countries and
traditions. The International Affairs
Committee recommends the establishment of a Global Education Scholarship
Program (GESP) funded with $ 160,000 annually from tuition enhancement
funds. The program will redirect all of
the funds to scholarships in support of study abroad opportunities and
international student scholarships. The
program would be administered by a new committee of faculty, staff, and
students and financial services would be provided though the Office of Study
Abroad and International Student and Scholar Services.
Proposal for a Global Education
Scholarship Program (GESP)
International Affairs Subcommittee on Enhancement
Funds
To Student Senate
March
18, 2004
Students often use their
maximum federal financial aid for their on-campus courses. Many turn to parent loans, alternative loan
companies, and personal funds to meet study abroad cost differentials.
Executive Summary
The International Affairs
Subcommittee on Enhancement Funds, a subcommittee of the SENEX International
Affairs Committee, requests that the University of Kansas develop a scholarship
program to support credit-bearing international education opportunities for KU
degree-seeking students. The purpose
of the fund is to encourage students from diverse economic and ethnic
backgrounds and disciplinary pursuits to participate in international
education.
The funding model uses the
Lawrence Campus Required Fee at a rate of $4.00 per semester ($2.00 in the
summer) on a pro-rata rate for the first five student credit hours.
All funds collected from
students will be returned to undergraduate and graduate students who are
participating in KU credit-bearing academic programs and research. A new faculty and student committee,
appointed by the Provost, will oversee the receipt of scholarship requests and
allocate the revenues. The financial
administration of the program (liaison to the Admissions and Scholarships
Office, enrollment, tuition payments, accounting, etc.) will take place in the
existing financial management arm of the Office of Study Abroad.
Background
The University of Kansas
must ensure that all students have access to international study and research
possibilities for the development of marketable skills, lives of learning and
personal growth. Students report that
the single greatest impediment to their participation in study and research
abroad is cost. As student expenses
continue to escalate each year in tuition, transportation, and currency rates,
it is becoming increasingly difficult for students to participate in
international education. At the same time,
students, faculty, parents, government representatives and prospective
employers understand the immediate needs within the United States to develop
international awareness and expertise among our citizenry.
The costs for studying
abroad vary greatly according to the site chosen and the length of the
program. The cost differential in study
abroad is generally found in educational costs, room, board, transportation,
international living costs, currency fluctuations, and in the loss of work
income while abroad. An analysis of
KU’s study abroad programs indicates that students pay an additional
$2,000-$4,000 for a semester of overseas study.
There is severely inadequate
scholarship support for international study especially considering the number
of KU students who participate in study and research abroad. At the present time, the Chancellor makes
available $45,000 each year to the Office of Study Abroad to support a portion
of the 1,000 students that study and conduct research abroad each year. In addition, some academic units have
departmental or school funds to help students get overseas. The Centers for African Studies, East Asian
Studies, Latin American Studies, Russian and East European and International
Business and Education Research provide indispensable student support through
their research resources and federally supported Foreign Language and Area
Studies programs.
Creating a Stable, Long-range Revenue Plan
The International Affairs
Subcommittee on Enhancement Funds is recommending that KU create an
international scholarship program that collects fee funds from students and
reinvests those funds back into KU students.
Because all students potentially benefit from the scholarship funds, a
fee imposed on all enrolled students each semester is recommended. The international education fee should
become part of the comprehensive fee schedule.
Using the assessment model
suggested is similar to the Lawrence Campus Required Fee. The full rate for six
or more units would be $4.00 per semester.
For students enrolling in less than six units the amount would be
prorated over the number of units taken.
The summer fee would be set at half of the semester rate. For
comparative purposes, the international fees of nine institutions of higher
education are included in Attachment 1. Using FY 2003 fee collections data from
the Office of the Provost, this Lawrence Campus Required Fee should generate
approximately $190,000 per year.
Annual Awards
The Subcommittee identified two significant funding problems that
should be addressed through the Global Education Scholarship Program. First, most awards currently available are
too small to actually enable most students to study overseas. The scholarship awards from the Office of
Study Abroad range from $150-$500 for short-term programs to $400-$1500 for
semester programs. These amounts help
students pursue international education but they are not large enough to enable
students to choose to study overseas.
Second, because most of the scholarship funds available are from the KU
Endowment Association and may vary from year to year, it has been impossible to
commit scholarship resources far enough in advance for students to plan study
abroad around the currently available scholarship resources. A scholarship program based upon enrollment
and fee collections has more stability with better revenue estimating aspects
over time.
With funds in excess of
$160,000 a year, it would be possible to designate awards equal to about 10% of
the average study abroad program costs.
For example, the scholarship committee could decide to make available
120 short-term program awards of $500 each and 100 semester awards of $1,000
each. This would mean that in the
regular four-year period an undergraduate in on campus, there would be 880 new
awards available to support overseas study.
These scholarships should be
accessible to all KU degree-seeking students. The Subcommittee envisions that a
significant number of both need and merit-based scholarships will be granted.
Award sizes will be based on the overall cost of the program and the number of
KU credit hours to be received. To have maximum impact on a student’s decision
to study abroad the scholarship application process should be simple and the
selection process easy to implement.
Toward this end, the
Subcommittee recommends that the Global Education Scholarship Program be
administered by a new committee composed of at least 20% students (appointed by
the Student Body President), faculty and staff (appointed by the Faculty
Senate) and representatives of central administration (appointed by the
Provost). This committee will review
applications and make award decisions for the allocation of scholarship resources. The Committee will identify the appropriate
deadlines and application materials.
The basic criteria for selection are merit, need, level of previous
international experience, and scope and relevance of proposed experience. This new committee should be proactive in
identifying broad representation among students of all backgrounds and
disciplines. The committee will also determine a simple and straightforward
application and selection process, primarily based on formulas, so that
scholarship decisions can be made throughout the year by administrative
staff. This committee will issue the
call for proposals each year, review and select proposals for support and
recommend projects for funding. The
Office of Study Abroad will provide financial and student services for this
program. This new committee should also
be charged with reviewing the program procedures each year and making
appropriate changes as needed.
As an alternative to
creating this new committee, the International Affairs Committee would
volunteer to serve this task.
Institution Fee
Designation Fee
Amount
Georgia
State University International
Education Fee $5
/student/semester
Kansas
State University Study Abroad
Fee $1.70
/student/semester
Texas
A&M University International Education
Fee $4 /student/semester
Texas
Tech University International Education
Fee $3 /student/semester
University
of Idaho International
Education Fee $2.70
/student/semester
University
of Minnesota International
Study and Travel Fee $1.67
/student/semester
University
of Nevada International
Education Fee $2
/student/semester
University
of North Texas International
Education Fee $4
/student/semester
University
of Texas, Austin International
Education Fee $3
/student/semester