Faculty/Staff

Admitting and Hosting International Students

A Guide for Penn State Commonwealth Campuses

The following is a set of recommended guidelines designed to assist Commonwealth Campuses who wish to recruit and enroll international students into their programs. Please note that this listing is not complete nor is it comprehensive, but it is intended as a preliminary guide to serve planners as they prepare to add a new population of students to their campus environments. The guidelines aim to provide short-term and long-term assistance in setting realistic goals, setting objectives and defining outcomes for host academic communities, their faculty, staff, and students. All undergraduate recruitment activities must be coordinated with the Undergraduate Admissions Office. In addition, in an effort to successfully recruit, admit, enroll, and retain students, it is highly recommended that participating offices, e.g., the Undergraduate Admissions Office (UAO), University Office of Global Programs (UOGP), MBA, Intensive English Communication Program, the Graduate Enrollment Services, and others communicate and coordinate their efforts through the UAO and the UOGP for purposes of efficiency and forecasting for better planning. We recommend annual review and evaluation of Penn State's policies and requirements concerning international applications in light of new changes in admission practices, credential evaluations, and immigration rules and regulations. In addition, we recommend regular campus visits and communication to assure that staff is provided adequate training and guidance to effectively interact with international students, scholars, dependents, and visitors.

Recommended Guidelines

In order to enroll international students a campus should be prepared to do the following:

  1. Campus preparation:
    • Prepare the campus and the local communities to embrace and welcome international students.
    • Prepare students, faculty, and staff to embrace cultural and ethnic diversity by outlining initiatives that will enable the campus community to fully benefit from the presence of international students.
    • Outline ways that the campus can prepare their students for global citizenship.
    • Assign one or more staff to receive professional training to serve as liaison with UOGP at University Park (UP) and to serve as International Student Adviser.
    • In order to establish an academic component to the initiative, identify one or more faculty with a strong commitment to internationalization to work directly with the designated campus liaison.
    • Identify a group of campus students to be part of the planning group.
    • Provide intercultural training and arrange for participation in UOGP-provided departmental workshops, for staff that will have direct impact on services and programs to international students, e.g., residence life, health services, student activities, bursar, registrar, counseling, career services, and academic support services.
    • Maintain diversity within the international cultures and build a critical mass of at least 10 students per country representation if possible.
    • Maintain international enrollment balance within the colleges and departments as much as possible.
    • Campuses should assume an active posture in identifying appropriate and proximate housing to the campus for students who prefer private rooms with private bathrooms for religious purposes, for married couples, and for students with families.
    • Research daycare options for students with children.
    • Prepare a list of local places of worship for students with special religious affiliations or provide such service on-campus.
    • Become generally familiar with, and reinforce locally, legal requirements unique to international students, especially as they relate to: a) unauthorized employment, b) full-time course load, c) health insurance coverage, and d) changes in address and major.
    • Adopt a crisis management protocol for any types of emergencies that include steps to take in the event of death or injuries.

  2. Arrival Strategies:
    • Provide special greeting/meeting/airport pick-up (from the nearest airport) and temporary accommodation services to international students upon their arrival.
    • Provide special orientation on matters unique to international students or arrange for them to participate in the UOGP "New International Student Orientation" at UP
    • Provide necessary transportation for international students where appropriate including trips to University Park and other destinations.
    • Reserve on-campus housing for all international students offered admission unless and until they have specifically declined the offer.
    • Provide a "Host Family Program" for short-term and long-term stays.
    • Offer cultural programs to integrate American and international students.

  3. Support actions and activities for students while they are on campus
    • Provide technical support for students and staff to participate in Digital Video Conferencing with UP and in particular educational programs and workshops designed by UOGP.
    • Provide Student Health Services on or off-campus.
    • Offer programs for spouses of students to keep them engaged with the community.
    • Provide or arrange for on-campus room and board services over holidays and breaks.
    • Provide storage space for students who will return home over summer session.
    • Provide vegetarian, kosher, and halal certified foods for those who need it.

  4. Specific actions that will benefit and support teaching and learning
    • Provide access to ESL 004 and ESL 015 and appropriate support services through campus Learning Centers.
    • Research local possibilities for a "support group", such as national populations at neighboring universities or immigrant communities.
    • Utilize international students to encourage domestic students to consider studying abroad.

  5. Follow-up strategies for keeping international students connected to Penn State after they leave
    • Maintain communication via newsletters
    • Invite graduating students to join the Alumni Association network database

Contacts:

Kirk Simmons, Director, Global Relations and Promotion
814-865-7681, kes36@psu.edu
and
Anne Rohrbach, executive director, Undergraduate Admissions
814-865-5471,