Given projected enrollment trends across US Higher Education, what is the University's strategic plan for expanding international student recruitment across targeted yet diversified markets?
OHIO typically draws students from more than a hundred countries worldwide, and international students have comprised a critical component of our student population since Saki Taro Muayama of Japan became our first international alumnus in 1895. While our commitment to recruit, retain and graduate international students has never waned, we have seen declining international enrollment since 2014. OHIO's international enrollment strategies and recruitment plans were further impacted by the pandemic. However, during that challenging period, Provost Sayrs charged a representative group of OHIO leaders to convene as an International Opportunities Think Tank (IOTT), asking the group to "explore, project, and make recommendations for the future of international teaching, learning, research, recruitment, and student support services." The Enrollment Management division participated in that exercise and is now working closely with Dr. Gillian Ice, recently appointed as interim associate provost for global affairs, to evaluate IOTT's recommendations and to re-energize strategies to improve not only international enrollment pipelines but also global learning for all students at OHIO. Currently, for example, we are working on a proposed new recruitment strategy from West African countries, bringing together our talented faculty, staff, students and alumni who already have connections in and enthusiasm for the region. We also have seen growth in other areas, especially South Asia, and our international education experts are looking for ways to support and further promote that growth. We plan to coordinate international undergraduate and graduate recruitment and integrate these efforts with other aspects of campus and curriculum globalization, such as partnerships, student and faculty mobility, and alumni.