ASU named top international host
<p>ASU was ranked one of the nation’s “Top 25 Leading Institutions Hosting International Students” in a 2007 Open Doors report. The report was published by the Institute of International Education, the leading nonprofit educational and cultural exchange organization in the United States. <br /><br />ASU’s Tempe campus, with a total student enrollment of 51,234, was ranked #14 on the list with 4,062 total international students – nearly 8 percent of the campus’ total enrollment. (<a href="http://www.opendoors.iienetwork.org">www.opendoors.iienetwork.org</a>) This includes students in intensive English programs and F1 visa students on one-year post completion employment benefit.<br /><br />“We’re making every commitment to increase the number of our degree-earning international students in our population here at the university,” says Anthony (Bud) Rock, ASU’s vice president for global engagement. “The experience of international students on the ASU campuses is enriching for all. We have much to offer these students. Our students and faculty, in turn, gain vastly broadened global perspectives through this engagement with cultures from around the world.”<br /><br />International students contribute diverse perspectives inside and outside the classroom that enrich the educational experience for all students. Exchange of diverse viewpoints prepares ASU students to be successful in an increasingly global society.<br /><br />“Our ASU students are, in many ways, ambassadors for the American experience as they exchange information and views with their classmates from other countries. At the same time, international students bring unique perspectives that help ASU students refine their thinking about the world in which they live,” Rock says.<br /><br />According to the Open Doors report, the number of international students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities increased by 3 percent to a total of 582,984 in the 2006/2007 academic year. This is the first significant increase in total international student enrollments since 2001/2002.<br /><br />Open Doors reported an even higher increase in the number of new international students, those enrolled for the first time at a college or university in fall 2006, which rose 10 percent from the previous year. A total of 156 U.S. campuses each hosted more than 1,000 students. <br /><br />“We have integrated student success services and active student and community engagement that form a network to support our international students in achieving their academic goals," says Carol Takao, director of educational development, Student Affairs, the International Student Office at ASU.<br /><br />International students contribute approximately $14.5 billion dollars to the U.S. economy, through their expenditure on tuition and living expenses. Department of Commerce data describe U.S. higher education as the country’s fifth largest service sector export, as these students bring money into the national economy and provide revenue to their host states for living expenses, including room/board, books and supplies, transportation, health insurance, support for accompanying family members, and other miscellaneous items.</p>