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Karen Edwards is assistant dean of students for international student affairs at The College of Wooster. She graduated with a bachelor's degree from Luther College and earned her master's degree from the University of Iowa. At Wooster, Edwards advises 140 students from 35 nations on immigration regulations and cultural transitions. She also works with community volunteers to coordinate Friends of International Students, which is a non-residential host family program. Through the Cultural Outreach Program, Edwards helps local schools and organizations to link with international students as speakers and presenters. She also serves as advisor to Wooster's International Student Association (ISA) and helps the organization spread cultural awareness on campus through discussions, and special events like International Week. Edwards is affiliated with the Association of International Educators (NAFSA), the Professional International Educators Roundtable (PIER), and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). In 2000, Edwards received an Overseas Educational Advising Service (OSEAS) Professional Development Grant and went to Lithuania and Latvia for several weeks to work with the Advising Centers there. She has also traveled extensively in Europe, Asia and South America. |
The College of Wooster has a long history
of educating international students - a tradition has benefited both the
College and the community. Karen Edwards, assistant dean of students for
international student affairs, coordinates the program, and she talks about
its value on and off campus.
Why has The College of Wooster made such a commitment to recruiting and educating international students? Exposure to global perspectives is an essential part of a liberal arts education. Wooster works toward liberal learning by encouraging students to study abroad; enabling faculty to research international themes and thus impact the diversity of our curriculum; and by recognizing that the presence of international students on campus contributes to our goals as an institution. International students currently make up about 8 percent of our enrollment - approximately 130 citizens representing 35 countries. These statistics also affect our reputation as one of the top 25 national liberal arts colleges for the percentage of international enrollment. (US News and World Report, 2001) What is the history of Wooster's association with international students? The College has enrolled international students since the 1870s. Our first ties abroad were the result of Presbyterian missionaries, who sent their children as well as students from their mission schools back to Wooster. In the 1970s, Wooster was among a select group of private liberal arts colleges that saw the need to further internationalize our institutions, and we began to make a concerted effort to recruit overseas students. With the addition of a coordinator of international admissions, Wooster joined the newly established European Council of International Schools (ECIS), which began to organize some of the first group international recruiting tours. As international enrollment increased, Wooster quickly improved campus support systems to better serve the needs of these students. The administration enacted policies to grant financial aid to international applicants, to recognize credit earned at foreign institutions, and to create the Office of International Student Affairs in the early 1980s. Since the beginning of its formal international recruiting efforts, Wooster has enrolled more 1000 international students from over 50 different countries. How do the international students enrich the College and the community? International students, by virtue of their participation in campus life, transform what might be considered "exotic" into something that is "real." Student groups like the International Student Association are active, and campus events like South Asia Week or Africa Week are important and educational. But we also see students from around the globe who chair the Wooster Volunteer Network, play varsity soccer, write for the campus newspaper, or sing in the Gospel Choir, for example. They become a natural part of the fabric that is Wooster. Their perspectives are heard in the bleachers at the Wittenberg game and over French fries in the dining hall, as well as in a classroom discussion on ethics in business, or theories of war and peace. We believe that international students, living and learning among us, enable us to convert nations into people. How do the international students benefit from their experience at Wooster? We hope that all students benefit greatly from a Wooster education, regardless of their citizenship or ethnic origin. By offering financial assistance, and by providing a supportive environment, we make it possible for international students to take advantage of the educational opportunities here at Wooster. Some international students will remain in the United States after they graduate and will contribute to our national identity through their civic participation and their participation in the work force. Most international students will return to their home country to live and work. We hope that they will return after having a positive experience living in the United States, and that they will have gained insights about our national culture and our national identity that will affect how they view the world. How can members of the community interact with Wooster's international students? Our office coordinates a number of programs that encourage international students to become active participants in the life of the College and the local community. Approximately 80 local families participate in Friends of International Students (FIS), our non-residential host family program. Through FIS, families and students are matched together, and encouraged to become friends throughout the student's stay at the College. We also support a Cultural Outreach Program, through which international students are invited into area elementary and secondary classrooms. This past spring, our students visited 15 classes. Several men from Pakistan taught a physical education class how to play Cricket; students from Jamaica taught about dance and Reggae music; a young man from Israel shared his experience living in the Gaza Strip, and three girls from South America visited a Spanish class. Families interested in Friends of International Students, or teachers interested in the Cultural Outreach Program are encouraged to contact the Office of International Student Affairs at (330) 263-2074. |
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| Last updated: January 10, 2006 · For more information, contact John Finn | ||
