Education Kentucky, a group representing 16 colleges and universities from across the Commonwealth, met last week at WKU to discuss how they may promote the state of Kentucky as a destination for international students and increase international student enrollment.
Members of Education Kentucky met last week at WKU.
“Kentucky colleges and universities are well below regional and national averages for the number of international students we host,” said Education Kentucky president Ted Farrell. “International students contribute financially, but more importantly, they help American students form bonds with people from other countries. In our current globalized world, this is important not only for economic development, but also for cultural understanding.”
Since its incorporation in April, Education Kentucky has formed partnerships with the Kentucky Commerce Cabinet and the U.S. Departments of Commerce and State, as well as educational organizations abroad in order to make educational opportunities in Kentucky known to educators and prospective students globally. They met last week at WKU to plan the development of interactive measures that will be used to reach out to prospective students from around the world.
WKU Assistant Director for International Admissions Raza Tiwana believes Education Kentucky’s efforts are a step in the right direction to increase international enrollment across the state. “Kentucky is ranked 33rd in international student enrollment among the 50 states. A dais like Education Kentucky will not only help increase international student population within institutions but will also help promote the State of Kentucky,” Tiwana said.
Currently, just over 5,000 international students are enrolled at Kentucky colleges and universities; a mere 2 percent of the students enrolled across the state. The members of Education Kentucky hope that the efforts of their consortium will increase this level to the regional average of 7,750 students, or 3 percent of the overall collegiate enrollment. In the long term, Education Kentucky hopes to lead the Mid-South region in international student enrollment, by more than doubling the number of students enrolled in programs across the state to more than 10,000.
To learn more about Education Kentucky, visit www.educationkentucky.org or call Ted Farrell at (502) 608-0581.
