Dr. Ann Frentzen, director of the Penn State Intensive English Communication Program (IECP), spent three weeks in Southeast Asia earlier this year on an American Educational Opportunities tour recruiting students for her program and for Penn State undergraduate and graduate admission. Following is an interview with Frentzen:
Q. Why did you decide to embark on this tour?
A. We were interested in broadening our applicant pool both for the Intensive English Communication Program specifically and also for Penn State overall. The University has a goal of increasing the number of international students, and when Penn State does well among international students, the IECP also benefits. Also, I think that getting out there and recruiting face-to-face is good for us in order to stay in touch with what is going on in other countries. At the same time, it sends the message “We care enough about having you study at Penn State that we will come to you to help make that possible.”
Q. Why focus on Southeast Asia?
A. It is still true that by far the greatest numbers of international students are coming to the United States from Asia. Asia represents a huge pool of potential students who want to study in the United States.
Q. What were your goals for this tour?
A. My goals were to increase the number of applicants to the Intensive English Communication Program and increase awareness among Asian students of the IECP as a quality program associated with a quality university.
Q. What did you learn about the competition?
A. Although I knew that Australia, Canada and Great Britain, with government support, were becoming strong competitors in international education, I was taken aback by the incredibly strong marketing presence they had in Asia: full-page ads in local newspapers, enormous billboards and storefront offices in educational districts and student neighborhoods. There is absolutely nothing comparable being done by American higher education or the U.S. government.
Q. So what can Penn State do?
A. Particularly in the area of undergraduate admission, we need to be very proactive in terms of recruitment. It’s very exciting to see that this year Undergraduate Admissions has gotten the support to start this process.
Q. Why is it important that Penn State recruit international students?
A. In many ways, it is in our national interest to have international students study in the United States, and Penn State is a part of that process. It’s of enormous benefit to have international students here on campus for several reasons: They help to raise awareness among American students about the interconnectedness of our world, and they provide an important resource for students and faculty to learn more about other cultures. Pragmatically speaking, developing expertise in interacting with international students can increase Penn State graduates’ employability in an increasingly global economy. Many of these international students go back to eventually become leaders in their own countries in business, government, education or other fields: it is to Penn State’s benefit to have such leaders connected to the University.
Q. How did meeting Penn State alumni help?
A. It was wonderful to be able to meet Penn State alumni in Jakarta and Thailand. They were so helpful and could talk about their own experiences and special feelings for Penn State with prospective students. It was interesting to interact with two alumni in Thailand, both of whom are leaders in their respective fields. They were so excited to finally be able to see live coverage of Penn State football games in Thailand. This season, I will think of them sitting up in the middle of the night, watching the game.
Q. Would you describe a typical day during your tour?
A. We would leave the hotel around 8 a.m. and spend a part of the morning visiting agencies and government offices for background information on the educational systems of the countries we were visiting. Then we would visit high schools, preparatory schools and junior colleges to meet students. In the afternoon, we would return to the hotel to check out and set up for an afternoon exhibition. The exhibition would end around 5 p.m. We would leave immediately for the airport to catch a 7:30 p.m. flight to the next destination. The day ended at 11 p.m. when we finally checked into our next hotel.
Q. What was the most commonly asked question from prospective students?
A. The vast majority of students had an idea of what major they wanted to study and wanted information about that major at Penn State.
Q. What was the most challenging part of the trip?
A. I think the biggest challenge was actually in the preplanning. This ranged from creating informational materials targeted specifically to this part of the world to learning about educational qualifications based on the British or an indigenous system to anticipating the wide variety of questions that students might ask. One of the few times I was really stumped was when somebody wanted to know what a 10,000-acre campus would be in hectares.
Q. What was the most rewarding aspect of the tour?
A. I enjoyed having the opportunity to meet all those prospective students, getting a sense of where their interests lie and hearing from them how well known and popular Penn State is.
Q. How will you use what you learned there?
A. The tour reaffirmed for me that students are interested in a quality program at an affordable price. It reaffirmed that sending a student to the United States is often a major financial commitment by an entire family, so it is important that we give them value for their money. It also reaffirmed — what is often thought of as a stereotype but seemed so true — the importance Asian families place on education.
Q. How will you know if the trip was successful?
A. One way I will evaluate the success of my trip is by the number of actual students who enroll as a result of the trip. Interestingly enough, if only seven students enroll in one IECP semester as a result of the trip, the trip will have paid for itself. So far, two have enrolled for summer.
Q. Are you going to do another student recruiting tour?
A. I think it is important and will pay off in the long run. In future, we may consider similar tours to other regions.
Q. Do you have any advice for anyone else considering a recruiting trip abroad?
A. Pack lightly. Be very familiar with admission requirements for each Penn State school or college. Take along pictures of the local area, campus and aspects of student life. People really want to know what kind of environment they would be living in.
