1. Expanding ACCESS to
International Students
21st Annual Strategic Enrollment Management Conference: The Origin
and Future of SEM
San Diego, California
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 ● 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Daniel Robb, Assistant Vice President, Enrollment
Development/Associate Dean, Admissions
Nicole J. Sealey, Director, Center for International Student Access
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2. Agenda
I. Context
II. Relevance
III. Project Conceptualization
IV. Program Implementation
V. Lessons Learned
VI. Discussion
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3. CONTEXT
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4. Internationalization
Defined “... as the process of integrating an
international perspective into a college or university
system. It is an ongoing, future-oriented,
multidimensional, interdisciplinary, leadership-
driven vision that involves many stakeholders
working to change the internal dynamics of an
institution to respond and adapt appropriately to an
increasingly diverse, globally focused, ever-changing
external environment” (Ellingboe, 1998, p. 199).
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5. Institutional Profile
• Public institution located in Fairfax, VA
• Founded in 1972
• Three campuses (distributed model) & several sites
• Enrollments upwards of 32,000
• International enrollment averaging 6%
• Location close to Washington, DC Metro area
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6. Institutional Culture
• Students enrolled from over 136 nations
• 10+ offices actively engaged in internationalization-related
efforts
• 28 International/Multicultural Student Organizations
• 30+ different “global” academic programs (11 UG degrees,
20 UG minors)
• Mason freshman desired to “improve their understanding of
other countries and cultures… and help to promote racial
understanding” at higher rates than public university counter
parts (2003, 2005 CIRP data)
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7. Institutional Prioritization
International/Global foci are specifically
included in institutional strategic plan:
“The University will develop more fully its
leading role as a global university, through
diverse international partnerships and the
extension of global and environmental
awareness in all educational programs.”
―A goal from Mason’s 2014 Strategic Plan
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8. RELEVANCE
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9. Why Grow International Enrollments?
One element of campus internationalization efforts:
• Increase campus diversity
• Moral: Feeling that “it’s the right thing to do”
• Increase tuition revenues
• Increase international profile
“This is a special moment in American
recruitment and treatment of
international students, with interest still
high but competition rising”
-Peter Stearns, Provost
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10. Discussion Exercise
Questions Responses Main Categories
• What kind of issues do • Acculturation
international students have
at your institution(s)? • Social
• What are the barriers to • Linguistic
admission, retention, and
graduation for international
students?
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11. Options Explored
Possibilities: Selected Approach
• External: Outsourcing • Internal – New
• Internal: Utilizing • Logic:
internal resources • Retain high level of
• Internal – New: control and work with
our students directly
Creation of New
• Utilize plentiful existing
Structure
resources without
overtaxing them
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12. PROJECT
CONCEPTUALIZATION
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13. ACCESS Program
• International Freshmen
• Alternative Admission Requirements
• Meets academic qualifications
• Lower English Proficiency threshold
• Provisional admission
• Goal: One year comprehensive first-year
experience
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14. Organizational Structure
• Established “Center for International Student
Access” in Fall 2010; located in Office of Provost
• Connected to Institutional Infrastructure:
– English Language Institute
– Enrollment Management-affiliated Offices (e.g.,
Admissions, Registrar)
– Academic units
– University Life (e.g., Student Involvement,
Immigration Services)
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15. Organizational Structure (continued)
– Special Programs (e.g., Honors College, MSU)
• Resource Sharing
– “Initiative-based” budget model
• Set aside
• Some of net revenues were reallocated to support
specific internationalization efforts
• Self-sustaining
– Out of state tuition rates + flat‐rate premium costs
– Short seminars set up as 0 credit courses, costing between
$60‐250 each
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16. Enrollment Strategies
• Vision for Enrollment
• Attracting
From where, at what cost, how many?
• Enrolling
Alliances, embassies, differences in yield
• Retaining
What services and at what cost?
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17. Pilot Program Design
• Multi-pronged research informed approach
• First-year Experience
• International Programs & Outreach
• Academic Advising for “At-risk students”
• Multicultural Education
– Acculturation
– Language Acquisition and Development
– Student Success Skills
– Counseling & Support
– Community Engagement
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18. Pilot Program Structure - Academics
Fall Course Sequence Spring Course Sequence
• Enhanced English Comp I (3) • Enhanced English Comp II (3)
• Public Speaking (3) • Anthropology (3)
• Language Support for Public • Research Methods (3)
Speaking (1) • Mathematics (3)
• World History (3) • Major Course (3)
• Language Support for Public
Speaking (1)
Summer Courses (if needed)
• Freshman Seminar (1) • Modern English Grammar (3)
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19. Pilot Program Structure –
Co- & Extra- Curricular
Complementary Programming Co-curricular Programming
• Peer Mentorship Academic Support
Program • Advising & Acculturation
• Peer Learning • Academic Success
Partnership Program Workshops
• Tutoring
• Student Leadership
Council Student Activities
• Fall Themes:
• “Alumni” Program Academic/Acculturation
• Spring Themes: Community
& Self-directed Success
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20. LESSONS LEARNED
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21. Pilot Year Evaluation
• Program Needs
– Achieving appropriate balance of human resources
– Securing needed space/housing requirements
– Obtaining uninhibited access to qualified faculty
resources
– Fully developed enrollment funnel model for
recruitment, retention, and graduation through program
assessment & environmental analyses
• Institutional Prioritization
• Consensus Building
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22. Structural Adjustments
• Internal buy-in/marketing
• Adjusting Revenue model
• Marketing & recruitment strategies
• Personnel
 Qualified faculty
 Qualified staff
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23. Results - Assessment
• Increased enrollment in second year
• Exceeded pilot year retention target
• Positive Stakeholder feedback
 Students
 Faculty
 Staff
• Increasing institutional support
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24. Results – Enrollment Data
Pilot Year Second Year
• 21 students from 8 nations • 57 Students from 14 nations
• Average Student: • Average Student:
• Male (76%) • Male (78%)
• Saudi Arabian (61%) • Saudi Arabian (42%)
• Attended university ELI • Attended university ELI
(76%) (49%)
• Retention to sophomore • Retention to sophomore
year: 71% year: TBA
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25. Results - Momentum
• Development of research
initiatives
• Development of new
partnerships
• Elements modeled by other
programs as a “best
practice”
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26. Future Implications
• How big does this program need to be?
• How do we work with potential partners?
• How do we effectively share the model?
• How nimble are we in adjusting each year?
• Do we need to control costs and max revenues?
• How do we develop metrics to best “tell the story”?
• How can we leverage lessons increase benefits to
more members at the institution?
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27. Daniel Robb Nicole Sealey
drobb@gmu.edu nsealey@gmu.edu
You can access this presentation online at:
http://cisa.gmu.edu/2011/10/aacrao-sem-2011
DISCUSSION
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28. References
ACCESS Program website. George Mason University’s Center for
International Student Access - http://cisa.gmu.edu/programs/access/.
Davis, R., Mallett, K., Sealey, N. & Zgheib, G. 2011. “Expanding ACCESS
to International Students.” Presentation at 3rd Annual Colonial Academic
Alliance Global Education Conference. Fairfax, VA.
Ellingboe, B.J. (1998). 'Divisional strategies to internationalize a campus
portrait: Results, resistance, and recommendations from a case study at a
U.S. university, in Mestenhauser, J.A. and Elllingboe, B.J (eds.),
Reforming the Higher Education Curriculum: Internationalizing the
Campus. Phoenix, AZ: American Council on Education and Oryx Press,
pp. 198-228.
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29. References (continued)
Fischer, K. (May 29, 2011). Colleges Adapt to New Kinds of Students From
Abroad: Younger, sometimes less-experienced students require more
academic and social support. The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/Colleges-Educate-a-New-
Kind-of/127704/
Fischer, K. (August 7, 2011). College 101 for Non-Native Speakers:
Pathways programs blend English and academics to help foreign students
succeed. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from
http://chronicle.com/article/College-101-for-International/128535/
Habib, A. S. and Mallett, K. E. (eds.). 2011. “Diversity at Mason: The pursuit
of transformative education.” Fairfax, VA: Diversity Research Group,
George Mason University.
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30. References (continued)
Hill, B. A. (2008). A Guide To Internationalization For Chief Academic
Officers. American Council on Education.
International Association of Universities. 2010. Internationalization of
Higher Education: Global Trends, Regional Perspectives. IAU 3rd Global
Survey. Paris: UNESCO House.
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