SUNY Fredonia working to recruit Chinese students With a population of 1.3 billion people and an increased emphasis on higher education for more students, China is looking to send more of its students to study in U.S. universities.
Professor Ted Schwalbe, who also serves as chair of SUNY Fredonia’s Department of Communication and coordinator of International Learning, recently attended a conference on higher education in China sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU).
The first part of the conference took place in Beijing in conjunction with the Eighth China International Forum on Education that included a large student expo. The second part of the conference took place in the Anhui Province located about 1,200 miles south of Beijing. Fifteen members of the AASCU delegation, including Dr. Schwalbe, visited Huangshan College and Anhui University. They met with provincial government officials, university administrators, faculty and students.
“One fundamental change in the past 15 years is the transition of higher education for the elite to higher education for the masses,” Dr. Schwalbe said. “In 1992, about 3 percent of college-age students were in college. Now it is 22 percent.”
Three major impediments for Chinese students studying in the U.S. are cost, language, and visas.
The number and percentage of Chinese students studying at SUNY Fredonia has increased dramatically in recent years. Of the 53 international students enrolled in 2003, only two were Chinese. For the 2007-2008 academic year, there are 80 international students and 23 of the students are Chinese. (Source: Observer, Nov 20, 2007).