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The Rotunda
Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Longwood Makes Strides in Acquiring More International Students

The Longwood University Office of International Affairs has recently brought efforts to recruit prospective students overseas. The recruitment endeavors, sparked by President Patrick Finnegan's initiative to bring more international representation to campus, began in August.

The Office of International Affairs decided to go to greater lengths to recruit international students in spring 2011. Special Assistant to the President for International Affairs, Dr. Wayne McWee, said the international recruitment fairs are essential due to the "cultural, religious and ethnic diversity" international students bring to the campus.

According to McWee, the office decided to hire consultant Ian Little from Hobsons Global Management Team, a marketing company geared to help educational professionals, for international recruitment advice. "Little helped us put together our entire strategic plan to help us get out there and go about recruiting international students," said McWee.

There are currently 39 international students at Longwood, but McWee said the goal is to have 200 international students attending the university in 8 to 10 years. Director of the English as a Second Language Program (ESLP), Keith Boswell, agreed and said he thought the recruitment efforts will help international students see what an education at Longwood can do for them.

Sallie McMullin, interim dean of admissions, said while Longwood has had international students for years, "the more active recruitment has started this fall." McWee is in charge of the fall 2011 travel schedule for international recruitment. Several representatives from the office are setting up programs in international recruitment fairs.

The most recent international recruitment efforts took place in South America, the U.K., Belgium, and the Middle East. McWee said the office will most likely send a representative on a trip to Asia in spring 2012 if the budget allows it. Recruitment would take place in Korea, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Patti Trent, associate director of international admissions, came back to the U.S. on Oct. 7 after a two-week recruitment trip in the U.K. and Belgium. Approximately 4,000 students waited in line for the college fair in the U.K. due to the region's increased interest in U.S. higher education. Trent said the fairs were the "first time we've made a concerted and comprehensive effort" to get Longwood's name out beyond the U.S.

While the international trips help Longwood reach out to students on a personal level, virtual international fairs allow the admissions staff and student volunteers to interact with students from around the world from the convenience of their offices and homes. Hobsons hosts the virtual fairs and assisted Longwood in setting up one fair in Asia, one in India and two in South America.

In order to access university booths at virtual fairs, international students register with Hobsons and view a computer-animated "college campus" consisting of three buildings. Longwood's booth can be found in the first building and is embedded with links to Longwood's Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and official website, as well as a video about the university. From there students can chat online with International Affairs officers and student volunteers about the university.

According to McWee, who arranges the virtual fairs, approximately 4,000 students participated in the recent Asia fair. Over 100 attendants downloaded online materials containing information about the university.

While the recruiters may find many students who wish to study in the U.S., some may not have the English language skills to qualify. Students who do not know the English language or score low on their Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) will have the opportunity to attend Longwood's new ESLP, started by Boswell, on Jan. 12, 2012.

"If [international students] go through our program and are successful, they can go straight into academics without taking the TOEFL," Boswell said. He added that students who do not know any English will be in the program for about a year and three months, and students who know some English will take a placement test. The ESLP will host two seven-week sessions per semester. There will also be two five-week sessions held during the summer.

Boswell said the classes will focus on four main skills: speaking, listening, reading and writing. "I prefer an integrated approach, which means putting reading and writing together and put speaking and listening together," Boswell said. After excelling in basic reading, writing and phonetics classes and speaking, listening and pronunciation classes, he said students will progress to more advanced classes.

Boswell said a larger number of students will most likely start the program on March 19 because they may need additional time to submit applications and make arrangements to travel abroad. McWee hopes to have at least 15 registered students by then.  

As far as funding for the recruitment trips goes, McWee assured the office has not "taken any resources out of any academic program." Finnegan's contingency fund provided $57,000 for recruitment trips and resources for the current academic year. McWee said the office's expectation is that the program will ultimately pay for itself with the money generated from the ESLP.

The office thinks recruiting more international students will ultimately benefit both international students and Longwood as a whole. McWee said increasing the amount of international students should give Longwood students the opportunity to "receive a bigger world view of situations." Boswell said, "The hope is when [the international students] get back, they [also] have a broader view of the world."

"Hopefully way down the road, if we have better relationships with those people, we'll have better relationships with their countries as well," said McWee. McWee also said he hopes Longwood students will be open to visiting other countries after meeting international students. Boswell added, "I think there is a contribution Longwood can make to the future leaders of the world."