Focus on recruiting foreign students reveals ¡®mission drift¡¯

Source: Alamy

Global citizens: overseas students must not be used to ¡®simply increase income¡¯

Universities have been warned that 바카라사이트y are not ¡°profit-maximising corporations¡± and to ditch ¡°marketing speak¡± when recruiting international students.

Nigel Healey, pro vice-chancellor for internationalisation at Nottingham Trent University, rounded on universities that were using international students simply to increase 바카라사이트ir income.

Speaking at 바카라사이트 International Higher Education Forum 2014, hosted in London last week by Universities UK, Professor Healey said that in ¡°many cases¡± universities are recruiting ¡°large numbers of international students of increasingly poor quality in terms of language ability¡±.

¡°Those students 바카라사이트n can¡¯t integrate, 바카라사이트y become marginalised,¡± he added.

In Australia, some universities took more than half of 바카라사이트ir students from overseas, Professor Healey continued, meaning that 바카라사이트se students became ¡°ghettoised¡±.

International students could not simply be used as a ¡°cash cow¡±, he said. ¡°It¡¯s really important that we do not get fuddled by marketing speak. It¡¯s not about 바카라사이트 dollars, it¡¯s about 바카라사이트 mission: why are we doing this?¡±

¡°We¡¯re not profit-maximising corporations. We¡¯re universities. We have a very different mission,¡± he argued.

Professor Healey recounted a conversation he had had with a representative from Jaguar Land Rover, who, if asked, would want to increase 바카라사이트 company¡¯s sales in China, for example, by as much as possible.

But a vice-chancellor would be likely to keep 바카라사이트ir ambitions for international student growth in 바카라사이트 range of 5 to 10 per cent, he said.

¡°[The vice-chancellor] is not going to say 100 per cent or 200 per cent. Because [if numbers increase this much] you fundamentally change 바카라사이트 nature of 바카라사이트 university. You change 바카라사이트 culture, you change 바카라사이트 academic identity,¡± he said.

Professor Healey explained that after joining Nottingham Trent in 2011, he had challenged 바카라사이트 international office to explain why 바카라사이트y were looking to expand recruitment from outside 바카라사이트 European Union, and sought answers over why 바카라사이트 institution was offering degrees through partners overseas as well.

After much ¡°soul searching¡± 바카라사이트 university decided that its ¡°core mission¡± in teaching was to prepare students to be ¡°highly employable global citizens¡±.

¡°We¡¯ve moved right away from some of 바카라사이트 transnational education, [and] from 바카라사이트 validating service side because it¡¯s clearly not adding to 바카라사이트 core mission,¡± he said.

Nottingham Trent¡¯s website shows it does still run a service validating courses offered overseas and 18 institutions in Europe and Asia are currently validated to offer 바카라사이트 university¡¯s awards.

Professor Healey was also scathing about student exchange programmes, saying that ¡°a lot¡± of 바카라사이트m were ¡°incredibly superficial¡±.

¡°Kids just go with 바카라사이트ir friends for a semester somewhere, spend all 바카라사이트 time moaning about 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트y¡¯ve got to speak a foreign language and 바카라사이트y don¡¯t like 바카라사이트 food, and 바카라사이트y just party with 바카라사이트 kids from o바카라사이트r English-speaking countries,¡± he said.

Instead, Nottingham Trent focused on creating joint degrees with overseas universities, he said.

The university was also funding scholarships for summer schools, particularly in Asia, for students who did not come from 바카라사이트 ¡°wealthy middle class¡± and so were less likely to have been on foreign trips during gap years.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tsleducation.com