Posted on: Sunday, July 11, 2004
World studies
By John Griffin
By now, many people appreciate that the University of Hawai'i, at Manoa and at Hilo, is deeply involved in international education.
Advertiser library photo One surprise for me is the total range of international activity in the UH system — from thousands of foreign students from more than 80 countries, dozens of programs with an international component (including 31 languages), some 160 relationships with institutions overseas, and many opportunities for Hawai'i students to study and travel abroad.
And that doesn't count top-flight UH programs doing advanced research in much of the world.
Jenny Samaan, director of international education for the 10-campus UH system, provides this perspective:
"While our emphasis, ties and deepest understanding will always remain in the Asia-Pacific region, we have challenged the UH community to include linkages with Latin America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, when they stretch and strengthen us."
Among other things, Samaan notes that the College of Tropical Agriculture won a $3.77 million U.S. Agency for International Development grant for linking with universities in Iraq. (An adjoining article provides more perspective.)
Former UH President Evan Dobelle is credited with expanding international education during his three-year tenure. Such emphasis should continue under acting President David McClain, who was active in expanding international programs when he was dean of the business school.
Although needed expansion of Hawai'i's foreign horizons is the worthy and necessary goal, it should also be noted that international programs are often a financial plus for UH. That's thanks to accompanying federal money, private grants and the higher tuition out-of-state students pay.
The biggest surprise was the extent of foreign programs at UH community colleges, with their mixture of old images and new realities.
The community colleges still perform vital traditional functions — providing open access for virtually everyone, trade and technical training, preparatory courses for entry to four-year universities, plus having the flexibility to move fast on retraining and other community needs.
But now add to that international education in wide variety.
Kapi'olani Community College has been the biggest player, and it has won several national awards for its innovative international education programs.
There, Chancellor John Morton credits Leon Richards with being "the architect of our international programs." Not only is Richards KCC's senior academic dean, he also directs international education for all seven community colleges. This is in partially run through the privately financed Honda International Center, which is both a clearing house for grants and one-stop office for student needs.
A sample of UH community college international programs:
• The Freeman Foundation has given $1.2 million for a two-year training program for Hawai'i community college students to study Japanese, Chinese and Korean languages here and in those countries. Language and study-abroad programs are also paid for by federal grants and a Japanese foundation. • KCC has some 500 international students out of a total enrollment of 7,600. Many foreign students are in English language training and business courses. Others come for short-term training. • Honolulu Community College has a wide variety of ties in Asia. These involve training vocational teachers from China, airplane mechanics, flight attendants and cosmetology workers from Japan, and helping Thailand establish and expand a community college system. • Leeward Community College is a leader in establishing study-abroad programs for the entire UH system. This includes travel to the Philippines, Thailand, Chile and Spain. International education can be seen three ways, it seems to me.
• One is as an economic asset for Hawai'i, a form of tourism that contributes to our economy while it benefits foreign students and their countries. • Second is a chance for Hawai'i people, especially young students, to learn about and reach out to the world, to gain valuable knowledge in the age of globalization. In an economic sense, we are training people to compete. In a more important way, we may be learning how to better get along in a world that won't leave us alone. • Third and related is the shared value foreign and local students can acquire from cultural mixing on and off campus. For example, as part of the emphasis on service learning, one KCC program pairs Hawai'i and foreign students to tutor immigrants in Chinatown. Popular dean Richards has a good point when he calls KCC "an island college with a global reach." And as a member of the steering committee of a national organization covering the nation's 1,200 community colleges, he sees Hawai'i in broader perspective, when he adds:
"International education is not a luxury. It must be seen as a resource and a necessity."
John Griffin, former editor of The Advertiser's editorial pages, is a frequent contributor.
(In their different ways, Hawai'i Pacific University and Brigham Young University-Hawai'i have often been more adept at luring foreign students, which is one part of the picture not covered here.)
The University of Hawai'i system includes thousands of foreign students from more than 80 countries.
"While our emphasis, ties and deepest understanding will always remain in the Asia-Pacific region, we have challenged the UH community to include linkages with Latin America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, when they stretch and strengthen us."
— Jenny Samaan | director of international education, UH
Student numbers
There are more than 2,500 foreign degree students among the 50,000 on the 10 UH campuses. That is not especially high compared with national averages, but it is strong in Asia-Pacific area students.
Financial impact
In total, we now have about 5,200 international students (degree and nondegree in public and private institutions) contributing some $115 million a year to Hawai'i's economy. Of the 50 states, Hawai'i recently ranked 32nd in the economic impact of international students. Recruiting amid the tight post-9/11 foreign visa restrictions are a problem everywhere.
Countries of origin
The five countries that sent the most students to Hawai'i last year were Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China and Sweden (most of the last are at Hawai'i Pacific University). Nationally, most of the almost 600,000 international students in the country come from India, China, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, with Canada and Mexico next.
Overseas influence
UH is establishing its first overseas offices in Hanoi and Beijing. The UH system is already represented in Osaka, Japan, at the Hawai'i Exchange Center, which provides students there with information on UH programs.
West O'ahu campus
UH West O'ahu, historically out of the international education picture, is starting to see more foreign students (from China, Denmark, Myanmar and Tonga) and has more Hawai'i students going abroad.
Manoa programs
Manoa programs in Asian languages, philosophy, East Asian and Pacific island studies, and Asia-related business are often rated at the top by experts.
Niche education
UH-Hilo has partnerships with universities in France, Belgium and Spain in a federally financed marine-science program. Hilo is said to rank high nationally in international student enrollment. Its Hawai'i Language Center serves as a prototype for indigenous language revitalization efforts nationwide.
