Trend Shows Increase in International Students On Campus
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Since 2003, Stony Brook University has seen a trend of increasing international undergraduate students, who now constitute 7 percent of the undergraduate student body. Four years ago they made up 4 percent of it One of the reasons given for the surge in international students by school officials is a school goal to have 30 percent of the student body made up of international and out-of-state students by 2011 “We’re one of the top universities in the world,” said William Arens, dean of international academic programs. “We’re an international university.” Arens credited the school’s strong showing in academic rankings as a reason why more international students are coming to the university. One ranking done by Shanghai Jiao Tong University listed Stony Brook in the top 200 schools in the world. When Arens goes overseas to promote Stony Brook, the school is already widely known because of such recognitions, he said. U.S. students are generally unaware of such academic rankings, which are based on things such as quality of faculty and research capabilities, Arens said, and that such qualities are what matter to international students. U.S. students are drawn to schools they see on TV, even if not for academic reasons, he added. “They’re more interested in the basketball team than the faculty,” Arens said, referring to U.S. students. “Overseas what counts is the research and the faculty.” A recent international graduate, Jihye Kim, listed the faculty and research opportunities as her favorite part of Stony Brook. Kim, who graduated with a degree in biology, came to the school from Daegu, South Korea. She heard about Stony Brook from a high school friend who was attending the university. “Many professors and faculty are open, very helpful and really care about students,” Kim wrote in an e-mail. She also listed the “tons of opportunities” available in research as one of her favorite things about the university. Judith Berhannan, dean of admissions, agreed with Arens that Stony Brook’s academic rankings have contributed to the increased international presence, but added that a well-known graduate program has also helped the recruitment of international students. Nineteen percent of graduate students are foreign-born, and where they hail from serves as a logical place for undergraduate recruiting, she said. “Our graduate programs have a very fine reputation,” Berhannan said. Places that have sent students to graduate school at Stony Brook are “logical places for us to try to build our undergraduate population.” The school sent a group of recruiters to Southeast Asia this past September, visiting schools in a college fair-like atmosphere, Berhannan said. Also, many international students contact Stony Brook through e-mails, she said. Such students can get questions answered this way or through chats set up by the admissions department, focusing on a certain topic. This past week a chat was held about the engineering program, allowing prospective students to talk to professors, admissions counselors and current university students in the program. “We can’t always get to them, but we can make ourselves available online,” Berhannan said. |
I don’t follow how the article is inaccurate or misleading.
The article is about a trend in the makeup of the undergraduate student body. The trend is that there are more international students. Between 2000-2007, the percentage of international students in the undergraduate student body has risen from 4 percent to 7 percent. It did so incrementally, rising little by little in those eight years.
Elizabeth Barnum could not be reached for the article. I attempted to contact her, but she was unavailable to speak with me. If I remember correctly, she was busy for a period of time and could not meet with me, and then was out of the office for a chunk of time. Thus, she was not included in the article.
Because of my inability to speak with Barnum, I went to Dr. Arens. Arens travels around the world and promotes the university, and sees how students overseas react to Stony Brook. Thus, he has a pretty good feel for how Stony Brook is viewed internationally, and why Stony Brook would be a destination for an international student.
There is no trend of increasing international enrollment in the graduate program. If anything, it has stagnated over the past eight years at about 19 percent of graduate enrollment. However, this number is significant which is why it was broached in the article. It also shows how the school is trying to increase its undergraduate international enrollment; by tapping into locations that have already sent students to do graduate work at Stony Brook.
The point of the article is that the undergraduate student body is experiencing a surge in international students. The opening paragraph statistics alone back up that claim, and everything else in the article is trying to figure out how this came to be (the goal of 30 percent out-of-state, higher academic world rankings, etc).
Your article is misleading and inaccurate
I respect the Stony Brook Independent as a vehicle for informed and unbiased journalism in a time when the Stony Brook community, especially the over 23,000 students, really need good reporting.
However, as a Stony Brook Alum and a fellow journalist, it pains my heart to see bad journalism manifesting itself in this article!
If you visit the Stony Brook University website you will notice that International Academic Programs is listed under Summer at Stony Brook - for good reason:
http://www.stonybrook.edu/sb/studentlife.shtml
You will also notice the International Services website link under International Students and Programs. That was your first clue.
With all due respect to Dr. William Arens and his team, who are doing a great job in their department, they would not be your "source" for information on your topic: Trend Shows Increase in International Students On Campus. The Director for International Services is Elizabeth Barnum, Ed.D. Good journalism suggests that if you wish to speak with someone in one of the departments that issues the SEVIS Form I-20 or DS-2019, the documents needed by all full-time international students (whom I think your article is geared towards) you would contact her.
Even though your topic "spoke" of a general increase in the international population, your article was geared towards undergraduates. Fortunately you spoke with the Dean for Admissions, Judith Berhannan, whose staff is involved with the recruitment process for Undergraduate international students, and whose office issues the SEVIS Form I-20s to Undergraduate international students. Without this document, students cannot acquire a visa to enter the United States. Berhannan, also mentioned the Graduate students that outnumber the Undergraduate students; but even with that hint, you didn't follow the crumbs to the meat of your article.
This article was never properly researched, and is misleading and totally inaccurate. I hope that in the interest of good journalism and for your sake, if you plan to make journalism your career, that you will endeavor to publish more accurate, well-researched pieces for the Stony Brook community who depend on the SB Independent to give them a better if not the best reporting on campus.