The week of November 18 is International Education Week – a fantastic opportunity to celebrate our international partners, faculty, staff and students. This world emphasis is very important to Fort Hays State University because developing engaged global citizen-leaders is central to our mission. Although we are perhaps most known for our China programs, you may be surprised to learn that this semester our on-campus students hail from 35 countries, and our total student body represents 53 countries!
Our on-campus students are from from Australia, The Bahamas, Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Gambia, Germany, Iceland, India, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Paraguay, Georgia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Togo, the United Kingdom and Venezuela.
We have a relatively new partnership with a university in Africa. Students in Dakar, Senegal, study for the first two years in their home country and then spend the last two years here in Hays. The first group of students has just finished their two years in Senegal, and 10 of them are here in Hays. One more student will join us here in the spring semester. We are expecting up to another 30 Senegalese students next fall.
Not surprisingly, some of our international students are also great athletes and compete at the highest levels as Tiger student-athletes. Here is a breakdown by sport:
Soccer: 13 students and two graduate assistants from Australia, Costa Rica, England, Germany, Paraguay, Spain, and the United Kingdom
Cross country and track: five students from France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands and Venezuela
Football: three students from Australia, Canada, and Denmark
Baseball: two students from Canada
Basketball: one student from Iceland
Volleyball and tennis: each has a graduate assistant from Brazil
What may surprise you is that we also have a number of international students who are part of our Academy of Mathematics and Science – the state’s premier early college program for international high school juniors and seniors. This fall we have 33 international students in this highly intensive, pre-college academic program. Can you imagine traveling across the world at 16 years old to attend college in a foreign country with a foreign language? That’s courage – and also demonstrative of their high intellectual talents. In fact, a Korean AMS student was one of only 50 from across the United States selected to attend the Harvard Science Research Seminar.
Another notable aspect of the student experience is found in our Virtual Student Senate (VSS). Four years ago, our Student Government Association created the VSS to expand shared governance to our online students. VSS now includes students from all over the country and overseas. An affiliate of the SGA, the VSS currently has 18 senators ranging in age from 25-50. One senator lives in Turkey and calls in for meetings at 3 a.m. in the morning – that is commitment!
International students give us the opportunity to learn more about other cultures and customs and, according to NASFA, the association of international educators, they collectively contribute $39 billion to the U.S. economy, supporting 455,622 jobs.
For every seven international students enrolled, three U.S. jobs are created and supported by spending in the higher education, accommodation, dining, retail, transportation, telecommunications, and health insurance sectors. Nearly 3,000 international students are enrolled in the state of Kansas, generating a financial contribution of more than $86 million and supporting approximately 850 jobs. Locally, the impact is estimated at $7.1 million supporting 37 jobs.
At FHSU, we also support our U.S. students by providing meaningful study-abroad experiences and short-study travel programs. This fall we have 18 students studying in nine different countries, and our faculty-led travel study programs have doubled.
FHSU has been committed to a global mission for many years. Our world-wide enterprise includes on-campus and online students, cross-border operations (China), corporate partnerships, faculty and student study and exchange programs, English as a Second Language and English as a foreign language instruction, and service to the military.
Of course, behind all these numbers and opportunities are fascinating and kind people who have much to share. Mother Teresa once said, “peace begins with a smile.” Our smile is broad.
Tisa Mason is president of Fort Hays State University.