Enrollment by Iraqi students at MSU almost tripled in one year from 2007-08, according to data from the Office of the Registrar.
And the number could continue to climb if a new Iraqi government scholarship program, which would send 10,000 Iraqi students abroad, is approved by Iraq’s Parliament.
The program, called the Iraqi Education Initiative, is expected to begin in fall 2009 with 500 students studying abroad. Representatives from 24 American colleges spent the week of Jan. 18 in Iraq meeting with potential students.
Although MSU was among the 250 colleges invited to attend, recruitment was instead partially conducted from Washington, D.C., because of safety concerns, MSU’s coordinator of sponsored student recruitment Anne Schneller said in an e-mail. An alumnus also represented MSU at one of the fairs.
“We plan to work closely with this new scholarship program, as we have been with the current program for graduate study through the Iraqi Cultural Office in Washington,” she said. Other recruiting is done through e-mails.
In 2006-07, MSU had only one Iraqi student enrolled. Two years later, enrollment has increased to 11 Iraqi students funded by another Iraqi government scholarship that was launched to support outstanding graduate level students, Schneller said.
With 4,244 international students, MSU ranked 15th in international student enrollment in the 2007-08 year, according to data from the Institute of International Education.
“The interest in MSU is high, but the standards are high,” said Peter Briggs, director of the Office Of International Students and Scholars.
“The quality of students applying here is very, very good.”
MSU’s degree programs and support of international students make the university stand out to international students, Schneller said.
“MSU is making an effort to increase the number and the diversity of its international student population,” she said.
“We believe that having a wide range of international students on campus enhances the quality of our academic life, since these sponsored students are among the best in their respective countries.”
The Iraqi Education Initiative is important not only to Iraqis, social science professor and education expert Ruben Martinez said.
“Ultimately, it is important for the future,” he said. “It is important to recognize that people of this planet are becoming more and more interdependent.
“I believe we don’t understand (citizens of other countries) very well. Frequency of contact is very important.”
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