Date of Award

1-1-2012

Document Type

Campus Access Thesis

Department

Educational Leadership and Policies

Sub-Department

Higher Education and Student Affairs

First Advisor

Christian K Anderson

Abstract

This research is an attempt to capture and compare best practices in international recruitment of students. The study is a reaction to policy and finance shifts in regards to international recruitment at the university level between two large, public institutions: The University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC and McGill University in Montreal, QC. For the purpose of this study, international recruitment refers to undergraduate students with citizenship outside of the host institution's country, who wish to complete a four year degree at the university. In order to understand the breadth of this trend, the study uses a comparative case study approach specifically focused on active and passive recruitment practices at each school. The external factors in regards to campus, regional, and national culture and politics are addressed as well.

Both schools recognize the benefits of recruiting from abroad; the research cites many of these including increased diversity of the student body and a strong financial incentive. A major financial push at USC and a policy shift at McGill to incentivize certain majors make the study of best practices in recruitment relevant for both schools. Kolb's experiential learning theory, promoting the need for students' engagement, serves as the foundation for the motivations behind international recruitment, demonstrating the need to prepare students for a globally-affected labor market after graduation.

Rights

© 2012, Megan Peryntha Patton

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