Recruiting Intelligence

The definite answer is maybe. Commission-based student recruiters are not a panacea. They require support, monitoring and consistent attention to deliver results. 

Every month the 2nd and 4th Thursdays will be devoted to highlighting our library of podcasts. We believe stongly that information can be conveyed in a number of ways. We hope that you will continue to read our blog and also take advantage of the opportunity to listen to our podcasts at your desk, the gym or during your commute. Through 20-30 minute podcasts we hope to introduce our readers/listeners to a variety of compelling topics related to international higher education. We hope you enjoy our podcasts and, as always, we welcome your feedback.

In my last post, I discussed my experience at Bahcesehir University and gave some of my impressions about what drives students to study abroad.  Working at BAU didn’t just give me a chance to observe students, though.  It also allowed me to look at overseas university systems close up.  I was able to see how their programming and administrative organization compare with older American schools, and how they differ.  Below are four things that I saw overseas schools doing right, to keep themselves relevant and sustainable in a global education community.

Sometimes, watching globalization from America isn’t the same as going overseas to see it at work.  I recently returned from a semester teaching at Bahcesehir University in Istanbul.  BAU was founded as an intentionally global university, growing hand-in-hand with the emerging global economy.  It has campuses in nine different countries, and purposefully draws a student body from around the world.  Working with its students gave me a chance to learn more about what drives students to study abroad.  Below are four institutional and cultural dynamics driving overseas study.

Pearson recently released a global report on education comparing major factors in education, such as expenditure per student, GDP, graduation rates, etc. One of the top countries in Pearson’s list is South Korea. According to the report, there are some interesting differences between Korean education and American education. Understanding the Korean system can help in international student recruitment.

The Education Sector gets covered a lot in the Indian media and on Tuesday this week the Indian newspapers reported that foreign universities will be allowed to establish a campus in India, to operate independently and to issue foreign degrees locally.  While this may not be in the plans for all institutions, it is certainly something to keep an eye on, as it will potentially have a big impact on student recruitment, research collaboration and the local public perception of foreign education providers.

South Korea, officially known as the Republic of Korea, is one of the most connected countries in the world with high broadband penetration rates and a tech savvy population. The wireless internet is seeing a rapid rise in uptake in South Korea; the number of users of both smartphones and tablets doubled between 2011 and 2012, according to a December 2012 report from the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA).