While The University of Western Ontario prides itself in offering ‘the best student experience,’ the anticipation is more international students will soon come to understand what it means to be purple and white.
In an effort of boost its international presence, Western is creating a new Special Advisor to the Provost for its International Education Initiative. Starting Jan. 1, sociology professor Julie McMullin will take on this new 18-month contract position, which includes a focus on international student recruitment, student exchange as well as other study-abroad opportunities.
With Western’s international undergraduate student population sitting around three per cent of its overall student body, it is only half the provincial average. Universities such as Waterloo and Toronto are hovering in the eight to 11 per cent range.
The university’s goal is to increase the first-year international student enrolment to 400 (from the current 150) by the end of its upcoming four-year planning period. Western Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Janice Deakin says while there is an ambition to grow, it only makes sense for the university to have a strategy as to how proceed down this path.
“Considering that we aim to almost triple our current number of entering international undergraduate students, it is indeed a stretch target,” Deakin says. “That said, this is a top priority that we are going to focus significant effort on. With the support of others on campus, I’m confident our new advisor will help develop and execute the best strategies for reaching the goal.”
McMullin, affiliate member of the Department of Women’s Studies and Feminist Research, recently finished a five year-term as associate dean, research and operations (with responsibility for internationalization) in the Faculty of Social Science. She was also a member of the Strategic Planning Task Force that developed the plan Engaging the Future, in which internationalization was articulated as a priority.
“The more we and our students know about the world – its economies, its water systems, its religions, its culture – the better prepared we will be to meaningfully engage with others globally,” says McMullin, who is looking forward to enhancing international student recruitment and build other opportunities for Western’s students to engage in international education. “Increasing international student enrolment and providing other opportunities for international curricula development will provide the Western community with more opportunities to do just that.”
On the graduate level, Western’s international student numbers are much stronger, with 15 per cent at the master’s degree level and 25 per cent at the PhD level. It is the undergraduate level, Deakin says, where work needs to be done. This past year the university allotted 100 new spaces for international students, but only 25 were filled.
“Western has earned its reputation as one of Canada’s leading universities. If we wish to play a bigger role on the global stage our student body needs to be more reflective of the world we live in,” Deakin says. “Clearly, we’re lagging our peer institutions in this area, but more importantly, increasing the number of students from abroad on our campus will enhance the educational experience for all our students.”
Similarly, adds Deakin, the provision of more student abroad opportunities enhances the experience of those participating as well as that of their classmates upon their return to Western.
“In short we are interested in creating the right environment for increased mobilization of talented students to and from Western on their journey to becoming global citizens,” she says.
So where are the new international students going to come from? Perhaps they are already in the country.
Deakin notes a full 80 per cent of Waterloo’s international undergraduate student population come from Canada – students who come from out of country to complete high school and remain in the country for post-secondary schooling.
“This is something that is on our radar screen,” Deakin says, adding by the summer months she expects the special advisor will have solid plans as to how the university can begin improving its international undergraduate numbers.
Should these numbers increase, along with Western’s plans to see its total first-year enrolment in the area of 4,700 or more students, the question of residence capacity will need to be addressed.
Gitta Kulczycki, Vice-President (Resources & Operations) is already planning ahead saying there likely be proposals for additional residence capacity coming soon.
“Part of the budget process that is coming up – that includes capital budget as well as operating budget – I anticipate that as part of that we will be coming forward with concrete proposals and plans,” she says.