The university has sought to increase its international student
enrollment, which in the last decade had dropped to a total of
about 4.5 percent of the overall student enrollment. OSU's
strategic plan aims for an international student enrollment of 10
percent within five years. Oregon State's partnership with INTO
University Partnerships is "an integral part of our strategy to
meet those goals," said Sabah Randhawa, OSU's provost and executive
vice president.
"We still have work to do, but this is an excellent start,"
Randhawa said. "International students provide diverse perspectives
to our campus community and INTO OSU has been quite successful in
identifying and bringing to campus students who have the skills and
motivation to be successful."
OSU formally joined forces with INTO in November of 2008, the
first university in the United States to partner with the United
Kingdom-based company. In addition to goals of increasing
international enrollment and broadening campus diversity, OSU
sought to expand academic offerings for international students and
provide "market-leading preparation and support services designed
specifically for international students," Randhawa said.
INTO OSU students are enrolled in a variety of academic
"Pathway" and English language programs designed and taught by OSU
faculty to prepare them for successful transition to undergraduate
or graduate studies at the university.
The INTO OSU Pathway experience offers international students a
full year of instruction and a breadth of support services to
accelerate their success.
"Students live in OSU residence halls, enjoy campus resources
and are fully integrated into OSU campus life," said Amy McGowan,
the director of INTO OSU. "The outcome is a cohort of international
students who are academically prepared to progress with confidence
to their chosen degree program at OSU."
Of the student cohort that started and completed its Pathway
program last academic year, 86 percent of the students had met
OSU's progression requirements as second-year students eligible to
matriculate.
"We originally had projected an overall progression rate of 60
to 70 percent," McGowan said, "so we are thrilled with these
results."
Of those students eligible to enroll in their second year at
OSU, she added, 99 percent had done so.
In addition to providing cultural diversity and different
perspectives to the university and the Corvallis community, the
international students also provide additional revenues. OSU
officials estimate that former INTO OSU students who have now
matriculated as second-year students at OSU for fall term of 2010
will generate approximately $3 million in revenue annually over the
next three years to the university and the city of Corvallis.