Auburn University has partnered with Shorelight Education, a company that funds and manages partnerships with universities, to establish Auburn Global, an international accelerated program that aims to bring more diversity to campus by recruiting more international students beginning fall 2015.
Emmett Winn, associate provost, said the project began with the University's comprehensive planning process for its five-year strategic plan, which spans from 2013-18.
"The various stakeholders from the districts felt that Auburn University needed to do what it could to internationalize its campus," Winn said. "Both for the good of Auburn University and also, more importantly, for the good of our undergraduate students so they could have the benefit of studying and learning from people from other cultures."
The University enrolled 317 international undergraduate students in fall 2014, which, according to Winn, is extremely small.
"There are so few international undergraduates that, I would have to say, I have seen very little impact [on diversity of Auburn's campus]," Winn said.
Auburn Global will bring Auburn's undergraduate enrollment from 317 to more than 1,000 students in the next five years, according to Winn.
Recruiting from 30 countries, Shorelight Education will design the non-academic aspects of the first-year experience for students, provide an international recruitment network and handle the logistics of traveling to the University.
Winn said Auburn is primarily looking to target countries with partnerships in Alabama, such as South Korea, Germany and France.
Tom Dretler, CEO of Shorelight Education, said Auburn, as a top 100 school, has an extremely low percentage of international students compared to other institutions of Auburn's academic ranking.
Most Top 100 schools have an 11 percent international demographic, whereas Auburn has less than 2 percent.
"Our goal is to provide a diverse student population and to not just create an opportunity for international students at Auburn," Dretler said. "But to create a wind for domestic students at Auburn so they can have an opportunity to learn in a global environment."
Nevertheless, Dretler said international students unfamiliar with Western academic culture need special attention in transitioning academically, socially and culturally.
Lidiane Garcia de Sousa, freshman in animal science and international student from Brazil, said incorporation into the university's culture is a united effort.
"I don't know how to relate with North American students," Sousa said. "I think it doesn't only depend on the University, it depends on the students."
Looking to the near future, Winn said Auburn Global is a chance to improve campus culture by further diversifying it.
"This is an opportunity to expand the Auburn Family globally," Winn said. "We'll welcome many, many new and wonderful members into the Auburn Family."
Dretler said he's grateful to be working with Auburn's administration, which has a vision for and value of international students aligning with Shorelight's values and goals.
"Students don't know about Auburn right now," Dretler said. "It hasn't been part of the University strategy to recruit around the world, and I think (Auburn) is such a gem, and I'm excited for what it will mean for domestic students to have an international learning environment."
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