The Office of International Student Services� purpose is to increase, in a steady and sustainable way, the number of international students enrolled at Butte College and to provide services and support to promote their academic success and personal growth.
In order to meet our goal of increasing the number of international students on our campus each year, it has been incumbent upon Butte College to actively recruit in foreign countries. In countries that we are unable to visit, Butte uses web marketing, and other marketing tools to reach out to prospective students. The other major activity of the department is to provide international students with special services such as help with housing, special admissions help, orientation designed for new international students and specialized academic and immigration advising.
International Student Recruitment
The funding allocated to international recruitment was utilized in online student virtual fairs and new student outreach methods. The funding allowed the program to diversify the country outreach and maintain a recruitment presence as face-to-face in country recruitment options were re-formatted to virtual. This funding was vital to continue to recruit new students and maintain new student enrollment.
SLO - Current students should become connected with campus student services. Survey at orientation confirms knowledge of these services.
The International Program is dedicated to student success. The program funds specialized counselors to support the international student success to ensure student program completion and transfer.
The International Program aligns with the campus strategic direction and priority themes in the following ways:
Enchancing a Culture of Completion and Goal Achievement:
1. Creating and developing specialized orientation and pre-arrival information and workshops for international students. This is supported by the program coordinator and counseling.
2. Working with English department to support international students in a successful completion of transfer level English courses.
3. Require counseling meetings of all international students at least once a semester to ensure program progress and completion.
Supporting Student, Faculty, and Staff Success
1. Provide opportunities for students to coolaborate on program projects and be involved in the recruitment process via videos and social media.
2. Staff provides workshops to campus during Flex Week and International Education Week on the program and benefit of international students on our campus.
Using Data-Informed Processes for Continuous Improvement
1. The program constantly is reviewing data to improve current student services and expand recruitment possibilities.
Enhancing a Culture of Equity and Inclusiveness
1. The international program brings diversity to the campus with many student perspectives, cultures and experiences. The program ensures that recruitment efforts are broad so as to increase cultural diversity on our campus.
- Continue to pursue relationships with English language schools in Korea and China. This is still being pursued.
- Create a focus group of international and domestic students to determine ways to implement “friendship program” with same-age students. This is still being pursued.
Continue to grow the international student program in student numbers and diversity of countries. This includes increasing recruitment efforts and international partnerships. While, also maintaining and expanding services to those students on campus
Strategy 1 - Increase and Diversify Recruitment
Diversifying international student enrollment requires diversifying marketing and recruitment models/modes. To enable the Butte College program to do this we must invest in new strategies (web based, expand to new countries, contract with lead generators) The increase in marketing and recruitment also allows the program to grow its number of educational oversea partners and alumni network so as to sustain program growth.
The International Program budget supports the salaries of its full time employees and percentages of supporting positions. Salaries and benefits account for 85% of the expenditures. The constant increase in benefits and salary step increases ultimately decreases our operating budget which limits the amount of recruitment and outreach that can take place each year. Without an increase in student enrollment the recruitment budget will continue to decrease.
1. Location on campus to host all International Student Services (i.e. Admissions, Counseling, Program Coordinator, Student Events/Workshops) - office space and common meeting areas
International Program Budget - $370K (50% of Paid Non-Resident Fees for F-1 visa students)
| Original Priority | Program, Unit, Area | Resource Type | Account Number | Object Code | One Time Augment | Ongoing Augment |
| Description | Supporting Rationale | Potential Alternative Funding Sources | Prioritization Criteria | |||
| 1 | International Programs | Operating Expenses | 11.000.700.1.649004 | 55201 | $25,000.00 | $0.00 |
| International Student Recruitment | Many factors effect international student enrollment. Nationally, over the past three years, international student enrollment has seen an overall 6.6% - 17% national decline due to the unfavorable social and political climate, immigration reform and health concerns. Due to COVID and travel bans/restrictions and drastic changes to immigration policy there are even more barriers that an international student must overcome to study at Butte College. Nationally some international program enrollment numbers have dropped by 60%+. Typically when recruiting an international student it will take them an average of 2 years to decide and enroll in a school due to the economic hardship on their families. Three years ago there was a drastic re-structure in our international recruitment team due to retirements and vacant positions which did not allow us to recruit as we had in the past. We also currently have a vacant position of our Admission technician which we will be unable to fill due to our diminished budget. Our program is currently feeling the effects from the political impacts of the past administration and the COVID pandemic. Our decline in enrollment will drastically effect our programs ability to actively recruit and do student outreach in the 2021/2022 year as 95% of our budget will be used for staff salaries. Without sustained recruitment practices and creativity we will be unable to maintain and grow our program numbers. We must continue to explore new markets, and increase our virtual presence to attract international students to our campus. |
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| 2 | International Programs | Personnel | 11.000.700.1.649004 | 52368 | $10,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Student Assistant | The international program employs international students so that they can contribute to the program by acting as mentors, they build program outreach materials, network with current and prospective students, continue to develop new program ideas and diversify the office staff. Due to decreased enrollments and therefore the international program budget students will not be able to be hired for the 2021-2022 academic year. This would greatly impact the programs outreach, marketing and orientation planning and implementation. International students are not eligible for Federal Work Study. |
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