MARSHALLTOWN -€“ Drawing from their extensive international experiences in Mexico and Korea, and utilizing the Brazilian background of an associate at Marshalltown Community College, Dr. Laura Browne and Dr. John Kalkwarf presented a proposal for an International Student Cohort Project to the Iowa Valley Community College District Board of Directors on July 9. The project would recruit international students from three countries to be immersed in an intensive English summer orientation program prior to beginning college courses in the fall of 2010.

Dr. Browne, retired IVCCD Associate Dean of Learning Services began by sharing some of her experiences while on sabbatical in Yucatan, Mexico last fall. She studied their educational systems and discussed the interest in developing partnerships and exchange of students at several universities she visited.

MCC Student Success Center Director Dr. John Kalkwarf explained the proposal would be a 3-part program beginning with an academic cohort the first two years. The program would utilize current facilities and add students to existing classes and require minimal staffing additions.

"€œHaving more international students on campus would increase the opportunity for people to experience other cultures, preparing them for the ever-growing global business environment,"€ said Kalkwarf. "€œStudents from other countries are interested in coming here because they feel Marshalltown, Iowa represents small town America, where students are welcomed in a friendly environment."€

Kalkwarf noted that for several years Marshalltown Community College business professor George Johnson has added the international perspective to MCC business courses so students can learn to understand the world market, and how different cultures influence business relationships. The international student cohort project could become a means for area businesses to expand exchanges with the different countries.

"€œThe program will enhance diversity and cultural exchanges and fit well with IVCCD'€™s vision of making our programs distinctive and enhancing existing programs and focusing on expansion of our student market base,"€ said Dr. Kalkwarf. "€œThis will be a prestigious and strong leadership role for IVCCD."

€Kalkwarf explained that international students pay higher tuition, as mandated by the State, and having more students in some of the lower enrollment ESL courses will make them more cost efficient for the college. He added that there are many grant funding opportunities for programs that target industrializing nations.

Kalkwarf added that during the initial summer immersion, students would live in the dorms to intermingle, requiring them to use the English language and helping them learn. Students would spend four sessions, summer, fall, spring and summer, at the college and earn 64 transfer credits. Kalkwarf and Browne continue to develop detailed plans for options of adding a Low-Level Proficiency Cohort in 2011 and a Vocational Cohort in 2012 with their focus on the Academic Cohort for implementation in the summer of 2009.