New strategies have been developing to increase resources and support for international students at CMU. Throughout the past year, Annie Gingerich, coordinator of international education, and Rick Taggart, executive director of marketing and student recruitment, have been working with a partner to develop an intensive English program on campus, recruit more international students, and establish articulation agreements with select international universities.

It’s rare to incorporate an intensive English program at a university of CMU’s size. Currently, international students must come to CMU with English proficiency.

“[The intensive English program] will enable a lot more students that would like to get their education in Western Colorado a new opportunity they wouldn’t have if just for Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOLEF),” Taggart said.

The TOLEF is an exam that gauges whether a student needs extra support with English or if they can matriculate directly into the curriculum. The program will be built with a partner that has significant experience in leading English intensive courses.

The second strategy is to recruit a diverse population of students from all over the world. Agents within countries will work with CMU to identify high school students who want to come to the U.S for higher education.

“International experience, whether it’s going to a different country or having an international student in the classroom at CMU, adds to your character, your system of beliefs and your attitude,” Gingerich said.

The final leg of strategy is to develop articulation agreements with select international universities. That would enable students to chose to spend up to one year in their home country and spend the other three years at CMU to complete the degree. There is also discussion of a potential faculty exchange program.

An international education committee, built of faculty and staff, has also been established to help support these strategies as they gain speed.

“One of the things we recognized right away was a need for help launching this program, and this committee is a way to get community involved in aiding to make it successful,” Gingerich said.

The entire international program establishment is going through an authorization process right now and is tentatively to be introduced in spring of 2014.

“Students will really see an impact next fall,” Taggart said.

ljdavids@mavs.coloradomesa.edu