Stephen Wright, at left, director of NAU's International Office, and NAU President John Haeger visit the Great Wall of China.

NAU looks to China for potential new students
Northern Arizona University is looking at a largely untapped market of potential new students—in China.

President John Haeger and Stephen Wright, director of NAU's International Office, traveled to China last month to explore the possibility of bringing more Chinese students to study at NAU.

"The benefits would be twofold," Haeger said. "If we want to fully prepare our students to work in a global economy, we need an international flavor on the NAU campus of substantial proportions. This type of agreement would help internationalize our curriculum. The second benefit is a financial one. Students from China coming to NAU would pay out-of-state tuition."

NAU is wasting no time in laying the groundwork for its recruitment efforts in China. As a first step, a six-member delegation from Fujian Normal University in Fuzhou is expected to come to NAU Dec. 13-14 to formalize plans to bring Fujian faculty to NAU for intensive second-language instruction in their respective disciplines. Haeger said this is in anticipation of the Chinese university requiring its faculty to teach its curriculum in English in four years.

Down the road, NAU hopes to sign an agreement with Fujian to enroll Chinese students at NAU.

"There are some hurdles, particularly with regard to visa restrictions," Haeger acknowledged. He said the State Department and China both have concerns about the high number of Chinese students who leave the country to study abroad and never return home.

In response to those concerns, the agreement likely would stipulate that Chinese students enroll at their home university for their first year, study at NAU for the next two years and then return to China their fourth year to receive a dual degree from both NAU and their home university.

"The timing of the trip to China was ideal," Haeger said. The president had received an invitation to the 40th anniversary of the Beijing International Studies University, which has had a 20-year partnership with NAU. At the same time, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities asked Haeger to go to China as a member of its Committee on International Education. The committee helps develop policies for the federal government related to international education.

Haeger attended a recruitment fair at Beijing International Studies University for Chinese students wanting to study abroad. He said about 30,000 students attended the fair and that while France and Great Britain were each represented by more than a dozen universities, only three American universities were present.

"I wanted to be on the ground and see for myself what is happening in China in higher education," Haeger said. "We're trying to determine what our next step is with international education.

Haeger experienced first hand the difference in cultures while visiting China. "It is a land of contrasts between high-tech growth and centuries-old traditions." And it held a few surprises as when Haeger learned the crunchy morsels he was eating one day were beetles.

Besides China, Haeger said NAU also will look at possible international education programs with India. The president has said he wants to increase NAU's current international student enrollment of 335 to about 1,000.