KCC needs international students
Remington Taum
Issue date: 2/8/10 Section: News
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In fact, enrollment of international students is up noticeably from just five years ago.
System-wide for the University of Hawai`i, enrollment is higher compared to last spring. According to the university, a total of 55,761 students attend the 10 campuses statewide, a 9.4 percent increase from last spring. At KCC, enrollment is up 11 percent.
The added program of travel and tourism seems to attract the interest of the Japanese students.
Hawai`i is an ideal place to study this industry, and for the Japanese students, it's safer, closer and not as far as the Mainland. There are also some cultural similarities, explained Dave Evans, department chair and professor of hospitality and tourism.
Not only have there been students from Japan participating in the program, but from China, Belgium, South Korea, Serbia and even Mongolia.
Evans estimates that 60 percent of the students are international students, compared to what used to be around 4 out of 28 students, he said.
"International students seem like they come with a clearer picture of what they want to do," Evans said.
The department created a partnership with the Community Colleges for International Development (CCID). According to the CCID Web site, its mission is to be able to provide opportunities for building global relationships that are able to strengthen educational programs and promote economic development.
In just two years, this program has already brought students from Egypt, Guatemala, Turkey and Costa Rica.
"It's a very mixed group in the classrooms," said Evans.
Not only has the increase of international students brought diversity and variety to KCC, it has brought the students a new chance to learn first-hand about the world around them.
"…They have a whole different perspective," said Fuchino-Nishida. "They grow immensely, (and) created many new friendships."
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