Week of April 11, 2022

Social Media News

• We do it everyday, often multiple times a day. Teenagers do it more than we can imagine. Guess what, prospective students do want your college to send them texts, as long as it’s not fluff. Good piece from Intead.
• International schools are starting to get personal with how they recruit students (and parents) to their schools. Interesting perspective on how digital is driving recruitment at this level as well.
• I don’t often post social media marketing training memberships, but this one from Social Media Examiner is a solid, well-rounded immersion the key elements everyone who has these responsibilities should know.
• LinkedIn has really upped its game recently for content creators. In addition to the Live option, the newsletter option, and enhanced analytics are a big improvements.
• If you are doing Instagram ads, there are three new report options that can help you refine your approach and improve your efficiencies.

International Education News

Big Picture Issues

• How do universities balance their world-embracing, problem-solving approach with forging overseas campuses and programs with the blessing/support from repressive regimes? e.g. Carnegie Mellon in Rwanda.
• Has the intl ed response in the West to all things Russian been a bit over the top? Perhaps so, if you believe this opinion piece from Hans de Wit and Phil Altbach.
• When applications continue to increase at the top US colleges (public and private) admit rates only go in one direction, down (e.g. Harvard’s at 3.6%).
• More and more international recruiters are hitting the road this spring as travel restrictions ease and more schools reopen to visitors. But will it come all the way back? I have my doubts.

Solutions Central

• “University career services need to be ‘completely accessible and representative,’ while institutions should do more to ensure international students receive the right information about available support before they arrive.”
• The logic is clear, the data reinforces what we’ve all felt for years - international STEM PhD students largely want to stay in the US well beyond their studies. Solid data from Georgetown study.

Global Roundup

• Australia - With Australian institutions prepping new students for what freedom of expression means, and how threats to students’ rights in this area will be addressed, messages are clearly being directed to students from China.
• Australia - While the percentage of intl students in Australia from India has grown from 17 to 23%, the overall number of Indians enrolled has dropped by almost 20,000 since before the pandemic.
• Canada - Our friends north of the border are benefiting from Brexit in terms of attracting European students. Some countries increased the number of students going to Canada between 10-80% pre- and post-pandemic.
• China - Well, in perhaps the “mild surprise but not really” category China is doubling down on its relationship with Russia in its attempts to whitewash the stories about the war in Ukraine and Russia’s naked aggression.
• India - The University Grants Commission in India has now warned students who have been studying at Chinese universities remotely since the pandemic that their online degrees would not be recognized. A bit harsh, pure politics, or both?
• New Zealand - Agents hoping to be registered/approved for sending students to New Zealand are still unable to become official due to lingering problems the country has faced in reopening its borders.
• United Kingdom - An interesting report on British schools and universities reflects that in the UK there is a distinct need for the nation to build up levels of China-competency as Sino-British ties grow.

SMIE Consulting Midweek Roundup

If you’d like a more in-depth analysis of the main news stories each week, check out our Midweek Roundup international education live chat on Wednesday at 1pm ET on the SMIE Consulting Facebook page, YouTube channel, Twitter feed, and LinkedIn. A podcast version is available as well on all major podcast provider platforms.