How Can All U.S. Institutions of Higher Learning Help EducationUSA Offices Promote U.S. Education Overseas?

December 20, 2007

By: Mr. John Eriksen, Bryant University and Ms. Daniela Locreille, Hobsons Americas
Edited by: Ms. Cheryl Darrup-Boychuck, USjournal.com, LLC

This Practice Resource intends to offer ideas to assist first-time recruiters jump-start their global marketing efforts, as well as share newer insights to seasoned professionals who are looking to explore innovative avenues in working with EducationUSA offices worldwide.

In order to promote U.S. higher education abroad, we need to be aware of and have access to all the resources available in the market. EducationUSA centers worldwide should be an important component in our broad marketing mix, to help us attract the world's best students and scholars to the United States. EducationUSA advisers are the primary source of comprehensive, unbiased, and up-to-date information about all levels and aspects of the U.S. educational system, and serve as a source of information and credential analysis on educational institutions around the world.

Advisers are based at more than 450 U.S. educational advising centers in 170 countries. They are coordinated by 10 Regional Educational Advising Coordinators, referred to as REACs, grouped geographically:

Africa
East Asia / Pacific
Eurasia
Europe
Mexico / Central America / Caribbean
Middle East / North Africa
South America
South / Central Asia

REACs serve as liaisons between the advisers and the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in Washington D.C. and U.S. colleges and universities. REACs provide leadership and expertise in educational advising issues to education information centers and U.S. embassies.

Where Do I Start?

U.S. colleagues should work with their web manager in getting the EducationUSA logo placed on their international admission site, linking to http://educationusa.state.gov. Encourage prospective students to get in touch with their local EducationUSA advisers who are readily available to answer the most frequently asked questions (e.g. admission requirements, financial aid, etc.) alleviating the heavy e-mail workload for admission counselors. EducationUSA advisers familiarize students to the local financial aid opportunities available in their countries. Once selected for admission, advisers may also arrange pre-departure orientations about the visa process and interview preparation. Furthermore, they prepare students for U.S. culture and life in a new country, which is an integral part of their future success in the U.S.
Get in touch with each REAC, who in turn will help you promote your school through the Overseas Education Advisers (OEAs) in the region you are interested in recruiting. View contact information for all the Overseas Educational Advisers.
Nourish a fluent, mutually beneficial relationship with each REAC and adviser. If you are planning a trip, advisers can help you with tour logistics and local contacts to arrange meetings, presentations at local libraries and at the EducationaUSA Center, possibly including embassy staff and government officials in the country they reside. You can also encourage local contacts from your own network to make use of these outreach programs.
Ask the advisers about the types and quantities of promotional materials they would like to receive from you. If appropriate, ship brochures, CDs, or other materials to advisers' offices for use and display all year long, in their various student sessions. Many OEAs feature outreach programs, information seminars and workshops, teacher training workshops, annual U.S. higher education fairs, and / or annual North American Boarding Schools fairs and pre-departure orientations in which you can participate, in one way or another. If you can't travel, they may help you staff your booth and present your materials to prospective students. They may also send you a spreadsheet after the fair with all attendees' contact information. View additional Fair information.
Advisers may be able to arrange Direct Video Conferences (DVCs) with students in particular degrees or fields of study. This is of particular interest during International Education Week, which is typically scheduled the 3rd week of November.
Advisers can help facilitate virtual admission interviews between U.S. admission representatives and applicants to their institutions. This can be a great resource for students who are strongly considering a particular institution.
Ask advisers if they can assist you with administering your scholarships, perhaps by collecting and mailing application forms back to you.
Volunteer to be a resource person for EducationUSA advisers. Keep them updated and help them with application procedures and requirements. Support their promotional initiatives by becoming sponsors of events or signing up in some cases for annual membership. Send them your students' success stories and include their center information in the materials you send to prospective students. Visit them when you are traveling!
U.S. institutions should encourage their campuses to host an advisor on their campus at a specific time during the year. Institutions can review the campus host guidelines. For more information on how to become a host, contact educationusa[at]state.gov or usbt[at]collegeboard.org.

What Else Can I Do?

There are five other key activities that can help you promote your campus via the EducationUSA advising network.

Conferences
Besides the channels mentioned above, you may want to attend conferences that congregate big international players, with the intention of raising your school's profile. NAFSA: The Association for International Educators is the most important one; it is held once a year in the month of May; many of the EducationUSA advisers from all over the world attend this annual conference. You can also volunteer to make and bring photocopies of materials for the advisers to the annual conference through a program called "A Fair Alliance." (Stay tuned to NAFSA's Web site for details each Spring). Most of all, attendees at the NAFSA conference are encouraged to participate in the "Country Fair" to talk one-on-one with visiting EducationUSA advisers to learn more about their educational systems and recruiting opportunities. Also, REACs typically host a panel discussion on global educational trends affecting student mobility and recruitment initiatives at the NAFSA Conference.

REACs organize conferences where regional EducationUSA advisers meet. In many cases, a student fair also takes place before or after each of these conferences. This is another great opportunity to sponsor the event and attend the student fair at the same time to help market your school.

AIEA: Association of International Education Administrators

American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO)

National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals (NAGAP)

College Board

Overseas Association for College Admission Counseling (OACAC)

European Association for International Education (EAIE)

European Council of International Schools (ECIS)

Pennsylvania Council for International Education (PACIE)

State Consortia
Colleges and universities from the same state often join efforts to invite EducationUSA advisers to their campuses before or after NAFSA's Annual Conference in May, or before or after regional conferences in the Fall. This is a low-cost, effective way for campuses to show off their school to a group of advisers in a short period of time. Washington, Indiana and Ohio feature well-organized consortia.

EducationUSA Virtual Consulting Office (VCO)
This free multilingual virtual service was created in 2003 to provide general information online about U.S. higher education to students in Eurasia where there are no advising centers. The initiative has also expanded EducationUSA's reach to students in cities with existing offices. The VCO does not replace individual / personal advising, but does help solve the initial basic questions in the student's native language as it also includes a discussion forum. This service is offered in Arabic, Chinese, English, Russian and Spanish. Plans are underway to launch a Portuguese version in the near future. For a complete description of this tool, please go to: http://vco-edusa.net/all-about-vco

RAP (Recruitment, Admissions and Preparation Knowledge Community within NAFSA) / EducationUSA Advisers and Admissions Liaison Project
Whenever you need information on another country's educational system, credential evaluation, study abroad programs, country profiles, or governmental contacts, contact this team. This project started in 1997 and it provides data on any country in the world as well as contact e-mail addresses. View the list of the nine liaisons by region.

The New Educational Weekly Update
This online newsletter is circulated to advisers in 170 countries. Each week, EducationUSA features 5-7 accredited schools by focusing on scholarships and new programs. Please send two paragraphs of content related to scholarships or new programs (and a picture, if you like) to educationUSA[at}state.gov . Add "EducationUSA Weekly Update content" in the subject line, and the coordinator will circulate your update to 450 centers free of charge.

Links to Resources

Acknowledgements

The Marketing and Recruitment Network would like to thank the following advisers for their contribution to this article:

Vijaya Khandavilli, Former Country Coordinator, USEFI, India
Rita Moriconi, Country Coordinator, Fulbright Commission, Brazil
Katherine M. Fung-Suya, Former Director IIE (Institute of International Education), Hong Kong
Nichole Johnson, REAC-Mexico, Central America and Caribbean
Viktar Khotsim, Global E-Consulting Team Leader, Belarus
Karen Kaylor, Director USEIC, Singapore
Wes Teter, REAC-Europe