moderator:  Good afternoon, welcome to Diverse: Issues In Higher Education’s “International Talks” Web Chat. Today, we’ll be discussing increased efforts by many community colleges to recruit international students and the subsequent rising enrollment numbers of these students at two-year colleges.

moderator:  Is this trend good exposure for international students and their classmates as well as a welcome boost to two-year colleges’ bottom lines? 

moderator:  Or does this trend mean community colleges are abandoning their open-access community-driven missions as they continue to emulate four-year schools? 

moderator:  Or is it both? Or somewhere in between? We’ll have our expert panel weigh in and we’ll also invite chat participants to give us their perspectives.

moderator:  Today’s panel includes Ken Bus, director of the International Education Program at Glendale Community College of Arizona; Dr. Miguel Ceja, assistant professor of public policy and administration at California State University-Sacramento; Dr. Stephen Curtis, president of the Community College of Philadelphia; and Judith Irwin, director of International Programs and Services at the American Association of Community Colleges. My name is David Pluviose, I cover community colleges as a senior writer for Diverse. 

 moderator:  Let’s begin.

moderator:  I would like all of our panelists to say if they’re seeing more international students at their schools, and describe any impact these students are having on their institutions.

Ms._Phd:  Dr. Curtis, why do you think the US Dept of Education and State Dept are promoting community college recruitment of international students? What's in it for us, the US?

Dr_Curtis:  To Ms._Phd: Community colleges are a more affordable option for visiting international students, just as for U.S. students. Community colleges provide an articulated bridge to baccalaureate institutions, again just as for local students. International students fit my institution well: my college reflects the diversity of Philadelphia and seeks to root Philadelphians in the global nature of our local (and U.S.) issues.