Overseas Educational Advisers to Visit Campus

October 27, 2005

PLATTSBURGH, NY __ If you or any member of your family have contemplated admission to college recently, you know how bewildering the diversity of American higher education can be. Imagine the difficulty of selecting the right academic program if you are 8,000 miles away and speak a different language.

Overseas educational advisers posted at U.S. Embassy Public Affairs offices, Fulbright Commissions, local colleges and universities and bi-national centers help foreign students learn about higher education in the United States. There are about 450 overseas advising centers in the EducationUSA network worldwide, affiliated with the U.S. Department of State.

Last year, nearly 600,000 international students were enrolled in accredited U.S. higher education institutions, enhancing the diversity of our classrooms and communities while contributing to the local economy. SUNY Plattsburgh enrolls approximately 300 international students.

From Saturday, Oct. 29 through Saturday, Nov. 5, a group of overseas advisers will be visiting institutions of higher education in the greater North Country region, including SUNY Plattsburgh, Clinton Community College, Clarkson University, SUNY Canton, St. Lawrence University, SUNY Potsdam and the University of Vermont.

The group will be on the SUNY Plattsburgh campus Sunday, Oct. 30 through Tuesday, Nov. 1. Jacqueline Vogl, director of international student services at SUNY Plattsburgh, will host the group during its visit to the College.

The campus visit program is more than just a tour of area institutions. The advisers will discuss the admissions process with SUNY Plattsburgh officials, sample orientation and other programs available to foreign students and scholars and meet with faculty, students and staff to gain a picture of current trends and practices on campus.

The advisers will also serve as resources to SUNY Plattsburgh and the other institutions they visit by reporting on their home country educational systems, policies and academic training needs and responding to American questions and concerns about international student admissions and orientation.

This U.S.-based training program is supported financially by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State under the authority of the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961, as amended. The program is administered by the College Board, which works with local higher education institutions to arrange campus visits for the advisers.

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