Chris Banyas

Staff Writer

The number of international students attending Idaho State University increased by a margin greater than it ever had in the history of the institution at the beginning of the spring semester of 2013.

At the onset of that semester there were a total of 856 international students registered from over 60 countries around the world. This marked a 44.6 percent increase from spring 2012.

There are now 941 international students enrolled at ISU. International students brought a total of $60.2 million into Idaho in 2012.

The Director of the International Programs Office Maria Fletcher, a former international student herself, has played a crucial role in bringing more international students into ISU.

“Within the last two or three years we’ve been really paying attention to service. How we treat the students, sponsored students when they come here, responding to their inquiries on time,” said Fletcher. “Recognizing that, as an institution, a focus on customer service is what we need to give.”

Fletcher was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago before attending Howard University in Washington D.C. She later attended ISU.

“As to the question of what there is we offer, I think safety, good programs, excellent faculty.  Our faculty go above and beyond to really take care of these students,” said Fletcher.

While the vast majority of international students at ISU come from Saudi Arabia or Kuwait, other countries are increasing the numbers of students they send as well.

“One challenge that I have, and I’m really excited about it, is sort of moving into trying to diversify even the international student population because I have so many students coming from the Middle East that I’m thinking I now need to reach out to China, I now need to reach out to Brazil, South America, Taiwan, to sort of change the face of the international student body,” said Fletcher.

A major concern of Fletcher’s is making sure that the curriculum at ISU works well with the international student community.

“How do we make the material in the classroom speak to everybody in that classroom? How do we get discussions going?” said Fletcher. “How do we relate to each other through the curriculum in terms of experiences?

Fletcher discussed the overall positive impact that an increase in the number of international students has on the campus.

“We have to learn from them and we always keep thinking that they are here to learn from us, they are here to learn English. We refer to them as “they,” when really and truly they are just international Bengals as far as I’m concerned,” said Fletcher. “They are Bengals, and when they go out into the world they represent ISU.”