Spring 2011 - University Of Southern Indiana

participants pay program fees to USI andreceive USI credit, they can continue toapply their scholarship and other financialaid toward those fees.International students at USIWhile USI students take advantageof study programs in other countries,the University attracts progressivelymore students from abroad. This, too,follows a trend. Nationally, over the pastdecade international student enrollmentincreased by more than 26 percent toalmost 691,000 students. Internationalenrollment at USI has risen by 75 percentin the past three years. In fall 2010,197 students representing 45 countriesenrolled at USI. Their fields of studyextended throughout all colleges of theUniversity.The diversity of the internationalstudent population enriches Universityand community life. Internationalstudents share their culture in programsand events throughout the year.International students also have asignificant economic impact. In fall2010, international students at USIcontributed more than $4 million to thearea economy.Campus opportunitiesIn 2009-10, the Office ofInternational Programs and Servicessponsored more than 75 programsand activities on campus and in thecommunity.USI students learn to appreciateand understand individuals of anotherculture through residence life by participatingin the Global Communityprogram, a multicultural living-learningcommunity where American freshmenand international students interact on adaily basis.The International Club, one of themost active student organizations oncampus, also promotes understandingand unity. American and internationalstudents develop friendships throughactivities such as weekend trips and theannual International Food Expo.ContinuedFinland: an unforgettable experience in and out of the classroomElementary education major JessicaRoos got a look at one of the world’shighest-ranked educational systemslast semester while she studied abroadthrough the International StudentExchange Program (ISEP).A sophomore, Roos studied at theUniversity of Jyvaskyla in Jyvaskyla,Finland. She observed in many classroomsbut concentrated on a sixth-gradeclass and a class in English as a secondlanguage. She also had opportunities toteach.An article in the October/November 2010 issue of NEA TodayMagazine touted Finland’s educationreform. Its students rank first among alldeveloped nations on an internationaltest for 15-year-olds in language, math,and science literacy.Roos said elementary classroomshad a relaxed atmosphere. Students areencouraged to ask “why” questions.“In the sixth grade, students areasking and answeringquestions of eachother,” she said. “Thishelps them developconfidence.”Roos taughtfourth- and fifth-gradersabout Americanculture, including theThanksgiving tradition.“They were ableto carry on a conversationin English,” shesaid. “That impressedme.”Through aprogram called EachOne Teach One, Rooshelped other collegestudents learn English.“It became more ofa friendship than aclass,” she said. “Wesat down together andtalked in English.”Roos choseFinland for studyabroad as a personalchallenge. “I wanted to get out of mycomfort zone,” she said.During her semester abroad, shetook in sights near the university andtraveled to other locations.“I visited museums in my town andwent to a chocolate factory right outsideof town,” she said. “Finnish chocolate isthe best.”She visited the Aland Islands inthe Baltic Sea on a trip sponsored bythe university and spent four days inRussia.“I saw many things that I thoughtI would see only in books,” she said ofRussia. “I will never forget my time there.”On a trip to Lapland, she saw thenorthern lights and experienced dogsledding.Roos is historian for the USI StudentAlumni Association. She graduated as avaledictorian from Evansville’s CentralHigh School in 2009.Jessica Roos withstands the frigid temperatures of the Arctic Circle.University of Southern Indiana17 March 2011