College Embraces International Students

BENTONVILLE — Pamela Villegas misses her native Costa Rica, but said she’s found a second home at NorthWest Arkansas Community College.

Villegas, 18, started at the college last spring after moving to Bentonville to live with her mother and stepfather, who works for Walmart.

“I feel like I belong here. I feel like I’m really part of something,” said Villegas, who is aiming to become a psychiatrist someday.

Villegas is one of 107 foreign students enrolled at the college this fall, according to college officials. That figure is similar to what the college has seen for at least the past several years. It represents about 1 percent of all students.

China is the best represented country among the college’s foreign students. Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and South Korea also are well represented, said Mary Machira, director of the college’s Global Communities Center.

The center helps foreign students adjust to their new surroundings both academically and socially. It runs a Friendship Family program, through which local families agree to spend time with a foreign student and show them around town.

The presence of foreign students on campus enriches the educational experience for all, Machira said.

“They’re learning from each other, and a lot of times they work together in student organizations and share their culture,” Machira said.

The biggest challenge foreign students face is mastering English, she said.

“The more they meet with other students, the better they get at speaking English, but it’s still a struggle initially. I think they have to work extra hard just to overcome that challenge,” Machira said.

Most of the college’s foreign students — about 70 percent — are men. Most are traditional students, those who are fresh out of high school.

Joe Spivey, vice chairman of the board, said he welcomes foreign students and the diversity they add to the school, but has concerns about how much the college spends on recruiting them.

“I would still like to know more about our recruiting, but I have a strong belief we should be serving the needs of our community and those people who are paying taxes in Northwest Arkansas and those who are supporting the college,” Spivey said. “I think we have an obligation to serve those people.”

Ric Clifford, board chairman, said one benefit to the college from foreign students is revenue. They pay $175 per credit hour compared to $75 for in-district students and $122.50 for in-state students. Out-of-state students also pay $175 per credit hour.

“They pay the highest tuition rate, so if you could increase that student population, you could increase revenue,” Clifford said.

But Clifford said administrators are trying to better understand how and why foreign students are coming to the college before stepping up efforts to recruit them.

The college also is working to boost enrollment across the board. It saw enrollment slide 3.8 percent this semester from last fall, a decline that’s forcing administrators to re-examine the budget set for this fiscal year.

Yahya Ishaq, a Bentonville resident and native of Yemen, is in his fifth semester at the college. He intends to go to the University of Arkansas for a degree in supply chain management.

Ishaq, 22, decided to return to Northwest Arkansas after spending one of his high school years as a foreign exchange student at Elkins High School. He has enjoyed his college experience so far.

“We’ve had students from everywhere, like almost every country,” Ishaq said. “I don’t know how they hear about the school. It seems like it’s recommendations. I came here and I liked it. There’s a lot of stuff NWACC does to keep you connected.”

The main thing foreign students dislike about the college is its international tuition rate, he said.

“Other than that, the school is great,” he said.

The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville had 1,387 international students enrolled as of the 11th day of classes this semester, a 12.1 percent increase over last year, according to Steve Voorhies, the university’s manager of media relations. International students make up 5.5 percent of the student body.