CONWAY -- The University of Central Arkansas was unprepared for students from Nepal this summer, leaving some with inadequate housing and food upon their arrival, faculty members said Thursday while criticizing the university's international program.
Members of the university faculty senate discussed the Nepalese students' experience as part of broader concerns with the university's International Engagement program, questioning program head Jane Williams during a 40-minute discussion Thursday that was ultimately paused until Oct. 27.
Faculty members listed a variety of concerns, including the lapse of a UCA partnership with a university in India, recruitment efforts and whether the program could better prepare international students for university life. In submitted questions about International Engagement, some on the faculty senate referred to the program as "dysfunctional" and leadership as "not effective."
Williams said the program is drawing more degree-seeking students from a larger array of nations, showing growth and diversity. She also said dozens of Fulbright scholars from Argentina will arrive on campus over the next two years because UCA has been recognized for the strength of its international program.
"You walked into a meeting with a group of people that not everybody has enough understanding of the functions of the International Engagement program," Williams said after the meeting. "I think that we have a very strong team that works together and pulls together projects and programs that are spectacular. ... I would say we have an excellent reputation amongst our peers."
UCA's international enrollment of 630 students this fall is comparable to the 623 enrolled in 2011, though the share of those students who are seeking university degrees -- and thus planning to stay at the university longer -- has risen from 498 to 601 over that span, according to information Williams presented to faculty.
The university's total student enrollment this fall is 11,500.
Of the 71 degree-seeking Nepalese students who enrolled in the summer, 15 continued enrollment in the fall, Williams said, citing preliminary numbers.
"Either we do not recruit the right students and/or because their experience was not what they hoped, my understanding is the vast, vast majority of them have already transferred and left UCA," said John Parrack, an associate professor of Spanish and member of the Faculty Senate.
Some of the summer Nepalese students slept in dorm hallways their first night in Conway because their rooms weren't ready, and several went days without food before faculty contributed money to buy groceries, said Lynn Burley, a faculty senator and associate professor of linguistics.
"Students themselves told me about sleeping in the hallways," said Burley, whose summer class had nine Nepalese students.
The students arrived on a Thursday and were chaperoned from the airport to orientation, said Ashley Pettingill, the international program's associate director. Housing assignments were made ahead of time, and the cafeteria opened on the Sunday before the June 1 start of the session, Pettingill said.
Williams said there were restaurants within walking distance and that the students were instructed to carry cash with them to UCA.
"What we found out after speaking with students is they did have the funds, they did have the money," Williams said. "They did not want to spend their money. That was one of the issues."
Provost Steven Runge , who sits in on faculty senate meetings, said he spoke at length with Williams about the Nepaleses students' experiences during the summer session and that changes have been made. Specifically, Runge said the university is better prepared to handle student activities during the summer session.
"I don't think they anticipated some of the challenges that would come up," Runge said. "They've learned a lot from that and addressed those and changed some things to make sure we don't have those same challenges in the future."
Runge said some students did not listen to instructions and showed up with no cash. Meanwhile, one student showed up with $5,000 in cash and was escorted by university police to a bank and urged to make a deposit out of caution, Runge said.
The provost also said the university would do a better job of scheduling shuttles to grocery stores and department stores before students arrive and better plan extracurricular activities.
UCA aims to enroll 750 international students by next fall and is specifically focused on nations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean to accomplish this, Williams said.
Runge said that under Williams' stewardship, the university has done a better job of courting students from previously under-represented countries. This fall, 73 different nations are represented in the program.
"One of the things we embrace and embrace strongly is the process of continuous improvement," Runge said. "I believe that improving communication between International Engagement and the faculty is going to resolve a lot of these concerns. A lot of times, it's a misunderstanding."
Metro on 09/23/2016