Recruitment and retention as a core part of theuniversity business model

Professor Nigel HealeyPro-Vice-Chancellor (International)

20 March 2014

2

The Aladdin caveat

Guard: “Look out, he’s got a sword!”

Captain: “You fool! We’ve all got swords!”

3

Overview

• Insights from Marketing 101

• Limitations of Marketing 101

• Why have international students at all?

• What is internationalisation for?

• How does international recruitment and retention fit into an internationalisation strategy?

4

Insights from Marketing 101

Source: www.9inchmarketing.com

5

The international student journey

Discovery Application Admission Enrolment Progression Graduation Alumni

Acquisition Retention

6

Limitations of Marketing 101

• Universities are not profit-maximising corporations

• Mission � stakeholders � governance �

Quiz question:

A corporation/university would like to

increase sales/international enrolments by X

%. What is the value of X?

7

Why have international students at all?

• Grow/diversify revenue?

• Attract the world’s brightest minds?

• Build a global brand?

• These are secondary objectives

• What is the core mission of a university?

8

What is the core mission of a university?

9

…and where does international student recruitment and retention fit in?

10

A perspective from NTU

• Our core mission is:– To prepare (all) our students to become highly employable global

citizens– To enhance the quality and relevance of our research

• In a globalised world, the internationalisation of the university is pivotal to fulfilling this mission

11

NTU will prepare its students to become highly employable global citizens by:

1. Internationalisation of the curriculum2. International teaching partnerships3. International student recruitment4. International student experience and support5. Internationalisation of the faculty

Inte

rnati

onalis

ati

on

12

Internationalisation: how it fits together

An international learning experience

= highly employable global

citizens

Globally-connected research

Internationalised curriculum

International student

recruitment

Teaching partnerships

International student support Internationally-

oriented staff

13

1. Internationalisation of the curriculum

• Showcase and celebrate internationalism

• Embed international or comparative content throughout courses

• Provide at least one “international learning experience” during a student’s course

• Promote outbound mobility (of all types)

14

Inaugural NTU Global Week11-15 February 2013

10 April 2023

15

Date/time Event LocationMonday 3 March11.30 am - 12.30 pm

Mandarin Language Taster: Have a go at speaking some basic Mandarin. Clifton Global Lounge

Monday 3 March12 – 1 pm

Dragon Dance: Come and watch the traditional dragon dance for Chinese New Year!

City Newton (Follow the dragon from outside Newton on the Goldsmith Street side into the building and down to the central courtyard)

Monday 3 March12 – 1 pm

Spanish Language Taster session: More than 400 million people speak Spanish worldwide. Come along us to learn some phrases from this widely spoken language. Brackenhurst Bramley TG7

Monday 3 March12 – 4 pm

Gomusin: Come see a display of traditional Korean shoes designed and decorated by NTU Students. Coffee, tea and biscuits provided.

City Global Lounge (Goldsmith Street, next to the Chaucer building)

Tuesday 4 March11 – 4 pm

Rangoli: Rangoli is a folk art from India where you make colourful works of art using sand. Come and watch a Rangoli artist creating some Rangoli art, and even have the chance to join in!

City Newton, Central Courtyard

Tuesday 4 March12.30 – 1.30 pm

Bollywood dancing: Come and learn how to do Bollywood dancing.City Newton, Central Courtyard

Tuesday 4 March1 – 2 pm

Japanese Language Taster: Come along to learn some Japanese phrase. Konitchywa! Clifton Global Lounge

Tuesday 4 March1 – 2 pm TBC

Chinese traditional music: Come hear NTU student Xiao Zhao play the traditional Chinese Erhu also known as a 'Chinese violin'. Clifton Main Hall

Tuesday 4 March2 - 4 pm

Gatka: Come and see a professional demonstration of this weapon-based martial arts which originated in Northern India. City The Level, SU Building

Tuesday 4 March5.15 – 6 pm

Peace and Hope: A Celebration in Story, Word, and Song. Come hear representatives of different global faith traditions speak from their context about positive and transforming multi-faith engagement.

City Global Lounge (Goldsmith Street, next to the Chaucer building)

16

Chinese New Year Gala 2014

17

International learning experiences

Internships

Projects

LanguagesExchange

Volunteering

18

Promoting outbound mobility

Global employability

Outbound mobility

Widening participatio

n

University scholarships

External scholarships

International partners

19

2. International teaching partnerships

• Build teaching partnerships with peer institutions to:

– Promote student, staff and knowledge exchange

– Provide structured opportunity for deep student exchanges

– Develop joint degrees that each partner could not offer alone

– Build NTU’s profile in key countries (to support recruitment)

vs

20

Examples of joint/dual degrees

BA International Relations 1+1+1LLB European Law 2+1MSc Management 1+1LLB 3+1+1

21

3. International student recruitment

• Limitations of Marketing 101: more $ is not necessarily better

• Tension between sales volume and:– Margin (tuition net of commission and scholarships)– ‘Quality’ in English language– ‘Quality’ in academic entry standards– Level of academic support required– Diversity (where students come from and what they study)

• International student recruitment bedevilled by:– Principal-agent issues– Prisoner’s dilemma issues (agents compete commissions up, entry

standards down)

22

The NTU approach to recruitment

• Make international student journey from discovery to enrolment as welcoming as possible

• Global Counsellors’ Conference

• In-country representative (support agents and applicants)

• Pre-departure parties

23

Education Destination Nottingham

24

4. International student experience and support (retention)

• Range of social support activities offered by International Development Office, Student Services and NTSU

• International buddy system to help integrate UK and international students

• Alumni events internationally to create a global family of NTU graduates

• Early intervention software to identify and support failing students

25

NTU Global Lounge

Typical events:

• International Returners’ Reception

• Incoming Exchange Welcome Party

• International Volunteering Day

• International Student Ambassadors Party

• Erasmus Information Day

• HIVE European Entrepreneur Exchange

• NTSU International Assembly

• International Exchange Week

• Uganda Public Health Awareness

• International Volunteers' Training

26

Work experience for international students

International Students

SME Exporters

In-company projects

Internships

27

Supporting international students is about more than retention

• Engaged international students– become proud alumni, creating global

networks of boosters and recruiters– can transform the attitudes (and future

career prospects) of domestic students– can make the university are cultural

exchange for the local community– can support the region’s export capacity

Dato' Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak

28

5. Internationalisation of the staff

• Provide the professional development for staff (academic and professional services) so that they support and value international students– Training on students’ learning styles, cultural awareness, etc– Encourage international exchange of academic and professional

staff

29

Conclusions

• Is recruitment and retention a core part of the university business model?– Beware being befuddled by marketing-speak, it’s not just about the $– Need to start from the university’s mission– The “business model” is how you organise the business functions to fulfil

that mission

• For an increasing number of universities, internationalisation is crucial to fulfilling their mission…

• …and international student recruitment and retention is a core part of internationalisation

• But there is far more to internationalisation than recruitment and retention… and far more to recruitment and retention than $

30

Mission as a guide to strategic choice:

• Do the following strategic choices better “prepare (all) our students to become highly employable global citizens”?

– Doubling the enrolment of Chinese MSc Management students?

– Admitting “Science without Borders” students from Brazil?

– Increasing the enrolment of non-EU undergraduate students?

– Developing a dual degree with a leading university in Malaysia?

– Validating a private college in Saudi Arabia to offer degrees taught in Arabic?

– Establishing a campus in Mauritius?