Jef Davis

Enrollment of students from the Middle East is at a 10–year high, thanks in part to a concerted effort by the YSU Center for International Studies and Programs.

In 2001, YSU enrolled 18 students from Middle Eastern countries. After the terrorist attacks of 2001, the number began a steady drop, and by 2006, there were no students from the Middle East enrolled. This fall, however, 32 Middle East students are enrolled, the most in a decade.

Part of the reason for the big increase is a recruitment trip to the Middle East last fall by Jef Davis, CISP director. The trip, believed to be the first of its kind for YSU, took Davis to college fairs at 20 high schools and colleges in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The fairs were organized by the U.S. Educational Group, an organization committed to assisting young men and women of the Arab world in pursuing careers in higher education.

Davis said he spoke with parents and prospective students at each event. "In sharing information about YSU, my main focus is on value," he said. "We offer quality academic programs in a very wide range of disciplines, and our tuition is considerably less than most other universities."

Davis said the time is ripe for recruitment in the Middle East.

"The availability of external funding and the renewed support from the U.S. government to facilitate student visa issuance in the Gulf region has resulted in a general surge of student interest and accessibility in the Middle East," he said.

"In addition, other universities in Northeast Ohio, like Cleveland State and Akron, have had success recruiting in the Middle East region. So, we feel the return on our investment in focusing on the Middle East will be substantial."     

Nationally, enrollment of Middle East students in the United States follows a trend similar to YSU. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, upwards of 80,000 students from the Middle East – particularly from Iran – were enrolled in U.S. institutions, according to the Institute of International Education. That number dropped to about 20,000 by the mid–1990s, but was on the rise until 2001. By 2004, enrollment dropped to below 20,000, and it is now on the rise again.