By Saki Kambe
The international students population is coming back at Peninsula College after three years of downturn. The college expects 18 new international students for spring quarter. Sophia Iliakis-Doherty, associate dean of international programs said 17 of them are Japanese, three of them are Korean and one is Polish.
This number could change considering the COVID-19 outbreak and any visa-related issues, however, the expected number of students is larger than the fall intake as of now, according to the PC International Programs. “That’s the largest spring we’ve had in years, so I’m thrilled about it,” Iliakis-Doherty said.
Iliakis-Doherty said that the recruiting markets have changed and that getting students from Southeast Asia has been challenging.
“We have then decided to readjust our target market toward places where we know that visas are not an issue, and explore new markets at the same time that we believe are up and coming,” Iliakis-Doherty said.
She said that Japan and South Korea don’t usually have problems getting visas, and that Europe is the new market that they are looking into.
Iliakis-Doherty also said that the strategy they mapped out is paying off right now, especially in Japan and South Korea. The college has had some Japanese students regularly, working with study-abroad agents. The agents have been sending students to the college, but the pattern was that it will be more successful collaborating with universities and different schools rather than working with the agents, Iliakis-Doherty said.
A recent agreement made between Kanda Institute of Foreign Languages and PC is going to optimize the relationship between two schools. Iliakis-Doherty said that they had always been sending students, but it had been one here one there, but with the agreement, Peninsula will have KIFL students every year, up to dozen or more every year. The first nine students of that agreement will come this spring.
PC has also been working with Gifu City Women’s College in Japan with short-term summer programs during summer break. However, this coming spring, they will be sending three matriculated students.
In another mutual relationship that Peninsula College, in relation to being a part of Port Angeles, has is that it has sister city: Mutsu in Japan. Iliakis-Doherty visited Mutsu City a few months ago, Tanabu High School in particular, which is a high school that visited PC before, along with their mayor and some representatives from City Hall.
“And from that visit to Peninsula College, I struck up a professional relationship, with the head of teacher at Tanabu High School. We talked briefly about possibly starting a partnership,” Iliakis-Doherty said. She followed that the college is now working on an agreement with Tanabu High School to possibly getting some students.
As for South Korea, Iliakis-Doherty said that the college doesn’t have the same relationship yet as Japan, and that they have been working with study-abroad agents that send students and student-athletes. PC is exploring some possibilities of increasing the number of agents that they work with in South Korea.
Iliakis-Doherty said that the college has been looking at Scandinavia and Central Europe in recruiting new students as well. In Sweden, the college has been looking specifically for eSports players, and in Norway, the college has been attending college fairs to make the name.
Iliakis-Doherty said that she has been laying emphasis on building relationships with the information offices via U.S. embassies, because students utilize the help, unlike Asian countries, where there are many agents in place.
Scandinavian nations, Norway and Sweden in particular, have grant and scholarships programs for their students who want to study abroad. “Right now I’m trying to get Scandinavia off the ground,” Iliakis-Doherty said.
As winter quarter closing and spring quarter approaching, Iliakis-Doherty said she hopes COVID-19 does not negatively affect the international spring enrollment. “Even though we’ve had three years of difficulties because of politics, currency rates and competition, we really did not need this one too,” Iliakis-Doherty said. She followed that students have told her that there’s not an issue and that the college is preparing for whatever may come.