Published: Monday, December 8, 2008 in The Whitworthian.

Despite national trends, Whitworth’s international student community is growing.

There are nearly four times as many international students this fall compared to last fall.

“We have 19 new [international] students this year,” said Harry Daniel-Schatz, assistant director of international admissions.

The new recruits bring Whitworth’s total number of international students to 45. Four additional students will arrive for the spring semester.

“We’re doing a lot more recruiting this year,” Daniel-Schatz said. Sending out direct mail and developing a database of potential applicants is part of the process.

Whitworth’s international students come from all over the globe, representing countries such as Madagascar, Thailand, Germany, Chile, South Africa and many others.

Laura Karanko is an exchange student from Finland, attending Whitworth through the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP).

“This year was really my last chance to study abroad,” Karanko said.

She is mastering in theology at Åbo Akademi University back in Finland and was attracted to Whitworth in part because of the broad range of theology classes offered.

Because of the way the ISEP program works, Karanko will be leaving after just one year at Whitworth, but she feels her time here has been well-spent.

“I’m loving all my classes,” she said.

International enrollment for graduate schools in the United States is up from last year, but not by as much as previous years, according to an article from InsideHigherEd.com.

The number of offers of admission to international students increased by 4 percent from 2007 to 2008, compared to gains of 8 and 12 percent, respectively, in the preceding two years.

The shrinking pool of applicants to U.S. schools translates into more difficulty for recruiters finding qualified students to enroll. In spite of this, Whitworth’s applicant pool has increased compared to previous years, Daniel-Schatz said.

He said the strategy for coming years is shifting as the university is attempting to reach out more to Asian countries such as China, Japan and Korea.

It’s difficult to get recruits from those areas because Whitworth doesn’t have an English as a Second Language program, he said.

“We have to find students who already know English,” he said.

Karanko said Whitworth’s welcoming atmosphere has been very impressive.

“People here really care for both mind and heart– it’s not just a slogan,” she said.