This is a presentation given at the UK's International Higher Education Forum 2014, jointly hosted by Universities UK, The International Unit and UK Trade and Investment. It discusses the way that international student recruitment and retention fits into a comprehensive university internationalisation strategy.

1. Recruitment and retention as a core part of the
university business model
Professor Nigel Healey
Pro-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!”
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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?
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4. Insights from Marketing 101
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Source: www.9inchmarketing.com

5. The international student journey
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Discovery Application Admission Enrolment Progression Graduation Alumni
Acquisition Retention

6. Limitations of Marketing 101
• Universities are not profit-maximising corporations
• Mission � stakeholders � governance �
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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?
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8. What is the core mission of a university?
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9. …and where does international student
recruitment and retention fit in?
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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
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11. NTU will prepare its students to become
highly employable global citizens by:
1. Internationalisation of the curriculum
2. International teaching partnerships
3. International student recruitment
4. International student experience and support
5. Internationalisation of the faculty
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Internationalisation

12. Internationalisation: how it fits together
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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)
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14. Inaugural NTU Global Week
11-15 February 2013
21 March 2014 14

15. 15
Date/time Event Location
Monday 3 March
11.30 am - 12.30 pm
Mandarin Language Taster: Have a go at speaking some basic Mandarin. Clifton Global Lounge
Monday 3 March
12 – 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 March
12 – 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 March
12 – 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 March
11 – 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 March
12.30 – 1.30 pm
Bollywood dancing: Come and learn how to do Bollywood dancing.
City Newton, Central
Courtyard
Tuesday 4 March
1 – 2 pm
Japanese Language Taster: Come along to learn some Japanese phrase.
Konitchywa! Clifton Global Lounge
Tuesday 4 March
1 – 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 March
2 - 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 March
5.15 – 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
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17. International learning experiences
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Internships
Projects
Languages
Exchange
Volunteering

18. Promoting outbound mobility
Global
employability
Outbound
mobility
Widening
participation
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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)
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vs

20. Examples of joint/dual degrees
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BA International Relations 1+1+1
LLB European Law 2+1
MSc Management 1+1
LLB 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)
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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
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23. Education Destination Nottingham
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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
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25. 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
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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
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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
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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 $
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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?
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