Editor's Note
Middle East Institute Adjunct Scholar and "Inside the Mirage" author Thomas Lippman recently visited with Saudi students at Tennessee Technological University as part of an outreach program with the Tennessee World Affairs Council. His observations about their experiences on American campuses were shared in a
SUSRIS
Interview. Today we are pleased to offer for your consideration a letter to the editor from the Director of International Education at Arizona's Glendale Community College in which he advocates a role for community college education for Saudi students.
October 10, 2007
To: The Editor, SUSRIS Newsletter
From: Ken Bus, Director International Education, Glendale Community College
I enjoyed reading the recent interview, "Saudi Arabian Students in America: A Conversation with Thomas
Lippman," about the increasing number of students from Saudi Arabia pursuing higher education degrees in the USA. I worked in Saudi Arabia for nine years in a program that prepared Saudi Arab students for admission to American bachelor�s degree programs. Now, as a community college educator, I am very interested in seeing Saudi Arab students continue their education in American institutions of higher education.
When the government of Saudi Arabia launched the very generous and high profile scholarship program a few years ago, I discovered that the participating students have to attend one of the institutions on a list of colleges and universities approved by Saudi Arabia�s Ministry of Education. Apparently there are very few community colleges on that list.
Based on my experience working with students in Saudi Arabia, I am convinced that community colleges would be an excellent place for them to begin their higher education. Community colleges would offer them a supportive environment with smaller class sizes. They could develop their English skills, take college level courses for credit, and then transfer easily to four-year institutions to finish a bachelor's degree. And there are hundreds of high quality community colleges all across the United States that have articulation agreements with well-known universities.
Here in Phoenix, Arizona, for example, Saudi students would find a lively metropolitan area, a climate very similar to that of Riyadh, a large and diverse Muslim population, and an outstanding comprehensive university�Arizona State (ASU)�offering practically every kind of program they are looking for. Furthermore, students who earn an associate degree from one of the 10 Maricopa County Community Colleges are guaranteed admission to ASU.
Ruling out community colleges in the USA is not, I believe, in the best interest of Saudi students, many of whom struggle in the first few years of their undergraduate experience as they try to adapt to the frenetic pace of life and the academic demands on a large university campus. The Ministry of Education and the Saudi Mission in Washington, DC should consider adding more community colleges to the list of approved institutions. I would like to echo the words of George Boggs, President and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), who recently said:
The AACC supports the effort to bring more Saudi students to the USA to study and welcomes them to begin their higher education at one of America�s many outstanding community colleges.
Sincerely,
Mr. Ken Bus, Director
International Education Program
Glendale Community College
6000 W Olive Avenue
Glendale, Arizona 85302
Tel: 623.845.3136
Fax: 623.845.3541
e-mail: [email protected]
web: www.gc.maricopa.edu/isp
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