Page 32 - UD Magazine Vol. 31 No. 1

HOME AWAY FROM HOME
It’s not a glamorous life, living out of a suitcase. The days are long; the jetlag, brutal. But, for members of the international student recruitment team at UD, traversing the globe is more than a job. It’s a calling.
“Diversifying campus—and society—is what I jump out of bed for every day,” says Song Hoffman,
director of international admissions. A Beijing native,
she joined the Blue Hen community nine years ago, when the majority of UD’s international students
hailed from China.
Her mission: Help develop a recruitment
strategy to put UD on the global map. The approach
that’s materialized since is almost unheard of in the industry.
In addition to sending admissions officers overseas to evangelize about the University (aka,
the traditional model), UD also collaborates with representatives from various units: career services, student life, alumni relations and more. In nearly 20 countries per year, prospective students from Nepal to Nigeria glean a 360-degree look into life as a Blue Hen—from admissions to graduation and beyond—as well as the plethora of support programs available along the way.
“The total immersive engagement of UD during the entire student life cycle is the most innovative and entrepreneurial approach I have seen during my 25 years in the industry,” Hoffman says.
The strategy works. UD’s international student population—more than 3,000 Blue Hens from over 70 countries—increased by 172% from 2009 to 2020. The result is a campus melting pot, boiling over with opportunities for cross-cultural learning. Take the International Coffee Hour, a weekly event in which American students regularly mingle with peers
from Poland, Venezuela, Zimbabwe. Or the iHouse Living and Learning Community, where international students bunk alongside undergraduates raised in the U.S. Through these and other initiatives, unlikely friendships forge. Networks expand. And, most crucially, global-minded citizens are born.
This is what makes the jetlag worthwhile, Hoffman says: “These are the experiences that change lives.”
UD’s
internationalization
plan has won a
global award for
innovation.*
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY CAROLINA GOMEZ, EG21 | FRANCE
30
University of Delaware Magazine
SING YOUR HEART OUT
Here’s something worth crooning about: The UD Chorale is among the most acclaimed University choirs in the U.S.—the group’s harmonies have moved even the discerning audiences of New York’s Carnegie Hall.
But beyond applause, members are motivated by the opportunity for an intercultural experience. Under Director Paul Head, the Chorale tours extensively through Europe and Asia. When not busy placing in international competitions, they simply perform for delighted passersby. Such was the case last summer, when Blue Hens took to the cobblestone streets of Robinj, Croatia. Children and adults who stopped to dance along served as a reminder: Music transcends borders. Participant Sarah Wojcik, AS21, says she’ll never be the same. “I’ve felt my entire world shift on its axis.”
Did you know?
You’re already aware of Blue Hens surfing in Sydney, touring in Toulouse. But UD
is itself a study abroad destination. The world-class English Language Institute on campus partners with 15 schools around the globe to “bring the world to our doorstep,” says director Scott Stevens.
*The Institute of International Education’s Andrew Heiskell Award for Innovation in International Education.