A new Iraqi government initiative may soon bring more of the country's students to U.S. universities, but the AU department of International Student and Scholar Services does not anticipate that the initiative will noticeably increase the number of international students on campus.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is planning to use some of the country's oil revenue to send 10,000 Iraqi students abroad to universities in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia each year for the next five years, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. Parliament must still approve the proposal, but Maliki said he is confident that the government scholarships will be put into action and will help to rebuild Iraq's faltering system of higher education, the Chronicle reported.
Senem Baker, assistant director of AU International Student and Scholarship Services, said she is aware of the government program and hopes it will bring a few more Iraqi students to AU. The first step is to communicate with the Embassy of Iraq, which Baker is in close contact with already, she said.
"What I think we need to be doing, and soon [rather] than later, is to set up an appointment with the Embassy of Iraq," Baker said.
She said she does not believe the new initiative will take effect any time soon.
"I think it is still in the works," Baker said.
Even if the Iraqi government began sending students to AU, Baker does not believe the university will see a huge influx of Iraqi students at one time. The government will probably send only a few students to each individual school, in order to encourage them to mix with U.S. students as much as possible.
Kristina Thompson, an international student adviser, said AU currently has plenty of resources to accommodate any Iraqi students who come to campus.
"We are currently supporting over 1,000 international students and scholars, and would be happy to expand this support to any additional groups," Thompson said.
Administrators from 24 U.S. universities visited Iraq last week to recruit students, and while AU did not attend, Baker said the school has been active in these events in the past. Representatives from AU International Admissions traveled to countries in the Middle East at the end of last year to speak with high school students in the country.
Leigh Cramer, a freshman in the School of International Service and the School of Communication, said she feels the Iraqi scholarship program causes an unfair situation for who would benefit from an overseas education but live in other impoverished countries.
"I think that this kind of program shouldn't just be offered to one country," she said. "If you're going to do it for Iraqis, then you should be doing it to children that are in Haiti and other countries that are deprived of education."
You can reach this staff writer at mkendall@theeagleonline.com.
