UW-River Falls to Participate in EducationUSA Forum on Internationalizing U.S. College Campuses

June 23, 2015 -- Rhonda Petree, director of the English Language Transition Program at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, will participate in the U.S. Department of State's sixth annual EducationUSA Forum in Washington D.C. June 30-July 2. Some 575 university representatives and more than 60 EducationUSA regional educational experts and advisers from around the world will convene to discuss strategies for attracting international students to U.S. campuses and the importance of study abroad. 

International education supports strong economies around the world by providing students with the knowledge and skills needed to compete and collaborate in the global workforce. Higher education remains one of the top ten service sector exports for the U.S. economy. 

Sessions and workshops at the forum will focus on traditional as well as virtual recruiting strategies, improving international student services on U.S. campuses, handling student visa issues, accessing foreign government scholarships, and partnering with EducationUSA advising centers around the world to develop comprehensive and innovative strategies for recruiting and retaining international students.

Colleges and universities, including UW-River Falls, play an important role in strengthening ties between the United States and countries around the world.  The State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs partners with accredited U.S. colleges and universities to help maintain the United States as the world's top destination for international students and scholars, and to promote diversity in international education.

The U.S. Department of State's EducationUSA advising network includes more than 400 advising centers located in 170 countries around the world that provide international students with accurate, comprehensive, and current information about study opportunities in the United States. EducationUSA advisers promote U.S. higher education to international students, guiding them through the "Five Steps to U.S. Study" – from finding a school, to applying for a U.S. Visa, to preparing for academic life on a U.S. campus.

Throughout the EducationUSA Forum, follow the conversation on Twitter at #EdUSAForum. 

Contacts:                                                                                         
School/School Contact, University of Wisconsin-River Falls/Rhonda Petree, director, English Language Transition Program (rhonda.petree@uwrf.edu);
Partner Org Contact, Melissa Perez, assistant director of Admissions (melissa.perez@uwrf.edu);
U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, 202-632-6452, ECAPress@state.gov