Since 1992, two of the five goals guiding the ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄ have focused on the importance of international programs and activities to the university.
A new program will βjump startβ those goals and draw some of the best international students to ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄. Partnering with Shorelight Education, ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄ will create an innovative partnership to bring students from around the world to the university.
βThis program will benefit our Florida students as well as our new international students,β said ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄ Provost and Executive Vice President Tony Waldrop. βOur in-state students will be immersed in different perspectives, cultures and ideas. It will prepare them for competing in the global economy and workforce.β
Details are still being finalized, but an agreement is expected soon. This is among the first U.S. partnerships for Shorelight Education, a Boston-based higher education company.
βWe invest in partnerships with great institutions that are both student-focused and innovative,β said Tom Dretler, CEO and Co-Founder of Shorelight Education. βΒιΆΉΤ΄΄ is recognized nationally not just for its size, but for the quality education it provides students.β
The new program would start in summer 2014 with about 60 students who will be admitted following a rigorous screening process. The students in this program will be in addition to ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄βs traditional students β no qualified in-state or out-of-state students will be denied acceptance to ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄ because of this program.
New international students in the program will embark on an intensive first-year experience that provides them the academic, social, and language skills to succeed in a ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄ bachelorβs degree program in a variety of fields including sciences, engineering, business, and the humanities.
βWhen international students come to the U.S. to study, they make personal and business connections that last a lifetime,β Waldrop said. βThey are also global ambassadors for their universities and regions, and we look forward to international students helping to promote the university and Central Florida region.β
Shorelight, which will cover all of the start-up costs, will jointly manage the program with ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄. The university will maintain control of all academic matters, ensuring that the program meets ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄βs academic standards, including those impacting curriculum, admission criteria, faculty qualifications and student success measures.
There are currently about 2,100 international students at ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄ of the universityβs more than 60,000 students. Many large and prestigious universities, such as Columbia University, Stanford University and Cornell University, boast that more than 20 percent of their students come from other countries.
βGreat American universities attract the best and brightest students from every corner of the globe,β Dretler said.Β βThis partnership is another big win for the students of an institution that is clearly on the move.β
Shorelight Education is a U.S.-based education company that funds and manages joint venture partnerships with universities to drive their global ambitions and expand options for students.Β Shorelight currently operates university partnerships in the US and the UK with ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄ (Orlando, US) Fordham University (New York City, US) and Bath Spa University (Bath, UK). For more information, visit