Recent survey results reveal that international students at American universities often face discrimination and feel dissatisfaction with student services as they transition to life in the United States, according to Inside Higher Ed. The survey, presented at the American College Personnel Association's annual convention and conducted by researchers at Ohio University, examined eight American colleges to understand the application process for international students and how their experiences compared to their perceptions before arrival. The 73 students from 32 countries who participated in the survey cited feelings of isolation, difficulty adjusting to new social and academic systems and unfamiliarity with racial and political ideologies. Increasing numbers of international students study in the United States, with a record-high 690,923 students recorded in 2009-2010. This increase pressures schools to offer support services to international students, but many students surveyed said these services were largely unhelpful. The survey also found that the "cold weather in the Northeast" proved to be a point of concern for many Asian students, Inside Higher Ed reported.
Brown University named Mark Schlissel, who currently serves as the dean of biological sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, as its new provost, according to The Brown Daily Herald. As Brown's 11th provost, Schlissel will replace David Kertzer on July 1. Schlissel said in an interview with The Herald that he hopes to continue his focus on immunological research at Brown, although the research will occur on a smaller scale due to the responsibilities involved in his new position. A 12-person committee consisting of students, administrators and faculty members chose Schlissel from among internal and external candidates. Fellow administrators, including his predecessor, have greeted Schlissel's appointment with approval, The Herald reported.
Researchers will present three separate studies attempting to measure the effects of stressful events on students' educational outcomes at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, starting on Friday in New Orleans, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. The stressful events considered included divorce, the death of a family member and a family member being the victim of a crime. One of the studies focused on high school students whose parents divorced, and determined that they were less likely to attend college then other students. The results of another study indicated that students who transferred schools during high school were also less likely to earn a college degree, according to The Chronicle.
