International students return to APSU this fall
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. 鈥 In the years leading up to 2020, Austin Peay State University was becoming a recognizable name around the world. Between 2015 and 2019, the University saw a major increase in international student enrollment, with more individuals clamoring to attend Austin Peay in the years to come.
Then in March 2020, the global COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to just about everything. Students around the world still wanted to study at Austin Peay, but the coronavirus was making that almost impossible.
鈥淟ast year we had a hard time getting students to campus because they couldn鈥檛 get their travel VISAs approved,鈥 Dr. Marissa Chandler, director of APSU鈥檚 Office of Study Abroad and International Exchange, said.
She hoped 2021 would fare a little better, and last month, when her office hosted an international student orientation, she realized she didn鈥檛 need to worry anymore.
鈥淚t was one of the biggest new student orientation groups that I鈥檝e ever seen,鈥 Chandler said. 鈥淲e had 45 students attend, with more still waiting to get their VISA appointments. Things are reviving.鈥
This fall, Austin Peay welcomed students from Honduras, Japan, Kenya, Cuba, the Bahamas, Germany, Aruba, Colombia and Nigeria. In fact, most of APSU鈥檚 international students are coming from that African nation.
鈥淭he majority are from Nigeria, and they鈥檙e coming for our programs,鈥 Chandler said.
They鈥檙e particularly eager to enroll in the Department of Computer Science and Information Technology and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics鈥 graduate programs 鈥 a Master of Science (M.S.) and a Professional Science Masters (P.S.M.) in Computer Science and Quantitative Methods.
When those graduate programs were first unveiled a few years ago, Dr. Samuel Jator, APSU professor of mathematics, recruited students from his alma mater, Nigeria鈥檚 University of Lagos. Now, many of those students and recent graduates are doing the recruiting through word of mouth.
That鈥檚 what brought Nigerian native Oluwatooni I. Ajayi to Austin Peay this year. She is pursuing the graduate degree, with a concentration in information assurance and security.
鈥淚 have a friend who is here who said, 鈥極h my god, you need to come to my school,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 told him my plans were to get a master鈥檚, and he was campaigning for Austin Peay.鈥
Oluwatooni, who goes by Toni, was already living in the U.S., earning her undergraduate degree at another institution. When she arrived on campus, Toni said she was shocked by what she found here.
鈥淚鈥檝e been an international student at two different schools now, and there鈥檚 a major difference at Austin Peay,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hey have a good international community; it feels like home away from home. I was impressed, not just academically, but by the resources they gave us.鈥
Those resources included how to use libraries on and off campus, how to use the Foy Fitness Center and how to get a driver鈥檚 license in Clarksville.
For Chandler, bringing students like Toni to campus helps provide APSU students with a much-needed international perspective.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an opportunity for us to bring the world to our campus,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e know that not everyone can go study abroad or travel, but bringing diversity and global awareness to the campus really enriches our students, staff and faculty.鈥
For information on APSU鈥檚 international students, visit /international/index.php.
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