ECC should welcome foreign students

ECC should welcome foreign students

I am writing in reply to the March 2 article in the Daily Herald which reported comments by candidates for election to the Elgin Community College board of trustees. In the article, candidate Bob Getz expressed concern about local students being displaced because of an increase in international student enrollment. Getz said, "We are importing students from China and overseas ... we need to remember that our college is funded by our local communities for the education of our local students."

Having served as an administrator at ECC for over 30 years, one of my fondest memories was the development of an intensive English language program for international students. These students came from all parts of the world. Some became American citizens while others returned to their home countries. Typically, in those days, they paid at least twice the tuition of an in district resident. Today, according to the college Web page, an international student pays $498 per credit hour while our district residents pay $114 per credit hour, a significant difference.

But international student enrollment is about more than its cost. This population provides wonderful benefits. They sensitize us to other cultures and reinforce the inter-relatedness of people in the world around us. We live in a global economy and the more we know about this world, the better we will be able to compete.

As a former ECC employee, I am also proud to say that these students will carry home with them the experience of having studied in an environment that is one of the best we have to offer, the American community college system. And they do not displace local district residents. ECC enrollment is down from its high in the fall of 2010, which suggests that the college would welcome these students to fill empty seats.

Jack Weiss

Elgin