Junior colleges can't be left behind

It is one thing for the uninformed to make rash statements as those quoted from the San Jose Mercury News regarding the recruitment of international students; but when someone from the Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Policy can produce such garbage as, "You have native student populations that are not being successful, yet you are getting an influx of international students," then one needs to ponder the legitimacy of their scholarship (see "Competing Interests," Dec. 13, 2007). The California State University system has eight campuses that rank in the top 40 as masters' granting institutions in the nation to host international students (Open Doors, 2007). Why, then, should Dr. Ceja and his colleagues put a negative spin on the international engagement of these community colleges? As institutions within the higher education system, community colleges cannot afford to be left behind.

--Dr. Richard Kitson-Walters, Rosedale, Md. Diverse Online

COPYRIGHT 2008 Cox, Matthews & Associates
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning