GlobalPittsburgh Selected By U.S. State Department to Coordinate Weeklong Training Program in December for International Education Advisers

GlobalPittsburgh has been selected by the U.S. Department of State to host and coordinate a weeklong training program in December for 25 representatives from its worldwide network of 450 EducationUSA advising centers, which promote educational opportunities in the United States.

The program, titled Essentials of Advising (Level 1), will be conducted Dec. 9-15 on the campuses of institutions participating in the Study Pittsburgh initiative of the GlobalPittsburgh Education Partnership (GPEP).

Advisers will be coming from such countries as Austria, Bangladesh, Brazil, China (2), India (2), Indonesia (2), Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Mauritius, Pakistan, Paraguay, Romania, Russia, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.

Formed in 2010, the GlobalPittsburgh Education Partnership is a growing consortium of 16 colleges, universities and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs in the Greater Pittsburgh Region that have joined together to explore ways to increase international student enrollment in the region, to create partnerships and exchange programs with their counterparts abroad, and to engage students in the community once they arrive.

Trainees will learn about the American system of higher education, including the admissions process for undergraduate and graduate students, tuition and financial aid, and campus life. They will also have the opportunity to visit several campuses, meet with faculty and administrators, and engage in a university fair to learn more about each institution.

“This is a great opportunity for the GPEP members and for the Pittsburgh region,” said Thomas Buell, Jr., Director of the Study Pittsburgh initiative and Director of Marketing for GlobalPittsburgh. “These advisers will be promoting educational opportunities in the United States to international students around the world, and any positive connections they make in Pittsburgh will have a long-lasting positive impact on the number of students who choose to come to study in this region.”

Current members of the GPEP include:
• Carlow University
• Chatham University *
• Community College of Allegheny County *
• Duquesne University *
• LaRoche College
• Penn State – Beaver
• Penn State – Greater Allegheny *
• Penn State – New Kensington
• Point Park University *
• Robert Morris University *
• University of Pittsburgh English Language Institute
• University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business
• University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing
• Washington & Jefferson College
• West Virginia University
• West Liberty University

(Asterisk indicates campus that will hosting training sessions and events)

In economic terms, international students make a significant positive impact in the region, contributing an estimated $2.6 million to the regional economy for every 100 international students enrolled at regional colleges and universities, according to the Institute for International Education. About 7,000 international students are currently enrolled in the seven-county metropolitan area.

GlobalPittsburgh, formerly the Pittsburgh Council for International Visitors, is a non-profit organization that engages international delegations, groups and individuals by creating itineraries and facilitating introductions through the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) and other international programming agencies in many fields, including energy and environment, life sciences and medicine, education, business and technology, clean/green design, advanced manufacturing, arts and culture, government and finance, social services and law, and other areas. 

For information about GlobalPittsburgh's Study Pittsburgh initiative, go to www.studypittsburgh.org.