This Is AuburnElectronic Theses and Dissertations

Effective Organizational Characteristics for International Student Enrollment Service

Date

2007-12-15

Author

Kim, Ji-chul

Type of Degree

Dissertation

Department

Educational Foundations
Leadership and Technology

Abstract

Historically the U.S. has attracted international students to its campuses deliberately and enrolling additional international students has become an increasingly important subject (Cravcenco, 2004; Phanchantraurai, 2005). However, international student enrollment services at U.S. colleges and universities have reached a critical impasse. Researchers and administrators in international education are concerned about the many challenges in international student enrollment services (Kim, 2001; Magaya, 2004; Weidman, 2005). The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between organizational characteristics and organizational effectiveness for international student enrollment within the various settings, such as size of enrollment, location, supporting programs, and other environmental factors. The study also investigated the organizational characteristics of each institution and the levels of organizational effectiveness for each institution. One hundred and sixty-three non-profit higher education institutions participated in the study. A two-way ANOVA was used as a quantitative method. Participants’ comments were analyzed and discussed based on the literature review. A survey was created as an assessment to measure organizational effectiveness for international admissions based on research of effective organizations (Birnbaum, 1988; Presser, Rothgeb, Couper, Lessler, Martin, Martin & Singer, 2004). Each participant was requested to complete a background questionnaire, such as location, type, accreditation body of the institution, total enrollment, number of staff in international student admissions, and characteristics of the organizational units. This research may help to understand the general trends in terms of organizational characteristics and structure. The results may provide a framework to predict future international enrollment rates based on their unique organizational traits such as organizational characteristics and structure, size, location, and marketing effort. The educational professionals who are involved in strategic planning to increase the international student population may use this research to understand the possible relationships among variables.