International student program expands with focus on ESL, new Panamanian partnership

A longtime Rowan University commitment to international education is expanding and includes a new relationship with the government of Panama that is bringing dozens of students to the Glassboro campus.

Dr. Gokhan Alkanat, associate provost for International Education, said under agreements that began March 21, roughly 45 Panamanian students have or will soon begin studies at Rowan starting with an intense English as a Second Language course. Upon completion of ESL studies, 15 of the students will begin undergraduate degree programs.

Alkanat said under those agreements, Panama’s Institute for the Training and Use of Human Resources (IFARHU) is sending some of the Central American nation’s top students, many of whom do not have access to a university near their homes, to pursue studies at Rowan.

“We are grateful for the support from Mr. Bernardo Meneses, previous general director of IFARHU and Ms. Ilena Molo, current general director of IFARHU, for this partnership,” Alkanat said.

Expected to continue indefinitely, the agreement with Rowan was created to not only benefit overseas students but to enrich the cultural experience within the University community.

“These are all top students, but they do not have the necessary resources to study in the U.S.,” Alkanat said. “Fortunately for the students, the program is fully covered by the Panamanian government, from flights to tuition to pocket money.”

A growing program

He noted that under President Ali Houshmand, Rowan has greatly expanded its international student population. While international students still account for a small percentage of the overall student body, their presence enables many U.S.-born students to develop greater cultural awareness and appreciation, from foods, music and art to customs that overseas students celebrate and share.

Since 2017, Alkanat said, Rowan’s international student body increased from 130 students to 740.

Aside from special programs, such as the one forged with the Panamanian government, Rowan has students from more than 50 countries including India, Bangladesh, China, Nigeria, Canada, Iran, Ghana, Nepal, Pakistan, Jordan, the Phillipines, Turkey, Camboadia, Vietnam and Colombia.

“Our goal is 15 percent (of the student body), which I think is attainable within six to eight years,” Alkanat said.

Though ESL is an important part of the program, Alkanat said most international students have some English-speaking skills but often need assistance with general information that American students may take for granted.

“We help them with everything,” he said. “If they don’t know what doctor to call or lost their off-campus housing, they come to us and we connect them with University offices that have the resources. Sometimes there are issues in their home country, and they’re sad, so they come to us. For some of these students, my staff are the only people they know in the whole country. They always have access to us regardless of the issue.”

From au pair to educator

Though she’s from Panama, senior Nicole Angelica Ceballos, an inclusive education major, arrived at Rowan long before the new agreement with her home country started.

In fact, Ceballos came over as an au pair, working for a family in Mount Laurel, with no English skills at all.

She’s graduating this spring with a 4.0 GPA and has passed Praxis teaching exams in reading, writing, math, elementary education and special education.

“When I arrived, I did not intend to go to college,” Ceballos said. “I spoke no English at all and my plan was to learn the language, work, travel for a year and go home.”

Ceballos largely taught herself to read, immersing herself in library books (translating from Spanish as she read) and watching TV shows with Spanish subtitles.

After completing two associate degrees at Rowan College at Burlington County, Ceballos transferred to the University to complete undergraduate studies.

Now that she’s about to graduate, Ceballos said she’s been thrilled by all that the U.S. and Rowan have to offer international students.

“I’m always amazed at the resources that are available in the U.S., like the public library,” she said. “In the College of Education, there’s a library for teachers, and that’s amazing too. (The resources) are not just academic, there’s counseling, the food bank, even recreation, so many to be thankful for. Those are things I didn’t have back home that I value here.”