US 'ethical crisis' over foreign recruitment

By Phil Baty. US universities are facing a "crisis of ethics" and risk "selling out the quality of education" as pressure mounts to increase international student numbers, a high-ranking administrator has warned.
Kristin Williams, associate provost for graduate enrolment management at George Washington University, said at a round-table debate that the leaders of US institutions in financial difficulties were imposing arbitrary international student recruitment targets without consultation or proper consideration.
"What I see as the biggest problem in this area is that there is a top-down statement of numbers," she said. "Managers say: 'We're going to bring in 2,000; we are going to do this, or increase that by x per cent.' There's never that thoughtful decision about what we are doing, who we are and what we can actually accommodate." Read more...