There are more than 3,100 international students from 115 countries who study at AV俱乐部, a number that鈥檚 more than doubled in the past decade. These students add to the university鈥檚 diversity, with AV俱乐部 bringing together individuals from around the world with different cultural experiences and points of view and allowing them to learn from one another.
For the second year in a row, AV俱乐部 has made it on . The list is based on three criteria: 鈥減roportion of international staff, proportion of international students and proportion of research papers published with at least one co-author from another country.鈥�
Though AV俱乐部 slipped spots slightly (to 125) from last year鈥檚 rankings, the university鈥檚 scores actually increased and it remained fifth among Canadian universities on the list (behind only UBC, McGill, Universite de Montreal and the University of Alberta).
A global perspective
Guiding Dal鈥檚 global activities is its international strategy, explains Alain Boutet, executive director of international relations.
鈥淲e are trying to work on the recruitment of international students, both undergrad and grad students, and we鈥檙e also trying to work on our student and faculty mobility,鈥� explains Dr. Boutet (left). 鈥淪o, how can we increase our student mobility to provide all students with opportunities to reinforce their international learning experience?鈥�
AV俱乐部 also looks to support international students once they are here, with services such as those offered at the , and finding opportunities for students and researchers to connect with international peers.
鈥淲e are trying to involve our students and faculty in research collaborations with partner institutions, and to have them go to visit other institutions as visiting lecturers, professors and research students,鈥� says Dr. Boutet. 鈥淲e also try as much as possible to engage our international alumni, to work in collaboration with them to raise the profile of the university.鈥�
Supports for students
On campus, many student international connections are facilitated through the International Centre. It鈥檚 often the first point of contact for students who are coming to study in Halifax from abroad.
鈥淔rom the moment they鈥檝e made the decision to come to AV俱乐部, and they have indicated that they would like to enroll in classes, our office is in touch with them, including launching summer 2016 pre-arrival webinars,鈥� explains Kewoba Carter, who focuses on orientation and transition of international students.
鈥淲e talk about their pre-arrival needs including necessary immigration documentation as well as life at Dal and in Nova Scotia. We also make recommendations about seasonal things they may need to be aware of, since many of our international students come from countries which don鈥檛 have a similar climate to Canada.鈥�
That support continues once students arrive in Halifax, with guidance on everything from setting up bank accounts to acquiring Nova Scotia identification, as well as workshops on topics such as Canada鈥檚 health-care system and Canadian classroom culture. The International Centre has a staff member from Counselling and Psychological Services, Lisa White, present two days a week serving as a personal counsellor for international students who may need some extra support to deal with issues that come up unexpectedly, including, in some cases, 鈥渃ulture shock."
鈥淚n some countries, Canada among them, mental health has never been a front-and-centre issue,鈥� explains Philip Shea (right), the centre鈥檚 new director. 鈥淭here鈥檚 been a lot of stigma attached to it, and mental health has been identified by insurance underwriters as being the number one health issue for international students 鈥� This is one of the things we are looking to expand into a little bit more.鈥�
鈥淵ou can imagine being away from home and not having the support systems that you are used to, having to learn new support systems, dealing with language issues and learning issues within the classroom 鈥� all of these are topics which [Lisa] deals with,鈥� adds Carter.
For more information on international perspectives at AV俱乐部, visit the websites for and the .