Hawaii Colleges, Universities to Celebrate ‘Study Hawaii Day at the Capitol,’ Feb. 13

Posted on Jan 22, 2014 in International Student Attraction, News

mainHawaii will shine a proud spotlight on the thousands of students from beyond the United States who study at its universities, colleges and preparatory schools with “Study Hawaii Day at the Capitol: Celebrating International Students & Education,” Thursday, Feb. 13, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The day-long event, being organized by the Study Hawaii educational consortium, the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) and campuses around Hawaii, will welcome international students, legislators and other state leaders, as well as the education community to the Capitol for an information expo and networking throughout the day.

Organizers hope to provide attendees a comprehensive look at the distinct academic programs and extracurricular opportunities for international students on Hawaii’s preparatory, college and university campuses. They also seek to deepen legislators’ appreciation for the strong and positive contributions those students make to the state’s diverse culture and the impact they have on Hawaii’s economy — an estimated $109 million last year, according to Institute of International Education calculations.

The number of international students in Hawaii ticked up slightly this school year to nearly 4,500, according to the annual “Open Doors” report compiled by IIE. Hawaii Pacific University, Chaminade University and the University of Hawaii at Manoa are all ranked among the nation’s top five most diverse campuses by CollegeFactual.com, largely due to the ethnic and geographic diversity of their students. Most of the international college students studying in Hawaii come from Japan, South Korea, China, Scandinavia and Taiwan.

Representatives of schools and colleges throughout Oahu and the Big Island will be on hand, staffing an information fair on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Capitol Building. Additional scheduling information on the day’s activities will be made available closer to the event. Exhibitor information can be found in the Study Hawaii flyer.