A notable decline in the international student population was discussed at the Faculty Senate Executive Committee meeting Wednesday.
Faculty Senate Chair Peter Nickerson, a professor of pathology and anatomical sciences, said a notable part of the student body is having increasing difficulty in obtaining student visas. There has also been a reduced interest in UB from international students, Nickerson said.
A committee is now looking to explore suggestions for recruiting and retaining foreign students, according to Nickerson.
"It provides a fantastic view of different cultures across the world," he said about the international student program. He also noted the need for acclimating them to Buffalo once they arrive.
"You get them here, you've also got to help them," Nickerson said.
Nickerson also addressed the use of distance learning at UB, which involves a special kind of class where the teacher and students are at two different locations great distances apart.
Nickerson reported that a committee has been formed to explore issues and logistical problems with distance learning.
After dealing with the issue of a declining international student population, the executive committee discussed the possibility of an expanding overall population.
According to Nickerson, the UB North Campus currently holds 27,000 students, though it can potentially hold up to 40,000.
An increase in the student population is currently unlikely due to constraints in the budget, according to Nickerson, although he added it is not a possibility to be overlooked.
President John Simpson also spoke about his upcoming inauguration. Simpson focused on the academic elements of the investiture and expressed hope that students would attend.
Simpson also touched on UB's policy for professors applying for tenure, where any professor must be submitted for approval by their sixth year at UB. People trying to evade the system would not be tolerated, Simpson said.
"Faculty across the university should be judged with the same criteria," Simpson said. "Frankly if they don't make it in six years, they don't belong here."
