U.S. two-year institutions are becoming increasingly global, and
Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC) hopes to be at the vanguard.
Instead of bringing international students to New York, HVCC is coming
to them with planned campuses in Central America and the Caribbean.
HVCC’s
expansion is particularly bold considering that many higher education
institutions around the country, particularly community colleges, are
suffering from declines in enrollment and that international campuses
have largely been confined to 4-year schools.
“With community
colleges, everybody does what everybody else is doing. I want to make
sure Hudson Valley is not among the competition but that we’re out there
and we’re different,” HVCC president Roger Ramsammy said in an interview with Inside Higher Ed.
HVCC
began offering programs in Trinidad this summer with courses in Costa
Rica are expected to begin next fall. Many of the Costa Rican courses
will be taught by HVCC professors in person, while others will be live
streamed. International students will also have the opportunity to
transfer to State University of New York (SUNY), Albany, as HVCC is a
member of the SUNY system.
Costa Rican officials are keen to see the program implemented.
“Costa
Rica has a paradox," said Pedro Munoz Fonseca, a Costa Rican
congressman. “We have a very state-of-the-art industry with
manufacturing, technology, pharmaceuticals, computers, and yet we still
have a very large unskilled labor force … and that’s not good for the
country.”
Ramsammy sees the program as a way to retain adjunct professors while also driving enrollment back up.
HVCC
administrators and Ramsammy plan on visiting Hungary in December 2019
to discuss the community college expansion with Hungarian government
officials interested in a program similar to Costa Rica’s.
“In order to maintain this college, you have to go far out and make yourself indispensable.” Ramsammy said. “We will be an international college.”
—Thomas Pool
At a Glance
Member Institution: Hudson Valley Community College
Initiative: International Campuses in Trinidad and Costa Rica
Goal: To increase educational opportunities in Trinidad and Costa Rica and create an expanded international campus.