NOVA, State Dept. Expand CCI Program to Broaden Global Reach
Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) is pleased to welcome 36 international exchange students to contribute to its vibrant campus environment for the 2021-2022 academic year. As part of the U.S. Department of State’s Community College Initiative (CCI) Program, the 36 students will complete their programs at NOVA’s Annandale and Alexandria campuses. They will join a total of 191 participants from underserved and underrepresented global communities who are studying at eleven community colleges across the United States. The rigorous one-year, non-degree academic program offers instruction in workforce development fields that are critical on a global scale. This year’s CCI participants studying at NOVA are from Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, South Africa and Turkey, and they are studying Business, Early Childhood Education, Engineering, Media and Information Technology.
For the 2021-2022 program year, NOVA expanded the institution’s hosting capacity by bringing on five new partner institutions, including SUNY’s Jamestown Community College (N.Y.), Fox Valley Technical College (Wis.), Snow College (Utah), Sinclair Community College (Ohio) and City College of Baltimore County (Md.).
NOVA has administered the CCI Program since 2010. In 2016, NOVA became the sole administrator of the award in partnership with the Community College Consortium (CCC), an informal consortium of over 25 internationally minded community colleges nationwide. In that same five-year period, CCI Program participants have contributed a total of $4,360,000 to local U.S communities through a combination of volunteering and unpaid internships with participants at NOVA contributing a total of 14,456 volunteer hours and 10,456 unpaid internship hours, equating to $627,335 in services to Virginians, as calculated by https://independentsector.org rates for volunteer hours. CCI participants also contribute to their U.S. host communities by bringing diverse, global perspectives to classrooms, campus life and local organizations.
“NOVA takes great pride in leading and supporting the largest international exchange initiative of the U.S. Department of State for community colleges,” said Dr. Syedur Rahman, interim vice president of enrollment management and student success at NOVA. “This program is a most powerful instrument to combat disinformation, bring about greater people-to-people understanding and to showcase NOVA’s leadership in educational advancement.”
The CCI Program is designed to build participants’ technical skills, enhance leadership capabilities and strengthen English language proficiency. The program also provides opportunities for professional internships, service learning and community engagement activities to build relations between citizens of the United States and other countries. After completing the CCI Program, participants return home with a deeper understanding of U.S. culture and with improved technical and vocational skills to contribute to the economic development of their home communities.
The Institute of International Education (IIE) states that in 2017-2018, less than 11 percent of all undergraduate students in the United States had the opportunity to study abroad. This number drops to only about two percent at community colleges. International exchange programs add international diversity to U.S. campuses and provide students with an opportunity to work together with their peers to assume an important role as global citizens.
Since 2007, the CCI Program has hosted more than 3,400 participants from 21 countries. This U.S. Department of State program is administered by Northern Virginia Community College in cooperation with the NOVA-led Community College Consortium. For more information, please contact the NOVA CCI Team at CCCIP@nvcc.edu and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at eca-press@state.gov.
In addition to the tremendous education students receive by studying in the U.S., they can also learn so much from spending time with individuals and families doing the fun and educational things individuals and families do! Consider the opportunity to Be A Social Host! This is a two-way street. You will benefit as much from spending time with them as they will from spending time with you!
Submitted by:
Leeza Fernand, Assoc. Director of Intl Ed., LFernand@nvcc.edu