World Class

Counselors and principals from six countries spent a week on campus learning how a U.S.-style education works—and how MSU supports international students, on and off the classroom

By Joe Tougas ’86

A group of guidance counselors and principals from high schools in six countries were on campus for a week recently to see how things work at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

The visit was the second of its kind in two years, arranged and coordinated by the Kearney International Center at MSU. The idea is to send these education workers back home with good impressions of the university and the community, so they can encourage their students to consider attending MSU in the future.

“We know international students love it here,” said Alissa Morson, director of international recruitment and communication for the KIC. “They feel safe, they feel supported. With this program we bring in individuals who are really the decision-makers for students. They’re counseling them, they’re guiding them through the process.”

This week-long deep dive into MSU was inspired by the center’s previous participation with EducationUSA, a U.S. State Department program with 430 international student advising centers in 175 countries. That experience inspired the center to create its own “fly-in” program that launched in 2024. 

Morson said MSU will host similar visits every two years. In this recent visit, the entourage of about 12 watched classrooms in session and experience a first-hand look at programs like nursing, as well as campus services, including Residential Life, Student Health Services, the Andreas Observatory and much more. The visitors dined on and off campus, toured the Mankato area and had ample opportunities to interact and socialize. 

“Abroad, what higher education means to people is a very different type of idea,” Morson said. “You go in with your classmates, you have the same experience as your classmates, there’s no extracurriculars. You go to class. You go home. You’re done. 

“Here at MSU, we subscribe to a totally different philosophy. This is to also help create more global awareness of what a U.S. style education is, that it is not just about the classroom, it’s also about gaining the soft skills, learning to interact with others who are not like you and being part of a community.”

Morson said the program has proven results in its first two years, noting that in 2024 the KIC welcomed recruiters from Vietnam, resulting in MSU’s Vietnamese community increasing significantly. “We are trying to replicate that success in Cambodia this time around,” she said.

During a team-building experience led by Maverick Adventures Program Coordinator Sam Steiger, the principal of a Cambodian K-12 school sounded impressed.

“It’s a huge campus and I’m pretty sure my students would enjoy the experience here,” said Vannak Soth, the principal and founder of the Australia Pacific International School in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Soth is eager to better understand the opportunities for student support and scholarships, but believes students would appreciate the experience at MSU.   

“It’s pretty much the total opposite in terms of weather and climate. They would love to experience something so different.