Report on my participation in the
Professional Advising Leadership (PAL) Program
Sept 27 – Oct 16 2003
Mihaela Arsene
Educational Advising Center
Fulbright Commission Romania
Information on the program
This year the U.S. Department of State has launched a new program meant to identify an advising leadership team throughout the world. The application to the PAL fellowship involves world-wide competition and requests a proposal on a research or study topic that would be beneficial to the advising center, the region and the advising profession as a whole. The program is intended for senior-level educational advisers, well-established in their field and working in a US DOS-affiliated center. The PAL fellowship is funded by the US DOS and administered by the College Board.
The PAL program combines individual research/study with leadership development and post-program professional development, through online courses. Individual research/study is conducted in the form of individualized campus visits, meetings, and readings, as well as conference participation. Leadership development is promoted through seminars and workshops.
As a result, the PAL fellowship offers ample opportunity for acquiring and sharing specialized knowledge about priority issues in the advising profession as it is meant to expand the resource base for advising worldwide. The program also aims to create a think tank for outlining future developments in advising and to prepare advisers for assuming leadership roles in promoting US education.
This first PAL program was offered to 11 experienced advisers from all over the world, focusing on a variety of topics, from financial aid sources for international undergraduate students, my topic, to SEVIS impact on international students and web advising.
Rationale for my research topic
Undergraduate financial aid for international students has recently emerged as a major area of interest in Romania given the steady increase in US undergraduate admissions and the extensive amounts of financial aid Romanian students appear to attract from US universities. With more than 1200 Romanian undergrad students out of the total 3300 Romanian enrollments reported for the 2001-2002 academic year in the IIE publication “Open Doors”, the high number of undergraduate admissions involving financial aid from the US universities looks intriguing. All the more so as all undergraduate materials emphasize the limited financial aid available to international undergraduate students.
Research objective
My goal was to understand the mechanics of financial aid and to identify the criteria used by US colleges and universities in putting together the financial aid package and in granting need-blind admission, where applicable. My assumption was that the PAL fellowship would enable me to help undergraduate students maximize their chances to qualify for financial aid. The issue has wide relevance for Romania, the ECE region and outside Europe as well, therefore my interest in it.
Program description
The program started in Washington DC where all the 11 PAL fellows had an opportunity to develop a clearer understanding of the program objectives, to fine-tune their research objectives and to refine their methodology, under the expert guidance of US DOS and College Board representatives.
The next section of the program was individualized: I attended a conference in Long Beach, CA (The 59th National Conference of the National Association of College Admission Councilors). I took part in a half-day workshop on letters of recommendation and attended sessions on financial aid and admissions issues. Through my mentor’s good offices (Phyllis Supple, Associate Director of Admissions, Duke University), I was able to discuss the financial aid policy of a number of colleges with the respective reps, thus acquiring further information for my research.
After the conference I headed for Boston to visit Boston University, Harvard College and MIT in order to verify my research hypothesis which stated that the best way for Romanian students to attract significant amounts of financial aid is to apply for merit scholarships. My campus visits included meetings with the undergraduate admissions director, the director of student financial services, the head of the international office, Romanian students, information sessions on admission, student-led campus tour, appointments with faculty responsible for the Fulbright program.
I next flew back to Washington DC to participate in a two-day leadership seminar which afforded specialized management training. The training occasioned in-depth discussions on leadership vs management, competencies for leadership, leadership models in the light of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, leaders as agents of change, communication styles, leadership techniques, evaluation of success. The leadership program concluded with drafting individual action plans for the PAL fellows and identifying future activities conducive to improved advising services.
In the final section of the program I flew to New York where I visited Columbia University, Barnard College and the CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College and met with international admissions specialists, financial aid decision-makers, Romanian students and scholars, coordinators of international visitors’ programs and deans of International Studies Abroad programs.
In all my campus visits I investigated the most adequate options available for securing financial aid, trying to work out a principle that may have extensive validity. The results of my research are outlined in the Program Outcome section below.
Program outcomes
Advising-related: as a result of the PAL fellowship I was able to refine my research hypothesis as follows: top Romanian students can get massive financial aid by applying to universities which have need-blind admission. This financial arrangement is likely to cover both tuition and living costs. The universities which offer need-blind admission include a self-help portion in their financial aid package available to international students. The self-help funds are generated by campus jobs and/or student loans that may not require a US co-signer, as is the case with MIT or Harvard.
Another option is applying for merit scholarships which commonly cover the tuition, with the student expected to come up with personal funds for the living expenses. As international admissions specialists indicated, deferred admissions would be recommended in case the money was not available by June 1. This would grant the Romanian undergrad students more time for applying for scholarships to foundations and associations and would increase their chances to obtain the remainder of the funds on the strength of the financial commitment already made by the university. This appears to be the only option available to Romanian students since only limited amounts (up to $4,000) can be obtained as student loan from Romanian banks and all US student loan programs for international students would require a US co-signer in order to grant loans to Romanian students.
Fulbright program-related:
Some of the universities I visited had a comprehensive support system for Fulbright applicants. For example, Columbia University notifies junior students of this grant opportunity in November. Then, in spring they organize a pre-application seminar in which the potential applicants focus on their study objectives, choose the country where they could best meet their educational objectives, and identify referees. The seminar is meant to help them develop clarity of project objectives and methodology, to sensitize potential applicants to the language requirements of the program, and to assist the potential applicants in developing the required contacts with the relevant agencies in their host country.
A month later the university organizes a workshop on writing a personal statement and a project proposal. The workshop provides samples of successful Fulbright applications.
According to the experience of the Columbia University, approximately 60 students start the Fulbright pre-application process, 20-30 actually apply and 10 students tend to get accepted to the program. In general, Columbia University has between 7 and 16 Fulbright Junior grantees every year.
Further Program outcomes
1. Together with 3 US and international educators I have submitted a proposal for a half-day workshop on undergraduate financial aid to be presented at the NAFSA National Conference in Baltimore in May 2004. The workshop will be a perfect opportunity for sharing the expertise acquired on the PAL program.
2. The same content, but with the Regional Educational Advising Coordinator for Europe (REAC) as presenter, will be offered to the European advisers at the European Advisers’ Conference in Riga in August 2004.
3. The findings on undergraduate financial aid are already presented in the group advising sessions held 3 times a week at the Fulbright Educational Advising Center.
4. The same information will be tailored to the needs of beginner or intermediate advisers throughout Europe and will be made available as a training module in seminars and workshops conducted by the REAC.
5. A study documenting the research project, its hypothesis, methodology and conclusions will be circulated in the European Advisers’ Newsletter.
Benefits of the PAL Fellowship
As a result of my participation in the PAL Fellowship, the Fulbright Educational Advising Center
- has developed: accurate, unbiased, reliable first-hand information on the financial aid decision as well as on the admission process;
- is showing increased expertise and professional credibility;
- is improving the efficiency of our advising services that will ultimately reflect in higher numbers of Romanian enrollments in the US.
I expect the program will generate benefits to the ECE region, or any other area outside the US with similar economic pressures as Romania:
- the findings are relevant to all the ECE region, therefore we can predict a ripple effect of the research project as its conclusions are valid across the borders of Romania and the strategies for attracting financial aid from US universities could be well replicated in the whole region.
Program support
Throughout the selection process for the PAL Fellowship, the preparation for my participation in the program, and the actual training and research program I enjoyed the steady support of the US DOS, both through its representatives at the US Embassy in Bucharest, the ECA bureau in Washington and the REAC for Europe. My gratitude goes especially to Mark Tauber, Cultural Affairs Officer at the post in Bucharest, to Dorothy Mora, Program Officer for Europe in the Educational Information and Resource Branch, and to Jody Griffin, Regional Educational Advising Coordinator for Europe, based at the Fulbright Commission in Netherlands.
The program has been masterfully administered by the College Board who provided excellent facilitators, training facilities, and networking opportunities, thus making for a most productive learning and research environment. With infinite attention to detail, the College Board has managed to offer comprehensive and enriching individualized programs to the PAL Fellows.
Conclusion
The PAL Fellowship offers unprecedented scope for individualized, self-paced learning, thus opening new avenues for educational advisers’ professional development. An excellent idea has been materialized impeccably well. My gratitude goes to all the actors who made possible this remarkable process of self-growth.