MC International Students Enhance English Skills

International students at Mississippi College devote long hours to strengthening their understanding of the English language.

It's not an easy process. They must attend the Intensive English Program, and earn good grades to graduate. The students work closely with MC instructors to enhance their reading, writing and vocabulary skills.

On Wednesday, 17 MC students from Saudi Arabia, China, India, Vietnam and Hong Kong received certificates and words of commendation for becoming the latest IEP graduates.

The keynote speaker, Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Jim Kitchens saluted the students for their hard work to master English as part of their studies in America.

A former district attorney from Crystal Springs, Kitchens also provided them with interesting insights about his ancestors. They arrived by boat from England in the 1680s when America was still a British colony. The first ones to make the trip promised to work for a few years on Virginia farms in exchange for payment for their journey across the Atlantic Ocean.

Many of Kitchens' ancestors worked hard, participated in battles like the War of 1812, acquired land and succeeded amid tough times in farming communities in the South. They acquired land in what was known as the Mississippi territory a few years before it became a state in 1817.

It's a different day in the 21st Century. But Kitchens, who was elected to an eight-year term on the Mississippi Supreme Court beginning in January 2009, joins other leaders who stress the importance of striving to succeed in classrooms  for MC's international students.

“The success of international students at Mississippi College is one of the prime concerns of the International Center and the Intensive English Program,” says Jim Brackenridge, the executive director of international programs. They get tested on their English ability prior to enrolling in courses for credit.

Brackenridge and his wife, Diane, Vice President for Academic Affairs Ron Howard, and MC School of Law Dean Jim Rosenblatt were among those thanking the students for their extraordinary efforts at the Christian university in Clinton.

Mississippi College enrolls about 300 international students among the nearly 4,900 students attending classes. MC's international enrollment includes more than 200 students from China. Ten students from China, three from India, two from Saudi Arabia and one each from Vietnam and Hong Kong received graduation certificates during ceremonies at the International Center.

Nationwide, there were a record 671,616 students from around the globe enrolled at America's colleges and universities in 2008-2009. A 2009 Open Doors report also shows the international students are taking classes in a wide range of fields, but focused mainly on business, engineering and the sciences. Today, international students represent 3.7 percent of the 18.3 million students in American higher education.