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| GSU participates in The Illinois Higher Education Trade Mission |
In 2010-2011, foreign students and their families contributed approximately $20 billion to the U.S. economy. Illinois’ market share was estimated at $1.4 billion. The Illinois Higher Education Trade Mission was hosted in March 2014 and sponsored by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The overall objective of this mission is to help increase the number of Chinese students studying in Illinois, which will help support job growth and Illinois’ economy.
Governors State University was one of 11 Illinois colleges and universities that participated in the mission in order to build relationships with Chinese institutions and meet prospective students. The two week trade mission started on Feb 28, 2014 in Shanghai, with stops in Taizhou, Yiwu, Hangzhou, Shenyang, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. Provost Deborah Bordelon, Mary Ma, director of the Illinois SBDC International Trade Center at GSU, and Jackie He in International Services, participated in the Illinois education group to promote GSU’s newly launched four-year degree programs and attract more international students to GSU. During the trade mission, they visited more than 25 Chinese high schools and colleges, met more than 1,500 students and attended four Illinois Education Expos co-hosted by the State China office and U.S. General Consulate in China. The provost said, “We look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts to recruit international students and strengthen the relationship with Chinese schools.”