By Melyssa Allen

Meredith College welcomed a group of South Asian educators during a March 6 visit organized by the International Affairs Council (IAC). The countries represented were India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

North Carolina’s reputation as a leader in higher education makes it a popular destination for the IAC, which has brought Meredith visitors from Russia, Afghanistan, Vietnam and other countries in recent years.

The international educators visit campuses they are familiar with, including NC State, Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill.

“It is really a tribute to Meredith’s growing presence of quality faculty and programs that we are also selected regularly for visits,” Associate Vice President for Enrollment Danny Green said. 

The group toured campus, met with members of Meredith’s enrollment team and heard presentations by President Maureen Hartford and Vice President for Academic Programs Allen Page. Topics covered included the Meredith experience, the Meredith Technology Initiative and the importance of women’s colleges. Two of Meredith’s international students also shared their experiences.

Green said the delegation “got a wonderful glimpse of a Meredith education and how we differentiate our experience from that of other colleges and universities.” 

These visits support Meredith’s internationalization efforts. One IAC visit resulted in Meredith’s partnership with the Initiative to Educate Afghan Women (IEAW). The IEAW gives women from Afghanistan the opportunity to earn a college degree by placing them at partner colleges/universities in the U.S. who are willing to provide four-year scholarships for these women. Meredith College is the only college or university in North Carolina that is participating in this effort.

“We are creating new partnerships, becoming more visible in the international education arena, and most importantly, the participation [with IAC] allows others an opportunity to interact first-hand with Meredith students and faculty,” Green said.