Sri Lanka
If you are planning to visit Colombo, don't land at 5:00pm on a Friday evening. If you do, plan to leave a good 2 hours to navigate the 15 miles of road into the core of the city, where most of the hotels are located. If you love two lane highways, Army checkpoints, off-track betting establishments, and brake lights then you will love the ride from the airport.
After the pace and energy of India, Colombo was a welcomed change. The palm trees, ocean breeze and broad city streets create a tropical environment inviting to a tired recruiter.
The island, located southeast of India, is one influenced by the foreign invaders of its past: the Dutch, Portuguese and British. The Crown withstood the Dutch and Portuguese, and the English were the only ones to gain control of the entire island. After Independence inthe 1940s, they left the country, many would argue, a better place, and if there is a lasting legacy it is an education system that is reflected in the 92% literacy rate among its population. Many can and do speak English.
There are now 14 universities for an island that is roughly the size of West Virginia. Their students are eager to earn degrees from abroad and certain countries like Australia have done a good job recruiting, especially when they offer citizenship upon completion of a degree. Scholars and educators in Sri Lanka admit to a growing concern of the loss of middle class youth to foreign opportunity. The ongoing struggle between the Army and the Tamils has created an environment so bleak in some areas that it is believed students will leave and never return, leaving a polarized society with the extremely rich on one end and the poor on the other.
You have conversations with people and again you realize the power of education. In this case this transformative power could cause the instability of a country's economy and infrastructure over the next 20 years if this theory of exodus that many prescribe to does occur.
I met a VCU ALUMNUS in Colombo. Dr. Regis Chapman, a US Treasury official has been in Colombo for about 14 months after stints in Georgia (country not state), Albania, South Africa and Hungary. He was kind enough to take me out to see the city and meet some of the people from the embassy. Sure enough, at a function at the Marine House (I had a Bratwurst in Colombo, thank you Marines!) I had about 20 minutes of uninterrupted time with the Visa Officer who was already familiar and impressed with Virginia Commonwealth University. That was such a relief because in this process your institution's reputation with the consulate is critical to the success of one of its applicants in gaining a visa. Virginia Commonwealth University has never lost a student and the US government knows we are serious about educational opportunity and international recruitment. I also met the Deputy Director of the consulate and other staff. It was a unique opportunity afforded to me by one of our most gracious alumni and it really helped kick off the trip.
Colombo students were not unlike their counterparts in India, interested in the sciences and business. However, I met an emerging undergraduate population interested in the Arts; design, film and photography.
I am always open and honest with students interested in studying in these fields. Yes, we have those programs and yes we do a good job teaching this or that. In fact, our School of the Arts is nationally ranked and has their own admissions office and process. Students should be prepared to send in an electronic portfolio or DVD depending on what they are interested in studying.
I met many students interested in the Fashion Design/Merchandising program who came, portfolio in hand to the fair. I encouraged them to contact Carolyn Henne in the School of the Arts for an initial contact before applying.
Our stay in Colombo was brief, only 48 hours. Like India though, the students are eager for opportunity and I learned again that the possibility of a better life through education has lasting effects, both on people and a country.