The International Students and Scholars Program has started a new form of recruitment with its program International Student Ambassadors.

Bria Phillips, a graduate student in student affairs and graduate assistant for the program said this is something they have never done before.

“But it makes sense because a lot of times students often hear about Eastern through their friends and other peers,” Phillips said. “A big part of our job is recruitment, so why not have a band of students on board with us.”

The first meeting for the program was last week, Kevin Vicker, the interim director of the International Students and Scholars Program.

“We talked about their love for Eastern and how they could help grow international population at Eastern,” Phillips said. “We also discussed their ideas and plans about what they could bring to recruitment.”

Many of the students have plans to visit universities and colleges when they travel to their home countries for summer break, Vicker said.

People have shown interest even if they are not traveling home, but by networking online.

Each student had to bring a plan of action to promote Eastern to discuss with Vicker and Phillips.

Each student will receive recruitment material and a nametag to formalize the efforts.

“And after the summer we will meet with them again to see how their plans panned out,” Vicker said. “This gives the students an opportunity to build their skills. This is a chance for them to build their relationships and networks, as well.”

Emails, Facebook, and Skype are some of the mediums the students plan to use with their recruiting process.

“What better way to reach people than to have students talking to individuals in their own language?” Phillips said.

One student is a transfer student from Lake Land College, and is familiar with the international program over there, so she plans to use her connections to promote Eastern, Phillips said.

Eight students showed initial interest in the program.

“But we are still waiting to see how many students will end up showing interest. Its still a work in progress,” Vicker said.

This program was created with a dual purpose in mind, Vicker said.

“We want to give the students experience to build their resume and skill set, and it is helpful for us to get the word out,” Vicker said.

Phillips said this is great with the current budget situation on campus.

“We have our own coordinator who visits people, but sometimes students are the best recruitment tools,” Phillips said. “They have experienced the campus, they love Eastern and they talk to their friends about it.”

After the summer break, the students will meet back with the program coordinators to evaluate how the efforts worked.

“We’ll decide what worked out and what needs to be changed for next time,” Phillips said. “Its great to have them build their skills and use this as basically a volunteer internship. That is my job, but it is great to have them get the experience.

The Global Ambassadors is the recruitment organization for alumni and people who have left Eastern, Vicker said. The group meets every two years, and September is the next time they will meet.

“It is good we are getting this program off the ground now, because we are hoping the International Student Ambassadors can meet with them and may be Global Ambassadors in training,” Phillips said.

This is another vision for the program, Phillips said.

Kayleigh Zyskowski can be reached at 581-2812 or kzyskowski@eiu.edu