Mass Communicator Story Foreign Graduate Students Bring Diversity and Culture

February 25, 2011

The foreign graduate students in the College of Mass Communications at Texas Tech University bring a fresh learning perspective and diversity to the mass communications curriculum within the college. According to the mass communications admissions procedure, all graduate students must be accepted by both the College of Mass Communications and the Graduate School at Texas Tech. As long as the students are within 12 hours of completing their undergraduate degree, they can apply to the graduate program and take graduate courses. Admission is not solely based on GPA, Graduate Record Examination scores or letters of recommendation, but it seems as if a students potential is also very valuable in the decisionmaking process.

Ashik Mohammed Shafi, a graduate student from Bangladesh, said education is a main focus and priority in his country. He said the opportunity to come to the U.S. is considered an honor and is appreciated; therefore he mapped out his steps in preparation for studying overseas. Shafi studied mass communications and journalism at Dhaka University in Bangladesh. Although Bangladesh and Lubbock seem worlds apart, Shafi said the concepts he learned at Dhaka are similar to those at Texas Tech. It was a good college, Shafi said, so academically I learned many journalism theories and production techniques like writing and editing, news editing, news writing, that sort of thing that is kind of similar here. One obstacle foreign students may face is cultural differences. Shafi said his first semester at Texas Tech he stayed quiet and learned the new environment he had been exposed to. I think the people are a lot different in the whole world, Shafi said, but the culture and the etiquette, the way of talking and living is a lot different. So it takes some time to learn the differences in how to communicate and express myself. Like Shafi, Patrick Merle, a graduate instructor and student from Privas, France, also said language and communication poses a challenge to students who choose to study abroad. However, even with the language barriers studying abroad may present an opportunity for Texas Tech students to gain knowledge and respect for different cultures. Its a social benefit, Merle said, not just a work benefit. Coy Callison, the associate dean for graduate studies, echoed Merles perspective toward the language barrier.

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February 25, 2011

I think its important to have a variety of perspectives, Callison said, and I believe the international students bring those perspectives. The foreign graduate students in the College of Mass Communications not only bring different perspectives, they also enhance classroom structure, bring a variety of new ideas, and they also have the capability to endorse Texas Tech abroad. Merle said he is the first Western European and French student at the College of Mass Communications. He said he helps bring different viewpoints to the classroom and with his professional career in journalism in France he can promote Texas Tech abroad to enhance the universitys reputation. Merle said his main focus at Texas Tech is to research cross-cultural agenda setting. He said cross-culture research is vital to the university because it creates new opportunities in research not yet discovered. Merle received his masters degree in history in Ireland and received his masters degree in journalism at the French Institute of Press in Paris, France. He arrived at Texas Tech in August 2010. One of the differences between France and the U.S., Merle noticed, were the methodological approaches. He said in France they focus on a more qualitative style, and in the U.S. they have a quantitative way of approaching education. Graduate students Shafi and Merle both agree the professors in the College of Mass Communication are helpful, supportive and available for questions and concerns the students may have. Associate Dean Callison said he and the other faculty members take pride in making students feel comfortable in the new environment. He said one of their goals is to make the transition as smooth as possible. Callison said he will never forget Merles hardships when coming to Lubbock and how the faculty strived to help him. One of our grad students that moved here from France came over and the airport lost all his luggage and furniture, Callison said. So he came over without any clothes and no furniture. Callison said the faculty didnt delay in providing help to Merle. One faculty member said she had a spare bed, another said they had a spare coffee table, Callison said. The faculty really came together to help this student. The Texas Tech faculty made a conscious effort to rally together in support of Merle. They not only bring support to the foreign graduate students when needed, they also encourage and accept the diverse opinions that the graduate students bring to the college. Dane Kiambi, a graduate instructor and student from Kenya, Africa, said in Kenya people are very conservative and are less accepting of peoples different opinions. However, when Kiambi came to Texas Tech he noticed people here were more open to ideas and opinions.
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Mass Communicator Story

February 25, 2011

Kiambi said in his classroom he likes to use examples from abroad such as Africa, Europe and South America. He said he had students speak with him after class to thank him for his examples because they believe it gave them a well-rounded viewpoint of the topic discussed. Kiambi said it prepares students to be sensitive to different cultures when they enter the work force. Kiambi also said he hopes the school will incorporate intercultural studies and associations within the College of Mass Communications because it would be beneficial for the future of the university. The world is now becoming smaller and smaller, Kiambi said. I realized that when I noticed how many American corporations are coming to Kenya. Although the college does not have a formal program to help international students transition to the U.S., Associate Dean Callison said most of the help the college provides is at an informal level. We just try to be there for the students, Callison said, to be available for questions and to just be a friendly face. Callison said it is important to be there for the students outside the classroom because he believes the main struggles for international happen outside the classroom. Callison said when it comes to performance in the classroom, the international students are very successful. He said he has noticed the main obstacle is performing day-to-day activities. Something as easy as going to the grocery store and asking the attendant for a toothbrush can be difficult for someone who is not accustomed to the language and culture, Callison said. Callison said he has always liked working with the international students, and he said their presence enhances the College of Mass Communications. They make the college a better college, and the program a better program, Callison said, and we are honored to have them here. (Rikki Carter is a junior public relations major from Houston, Texas. Andrew Hudson is a junior public relations major from Colleyville, Texas. Lisa Hyndman is a senior public relations major from San Antonio, Texas.)