Page 14 - Laker Connection Spring 2013

INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE STUDENTS
BRING THE WORLD TO
CLAYTON STATE UNIVERSITY
By Sabrina Frang
Thanks to its international students, the School of Graduate Studies at Clayton State University is part of the global mix.
International graduate students at Clayton State cre- ate a diverse and dynamic campus environment in- side and outside the classroom. By sharing their unique perspectives with others, international grad- uate students contribute to the educational experi- ence of all students. They come from different countries, speak different languages, and have dif- ferent customs, but international graduate students all share one thing in common; an unflinching desire to succeed in their graduate programs. This is even more impressive when one considers that some of our international students are also athletes and must divide their time between athletics and academic achievements.
The School of Graduate Studies welcomed seven new international graduate students into its degree programs in fall semester 2012. In all, Clayton State has a total of 15 international graduate students from all over the world, hailing from a myriad of coun- tries including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, India, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Finland, Germany and the United Kingdom.
Half of Clayton State’s eight graduate programs have accepted international applicants -- the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Health Administration (MHA), Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and Master of Arts in Liberal Stud- ies (MALS) degree programs.
Clayton State’s current international students are Ahmed Al Hussain (MHA) and Maher Balbaid (MBA) of Saudi Arabia, Zeynap Bagci (MBA), Serkan Saglam (MBA) and Taha Kir (MBA) of Turkey, Lorna O’ Connell (MHA), Laoise O’Driscoll (MHA) and Donal Roughneen (MHA) of Ireland, Suvidha Khatri (MHA) of India, Marjorie
Katumba (MSN) of Uganda, Jabulani Nartey (MBA) of Zimbabwe, Karl Haggon (MBA) of the United Kingdom, Josefine Holsten (MALS) of Ger- many, Mu’az Nimer (MBA) of Jordan, and Juho Illi (MBA) of Finland.
The School of Graduate Studies can also boast of several international student success stories. Three international students from Turkey, including Sedat Memnun, Nevzat Saritemur, and Ahmed Ugur, plus Celest Mapri of Cameroon, have graduated from the MBA program, while former soccer All-American Nkiru Okosieme of Nigeria graduated from the MHA program.
“Our international students often tell us that they find our graduate programs challenging, rewarding and economical,” says Dr. Robert Vaughan, Jr., in- terim dean of the School of Graduate Studies, who further remarks how important international stu- dents are to Clayton State.
“The School of Graduate Studies is committed to building a dynamic and diverse international popu- lation. Bringing the ‘world’ to Clayton State Uni- versity via these talented scholars creates a wonderful learning opportunity for both domestic and international scholars as well as faculty mem- bers,” he says. “One of our goals at the School of Graduate Studies is to provide positive educational experiences for our international students in an ef- fort to promote and improve the global economy.”
More information about the eight graduate degree programs offered at Clayton State University is available at www.graduate.clayton.edu or call (678) 466-4113.