International student recruitment and enrolment in small communities look very different than at large urban universities, as we do not compete on brand recognition, at scale, or as a destination. However, when the international policy changes hit in 2024, the small scale of Northern Lights College (NLC) became our greatest strength. An immediate and proactive “whole-of-institution” response was made possible by executive and faculty buy-in, who all shared in a vision of international education as community building (and not just as budget building). This session will share leadership lessons from NLC’s relatively successful experience weathering the storm and share experiences in adapting recruitment and enrolment practices in the face of broader changes in the post-secondary environment.
- Understand leadership lessons from building a proactive “whole-of-institution” approach to recent changes in international education.
- Explore how small, rural communities approach international education as community building.
- Describe emerging recruitment and enrolment practices that have been adapted based on the changing post-secondary environment.
