International

The number of 18-year-olds is shrinking in Japan, so many universities are creating new incentives to get prospective students to visit campuses, The Asahi Shimbun reported. Some universities are paying the travel costs to campuses. Others are offering discounts on fees normally charged for entrance exams. Still others are starting programs for parents so that they can learn more about the university.

Russian legislators are considering and are expected to approve legislation that would shrink the number of universities, The Moscow Times reported. The idea behind the shift is for the nation to emerge with stronger universities that might fare well in international rankings. The University Professors Union has criticized the bill for not providing a way to increase faculty salaries.

Chinese universities are attracting more foreign students for degree programs, not just study abroad programs for a semester or year, China Daily reported. This year, Peking University has 1,500 new international students -- 900 of whom have enrolled in degree programs.

The advanced education minister in British Columbia has sent a notice to universities, urging them to be vigilant that strip clubs may be trying to recruit students, Maclean's reported. "Students, who often feel new stresses due to new living environments and managing their own affairs for the first time, may be tempted by these monetary inducements," said the letter from the minister, Naomi Yamamoto. Her concern follows reports from Windsor, Ontario about strip club owners there offering to pay tuition for female students willing to strip -- and to maintain a B average in the courses.

British authorities have barred London Metropolitan University from enrolling foreign students, leaving currently enrolled students in a quandary and setting off concern among many British universities, Times Higher Education reported. Government investigators found that many foreign students at the university did not have authorization to be there, and that many of those who did lacked sufficient English language skills to benefit. The 2,600 students from outside Britain who are enrolled at London Metropolitan have 60 days to enroll at another university or to leave the country. Leaders from other universities in Britain said that they are worried that the incident will reflect on their institutions, and some questioned whether the government could have worked to find other ways to resolve concerns about London Metropolitan.

Carleton University, in Canada, has rewritten an agreement that led to a donation of $15 million and to considerable faculty criticism, The Globe and Mail reported. The concern focused on an advisory committee, controlled by the donor. The new agreement says that the committee will provide "strategic" advice. But removed from the committee's purview are roles in faculty hiring and curricular decisions for the institute created with the gift.

For years, one recruitment tool for colleges has been to buy names of students who take standardized tests, score at certain levels and meet various other criteria. At a time that many colleges are pushing to recruit more foreign students, the Educational Testing Service and Hobsons have announced a new product applying the idea to those taking the TOEFL, one of the exams that foreign applicants may take to demonstrate competence in English. Under the new program, those taking the TOEFL will indicate their willingness to be included in a database from which colleges may purchase names of potential applicants meeting criteria selected by the colleges.

In Quebec on Monday, many classes resumed at universities that had effectively been shut down by student strikes, CBC News reported. Most student unions have voted to end their strikes, and a controversial provincial law ordered the resumption of classes. But at the University of Montreal and at the University of Quebec at Montreal, some students remained on strike and attempted to block courses from taking place. Authorities arrested 19 protesters at the University of Montreal.