Southern Welcomes New International Student

Abdurrahman Demir, nephew of Turkish Congressman Dr. Ibrahim Korkmaz, has enrolled as a graduate student in Southern’s Urban Forestry Department this Spring Semester. Demir received his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering while in his home country, and has chosen the Urban Forestry program because of his desire to do more work with sustainable energy sources.
“I want to learn to speak better English,” added Demir.
Visiting the United States for the first time, Demir is one of the many foreign students Southern hosts at its Baton Rouge campus each year. However, the Congressman’s nephew is the first full-time Turkish student the university has seen.
SU has established numerous Memorandums of Understanding with universities around the globe, specifically in the countries of Belize, Brazil, China and Turkey. These agreements allow students to experience new cultures and environments, while also retaining knowledge they may have never acquired. These memorandums vary according to political climate and the current status of a country’s overall health.
In the case of Turkey, Southern has been cultivating a relationship for four years. There are seven universities in Turkey where students are able to study abroad here in Baton Rouge, and vice-versa. While Demir is the first Turkish student to visit Southern, a number of faculty members from SU and multiple universities in Turkey have participated in the Turkish exchange, traveling abroad to impart their knowledge on a new group of students.
Students and faculty who physically travel aren’t the only ones who benefit from the exchange. According to Dean of International Education, Dr. Barbara Carpenter, the major benefit is the cultural exposure.
“It makes no sense to have a student graduate with a college degree, having never had any international exposure,” said Carpenter. “The world is smaller by the minute, and we cannot just live in isolation. Our students, and our faculty as well, need to experience life in other settings.” finished Carpenter.
Foreign students are given a broad support system when they arrive on Southern’s campus. The Center for Service Learning office organizes group events to assist in acclimating foreign students to their new environment. Last year, while hosting a group of students from Brazil, the office secured season tickets to SU football games, took the group to Mardi Gras, and even introduced them to crawfish boils.
The number of students who travel from Southern to other countries varies by year and by the destination, although there is an average of 20 students a year. Usually, the trips take place during the summer months.
“Any student can study abroad, you don’t have to be a language major, and I think that’s the misnomer,” said Carpenter, encouraging students to participate in the study abroad programs.
Applications for the program can be found in the Center for Service Learning office, located on the second floor of the J.S. Clark Administration Annex Building.