As of 1 January 2004, the TU will institute a series of emergency measures aimed at improving the %handling% of foreign students. The university is also hoping to develop long-term solutions to cope with the growing influx of foreign students.
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TU Delft’s foreign students have certainly been in the news a lot lately, but too often for the wrong reasons: Foreign MSc students were frustrated by the TU’s poor lines of communication; the process of receiving a visa took far too long, causing some students to miss summer school and others to miss the start of the regular academic year; and then some students balked at having to move into the new box and container housing, especially because they felt the rental price ‘per box’ was too high
TU Delft isn’t directly responsible for all the mishaps and problems that have plagued foreign students, but reorganisation of the central administrative services last year did seriously compromise the quality levels and service-providing for foreign students. ,,This past summer was a low-point,” admits Annemarie Rima, director of the Student Facility Centre. ,,Some staff members even had to cancel their vacations.”
Although some insiders like Rima had warned of the consequences beforehand, last year’s budget-cutting reorganisation process % resulting in the MSc office’s closure and creation of a separate department for processing foreign student visas – may have saved some money, but efficiency suffered. Personnel were reassigned to other positions, where they first had to learn the job.
Last year, the number of foreign student applications to the TU doubled, creating additional work for an already inefficiently functioning department. Add to this the fact that Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Department (IND) downsized and therefore suddenly took much longer to process visas than it had agreed with the TU, and the problems and headaches for Rima and her staff piled up quickly.
Now, however, the Executive Board has given the green light to Rima%s temporary relief plan. On a project basis, the old organisations will be brought back together. The new plans will ensure that foreign students no longer receive information from a number of different sources. One faculty coordinator will be the central contact person at each faculty and additional personnel will be brought in to handle administrative affairs and evaluate the transcripts from foreign students applying to the university.
In the coming year, greater attention will be paid to how much money and personnel are needed and which regulations are needed to effectively handle the growing influx of students. ,,With this information, the board can make choices,” Rima says. One possible idea is to charge prospective students a fee for evaluating their transcripts.
Students who apply to the TU today will certainly notice a positive change brought about by the new measures, Rima says. ,,At the faculties, people are already reacting really positive.” She also says the university will probably make some gesture towards the students who have had problems and complaints over the past months. ,,But then we’re talking about a day-trip or dinner,” she says, ,,not about money.”
As of 1 January 2004, the TU will institute a series of emergency measures aimed at improving the %handling% of foreign students. The university is also hoping to develop long-term solutions to cope with the growing influx of foreign students.
TU Delft’s foreign students have certainly been in the news a lot lately, but too often for the wrong reasons: Foreign MSc students were frustrated by the TU’s poor lines of communication; the process of receiving a visa took far too long, causing some students to miss summer school and others to miss the start of the regular academic year; and then some students balked at having to move into the new box and container housing, especially because they felt the rental price ‘per box’ was too high
TU Delft isn’t directly responsible for all the mishaps and problems that have plagued foreign students, but reorganisation of the central administrative services last year did seriously compromise the quality levels and service-providing for foreign students. ,,This past summer was a low-point,” admits Annemarie Rima, director of the Student Facility Centre. ,,Some staff members even had to cancel their vacations.”
Although some insiders like Rima had warned of the consequences beforehand, last year’s budget-cutting reorganisation process % resulting in the MSc office’s closure and creation of a separate department for processing foreign student visas – may have saved some money, but efficiency suffered. Personnel were reassigned to other positions, where they first had to learn the job.
Last year, the number of foreign student applications to the TU doubled, creating additional work for an already inefficiently functioning department. Add to this the fact that Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Department (IND) downsized and therefore suddenly took much longer to process visas than it had agreed with the TU, and the problems and headaches for Rima and her staff piled up quickly.
Now, however, the Executive Board has given the green light to Rima%s temporary relief plan. On a project basis, the old organisations will be brought back together. The new plans will ensure that foreign students no longer receive information from a number of different sources. One faculty coordinator will be the central contact person at each faculty and additional personnel will be brought in to handle administrative affairs and evaluate the transcripts from foreign students applying to the university.
In the coming year, greater attention will be paid to how much money and personnel are needed and which regulations are needed to effectively handle the growing influx of students. ,,With this information, the board can make choices,” Rima says. One possible idea is to charge prospective students a fee for evaluating their transcripts.
Students who apply to the TU today will certainly notice a positive change brought about by the new measures, Rima says. ,,At the faculties, people are already reacting really positive.” She also says the university will probably make some gesture towards the students who have had problems and complaints over the past months. ,,But then we’re talking about a day-trip or dinner,” she says, ,,not about money.”
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