April was an exciting month for the International Office’s Sponsored Student team. Liz Smith, Coordinator of Sponsored Students, Matt Jones, SABIC Foundation Year Program Coordinator, and Monica Malhotra, Senior International Student Coordinator for ESL Services, represented the University of Texas at Austin at the International Exhibition and Conference on Higher Education in Riyadh. The conference attracted over 300,000 prospective Saudi students from all over the country (as well as some American Longhorn hopefuls currently living in Saudi Arabia). Speakers included higher education administrators from premier institutions from around the world. The exhibition featured universities from Europe, the Americas, and Asia. The UT delegates attended a reception at US Ambassador James B. Smith’s home, and met with a number of partnering agencies including SABIC, KAUST, Aramco, and SACM. The University is honored to have a large number of sponsored and non-sponsored international students from Saudi Arabia. Saudi students also make up the largest demographic in ESL. The team was honored to travel to the Kingdom and learn more about Saudi culture, the vision for higher education and social engagement, and the interests of prospective students and priorities for sponsors.
