Malone University Offers Special Welcome to Foreign-Born Students

In the offices of World Relief at 647 E Market Street in Akron, a special meeting was held to share Malone University’s opportunities for new Americans, former refugees, friends, clients, and neighbors.    It is a welcoming community and Malone would like to offer more educational opportunities to international students from abroad and to students from refugee communities now living in the United States.  It would like potential students to be aware of the advantages of attending a small liberal arts college and of the many scholarship possibilities and financial aid resources it has to offer.    ​

Mark Seymour, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Financial Aid spoke to the gathering of people who have been active with Akron area refugee populations.  Dr. Seymour said that Malone University President, David King, is interested in having refugee students attend Malone because their attendance would be underline the social justice underpinnings of Malone and enhance the diversity of student representation on the campus.

To that end, Malone is contemplating creating several scholarships for both domestic and international foreign-born students.   There are many advantages for students who attend small, liberal arts colleges.  Some of those include a faculty whose primary mission is to teach students rather than conduct research, a more intimate educational experience, and learning resources such as tutoring and writing assistance.

​For many students Malone is more affordable than they think.  Most qualifying domestic-based students can qualify for government aid such as the Ohio College Opportunity Grant, the Federal Pell Grant, a Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, a Federal Direct Student Loan, a TEACH Grant, performing a Federal Work Study job, a Federal PLUS Loan for parents, or any of the Academic Scholarships for which students would apply and receive based on their academic achievement or special talents.  For qualifying former refugees who want to commute to Malone and live at home, the university will work with them to arrange a financial aid package that can make Malone affordable, and possibly allow a student to attend using only financial assistance and not personal funds.  For students that want to live on campus, the cost is higher and requires students to fund a part of their education with payments from themselves or their families.  Malone can also assist with loan repayment after graduation depending on the students personal situation.  

The group discussed ways in which Malone University’s message could be communicated to potential students and their parents.   Some of the suggestions included meeting with groups of high school juniors at North High School, arranging visits of youth groups from local churches to the Canton campus.​

In attendance were
       [Top Row: L-R] Elizabeth Patterson Roe (Associate Professor of Social Work at Malone University), Karen Ulmer (Office Director at World Relief), and Susan Wuscher (Interim Director of Refugee Resettlement at the International Institute of Akron)
      [Bottom Row: L-R] Dianette Gilbert (World Relief Intern), Samuel Biswa (Nepali Pastor and World Relief Case Worker), and Doug Wurtz (respected friend and long-term mentor of refugees).  
      [Not pictured] Terry Kuhn (mentor and adviser to Bhutanese Refugees) and Cindy Wurtz, (respected friend and long-term mentor of refugees).