Foreign Educators Tour Top Mississippi Schools

International educators look for new educational practices at Millsap's College

Higher education officials from around the world are looking to the Magnolia State for ways to improve their education systems. MPB's Lawayne Childrey reports.

On Friday foreign education officials toured private and public Universities in the Jackson area to learn about the state’s best practices. While visiting Millsap's College, US State Department representative Ron Frances said what has impressed the group the most is the close contact between college faculty and students.

“Their classrooms are like larger. There’s less intimate contact so they like that and they want to see what they can do about instituting that practice at home. Because some of the countries are under former communist rule, they’ve been independent for several years and they are trying to change things.”

The group exchanged ideas with Millsap's faculty members on topics ranging from campus life to Accreditation. A key point for Millsap’s Interim Dean David Davis.

“Because I think that is one way to provide the best since of standardization across the region without government interference. And I know that in many of their home countries that is a big problem for them,”

During these tough economic times, Ivana Krznar of Croatia is hoping to learn more about the way Mississippi's Universities raise money.

“We don’t even have much contact with alumni and this is one important part of fund raising. And you know also industries, individuals because in Europe there is no fundraising.”

The group touring Mississippi will convene with a larger group of International educators in Maryland this week. For MPB News, I'm Lawayne Childrey.