CEDAR FALLS -- Growing up tending tomatoes, grapes and carrots on his family's 50-acre farm in Najran, Saudi Arabia, Ali Alghobary, 25, dreamed of one day studying in the United States.

Though he deeply loved his homeland, nestled in the southwest corner of that Middle Eastern country, Alghobary knew a degree from an American university could open doors professionally and personally.

In 2005, the young man's goals aligned with those of his nation's leaders. In an effort to create a more educated populace and build goodwill with other states, the Saudi Arabian government enacted an aggressive study aboard scholarship program. Its aim was to send 20,000 of the kingdom's best and brightest to foreign colleges and universities within five years. Alghobary, a business student at the University of Northern Iowa, is a member of the initiative's charter class.

"It's not only about education but about creating a bridge between both cultures," he said while relaxing in UNI's student union. "There are misconceptions there, and misconceptions here."

So in addition to studying supply chains and macroeconomics, Alghobary spends his days learning about American culture and teaching peers about his nation's values and traditions.

He says Saudi Arabians hear Americans think they are enemies or that they don't like Muslims.

"But when you come here, you see it's not true," Alghobary said. "And I believe the American people can learn about us, too."

In November, the Institute of International Education based in New York reported the number of foreign students studying at U.S. colleges and universities had nearly rebounded from a slump following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. During the 2006-07 school year, nearly 583,000 foreign scholars enrolled at American institutions. That's a 3 percent increase from the previous academic year, marking the first significant up-tick in international student enrollment since 2001-02.

American college leaders who recruit foreign students say the trend is positive. Increased security measures following 9/11 prevented some would-be exchange students from traveling to the U.S. But in the past four to five years the U.S. government streamlined its visa application process in the hope of luring more foreign students.

"Having international students here is really a good form of public diplomacy," said Ross Schupbach, UNI's international student admissions advisor. "It is something that breaks down barriers and lets people know how things work in the United States. We hope that they have a good experience here, and communicate that back in their home country."

After 9/11

Colleges across the nation lost international students following 2001. New policies significantly slowed the nation's student visa service, and some Arab students already in the U.S. left the country fearing for their safety.

Fortunately, UNI was able to avoid those scenarios, said Kristina Marchesani, who heads the school's overseas recruiting efforts. In the wake of the terrorist attacks, university staff members worked overtime to ensure foreign students would be able to arrive on campus in a timely manner.

And while some colleges shied away from recruiting Middle Eastern students, UNI increased its efforts courting young people from the region. Today, 86 students from Bahrain, Iran, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Turkey take classes at UNI.

"We felt like we needed to go to those places now more than ever to show students that they would be welcome on our campuses," Marchesani said. "We think it's helped our numbers."

Since 2000, when 339 foreign students attended UNI, the university has recorded a decrease in international student enrollment on only one occasion. This fall, 472 students from abroad are part of the campus community, a 9.3 percent increase from 2006.

Marchesani, who leaves today for a three-week recruiting trip to India, Kuwait, Bahrain, Turkey and Azerbaijan, hopes to amass an even larger international student population for the 2008-09 school year.

During her time abroad, she will speak at high schools and colleges and make personal visits to the homes of potential Panthers.

"I'll show pictures and talk about the academics, and we talk about the value of a degree from an American university," Marchesani said. "The U.S. is still a leader when it comes to higher education, and the families know the advantages of sending their students here."

Rewards at home

And it is not only international students who benefit from their time on American college campuses. Foreign learners add another dimension to class discussions for U.S.-born students, said Christine Schrage, a UNI business professor.

"Our students are going to live and work in a global economy, there's no doubt about that," she said. "The biggest thing (American students) gain is acceptance of diverse views and diverse cultures …

"Up until about the 1850s, the fastest you could go by clipper ship or by horse was 10 miles per hour. Now we get around the world in a matter of hours," Schrage added.

International students also contribute financially to U.S. universities and communities. Another Institute of International Education report showed foreign learners add about $14.5 billion to the American economy each year through tuition and living expenses. But that total is peanuts compared to the research advances international students make in their schools' labs, said Allan Goodman, the institute's president and CEO.

"Most of our science and technological progress really depends on us drawing talent from all over the world," Goodman said. "Half of all the patents that are issued in America are issued to people who were born in foreign countries -- many who studied here -- and a third of all Nobel Prize recipients won by Americans are awarded to people who were actually born in another country and then studied or migrated here."

Like many industry experts, Goodman is pleased to see international student levels in the U.S. begin to mirror totals before 9/11. By increasing the number of U.S. consular offices and leading delegations of higher education officials on recruiting tours, the U.S. government has shown the rest of the world that it wants to accommodate the needs of more foreign scholars.

The next step, Goodman said, will be to increase the distribution of international students across the country's colleges and universities. Midwestern institutions, such as UNI, have the ability and would benefit from welcoming more foreign students into their ranks, he added. And having more American colleges aggressively recruiting foreign students will keep the U.S. from losing talented students to institutions in Australia and the United Kingdom, where schools have recently made more efforts to diversify their student bodies.

"A lot of international students don't naturally think of the Midwest as the educational giant that it is," he said. "The real challenge is to communicate that America has a range of very good schools. They're not all in Cambridge, Massachusetts, or Stanford, California. They're also in Iowa and Michigan."

No one has to tell Ali Alghobary that.

Though the UNI sophomore detests snow and still sometimes struggles with the language barrier, he thinks of the university as his home. Living in Iowa has allowed the political buff to learn more about the U.S. presidential election process. In addition to his business courses, Alghobary also enjoys studying the U.S. Constitution and founded the school's Saudi Student Club, one of the university's largest student organizations with roughly 80 members.

"The United States and it's Western system is still No. 1 in the world," Alghobary said. "Other countries try to copy it, or at least they try to know how it works. After studying here, I'll have a real advantage back home."

Contact Mary Stegmeir at (319) 291-1482 or mary.stegmeir@wcfcourier.com.