KENTS HILL — In response to the surging population of international students enrolled at United States colleges and universities and the growing competition among institutions for students from overseas, in September the National Association for College Admission Counseling convened a special Commission on International Student Recruitment. The purpose of the commission is to make recommendations on ethical standards and practices, specifically as they relate to the use of commissioned agents for the recruitment of international students.

NACAC does not explicitly oppose the use of commissioned agents to facilitate international recruitment; however, the organization recognizes that providing incentive-based compensation to contracted recruiters is problematic and may stimulate behavior contrary to the virtues of the profession.

Three members of the New England Association for College Admission Counseling have accepted invitations to join the commission. They are Anne Richardson, director of college counseling at Kents Hill School, Chizu Shiono, independent educational consultant, and Kelly Walter, assistant vice president and executive director of admissions at Boston University.

In addition to being director of college counseling, Anne Richardson is also director of international and ESL programs at Kents Hill School She is a past-president and chief delegate of NEACAC, and brings valuable perspective to the commission as its sole representative from a U.S. secondary school.

The commission’s first meeting will take place in the spring in Washington, D.C. Over the course of the next year the commission will engage in an exploration of institutional practices related to international recruitment, obstacles faced by institutions and challenges posed by federal policies before issuing its final report and recommendations in mid-2013. NACAC hopes to use the commission’s report to determine if there exists a need to amend its Statement of Principles of Good Practice with regards to international student recruitment.