AIC prepares for first graduation

Yan Yan Meng, 27, of China, and one of the AIC's first students, will receive a degree in social sciences with a concentration in business from the college.

AIC, located at 1609 E. Helen St., is a liberal arts college with an international emphasis offering interdisciplinary courses with small classes.

The first graduation caps a tumultuous ride for the campus that first opened its doors nearly three years ago. The college, which was originally a separate campus at the UA's east side Science and Technology, came under fire from both university and state officials for its low initial enrollments and lack of tenure for professors. The college's first head, Celestino Fernandez, resigned in 1998.

The state legislature threatened to cut the campus's funding when enrollments failed to meet expectations, but the student enrollment is growing, said Dave Gnage, assistant dean at AIC.

Gnage said he expects between 300 and 400 students to be enrolled by the fall semester. AIC started with 46 students and has grown to 150. The school is prepared to accept up to 5,000 students, Gnage said.

"It's kind of exciting," said Gnage, who has worked at AIC since 1995. "It's like having a dream come true. It was very satisfying to accept our first student."

Since AIC Dean Paul Rosenblatt replaced Fernandez in July, the faculty have reviewed and updated the curriculum, establishing a four-year program.

The college's first full graduating class will walk the line in May of 2000, with degrees in performing and fine arts, social and behavioral sciences, language and culture, math and natural sciences, liberal studies and humanities.

Meng joined AIC when it was at the technology park, a 30-minute shuttle ride from campus.

"I probably said it a 1,000 times, I really like the diversity here," she said. "It really has the atmosphere that makes everyone feel at home."

Meng came to the U.S. in 1996 after transferring from a Beijing university where she studied tourism. She will graduate early because of previous credits earned in China.

"I'm certainly going to miss her," said Anne Scott, AIC's director of institutional research and evaluation. "She was a real positive factor on campus."

Meng has taken the "international" part of AIC to heart, helping to coordinate a class trip to China last summer where AIC students attended workshops for credit.

"Everyone has to be global," Meng said. "I wanted to go abroad and see the world around me," Meng said.

Students at Arizona International College take classes on their campus and at the UA, while university students can also enroll in AIC classes.

"I really like the opportunity to take classes from both campuses," Meng said. "It really made it possible to take advantage of both worlds. You can also see good things happening on the main campus and that way, you know where you should improve."

The UA has assumed the admissions process for the AIC, freeing the faculty to focus on recruiting and advising.

UA President Peter Likins said he has given the college his full support.

Likins said Rosenblatt has done a "superb job pulling the faculty together... demonstrating a potential to grow."

A return to independence for the college, including a move off campus, remains a possibility, he said.