1. International Advising Summit
Awab Al-Rawe
University of Oregon

2. Supporting Arab Student Populations on US campuses
Reflecting on personal
and professional relationships
And experiences
* Share studies and data
Have a discussion on best
practices and resources

3. Background
Early Life and Family
Education
Move to the US

4. Work Experience Iraq Syria University of Oregon
Refugee Resettlement Program
Lane County

5. Middle East

6. Oregon

7. Arab Student Population
International Students
Immigrant Populations
Refugee Populations

8. Data on International Arab Students in the US
Arab students constituted nearly 10 percent of total enrollments of international students (economic contribution= $3 billion/year)
90,000 total students.
50% undergraduate / 34% graduate / 23% non-degree.
67% of Arab students come from Saudi Arabia.

9. General Info
International students from Arab countries are generally supported through government sponsorships.
The vast majority of Arab students are Muslims.
Most Arab students are expected/required to study specific topics.

10. Challenges
Language.
Culture.
Systems.
Financial.

11. Immigrants Populations
An immigrant is someone who chooses to resettle to another country.
Documented and undocumented
Driven by economic/ social factors
as opposed to security (refugees)

12. Immigrant Population
Arab immigrants are “better educated and more wealthy than the average American” (Wingfield, 2011, p.254

13. Immigrant Data

14. Population Density

15. Comparison
Arabs are nearly twice as likely as the typical U.S. resident to possess a college degree — 41 percent to 24 percent.
Seventeen percent of Arab Americans have a post-graduate degree, which is nearly twice the American average (9%).
The average income of Arab Americans is 22% higher than the U.S. national average.

16. Arab Americans- Challenges
Arab American students perceive their native born American counterparts as “undisciplined” (Zehr, 2008, p. 5).
Middle Eastern students are forced to choose to associate themselves with Arab culture and thus be judged as un-American, or to associate with American culture and be forced to abandon their culture. Regardless of the choices Arab Americans make, they quickly find that they do not fully fit either persona (Suleiman, 2000, p.9)
Harassment

17. Arab Refugees
A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. Most likely, they cannot return home or are afraid to do so.

18. Arab Refugees? The vast majority are Iraqis and Syrians.
Limited resources are available for public education initially.
Challenges to enroll in universities:
Financial
Educational
Cultural
Lack of awareness

19. What Arab Refugees Do After Resettlement
Education?
Employment
How do they make an income?

20. Suggestions for Support
Active student groups involvement.
Reviewing academic materials and teaching.
Provide supporting staff with relevant experiences.

21. Questions? Comments?