The Trent International Program (TIP) exists to bring the world to Trent University and to take Trent out into the world.

The program was founded in 1982 by Jack Matthews, former Headmaster of Lakefield College School and later founding Director of Pearson College of the Pacific in Victoria. A visionary international educator, Matthews saw TIP as a vehicle for bringing Canadian and international students together to live and learn in a cross-cultural environment, and for encouraging Trent students to expand their horizons by spending a year of study abroad. As TIP evolved, it took on responsibilities for recruiting and providing services for international students, promoting global education inside and outside of the classroom, and supporting Trent's international development efforts. The program also networks with Trent professors who engage in research and scholarship in many parts of the world.

By the late 1980s, Trent was hosting each year upwards of 125 international exchange and degree students, including approximately 70 scholars from developing countries who were funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The CIDA Scholars brought tremendous dynamism to the campus, and were sorely missed after federal government cuts in 1991 eliminated funding for undergraduate scholarships. By 1996-97, the number of foreign students at the university had fallen below 2 per cent and was declining.

After the Ontario government made it easier for universities to recruit international students in 1996, Trent embarked on an ambitious plan to increase their proportion to 10 per cent of total enrolment. The plan earmarked a portion of the new fee revenue for international scholarships that are based on academic excellence, leadership, and financial need. The scholarships create opportunities for students who could not otherwise afford study in Canada, and enable Trent to compete with bigger and better known universities for some of the world's best and brightest students.

For the past two years, Trent has reached prospective students by participating in education fairs in the United States, Latin America, and Asia, visiting selected international schools, and making effective use of internet technology. This month, the university welcomed 150 new international students from over 70 countries, the largest intake ever; of these, 120 have come to study for their degrees and 30 are on one-year exchanges. With a total foreign student population of 250 (up from 70 just three years ago), the university is poised to achieve the 10 per cent target by September 2001.

This month also saw 80 Trent students take advantage of an expanded range of overseas study options. The Department of Modern Languages and Literatures has programs in France, Germany, and Mexico. Comparative Development Studies in Ecuador and Ghana, and Native Studies in Thailand, offer a full year for degree credit that includes an internship in a community development project. Trent students are participating in three new TIP exchanges in Finland, Iceland, and South Africa; these are additions to established programs in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Poland, Korea, Malaysia, Japan, Mexico, and the United States. Through TIP, students can also arrange to study abroad independently; this year, a Trent student from Singapore is attending a Chinese university.

Trent is the lead institution in INSTRUCT, a partnership of university, college, community, and non-governmental organizations funded by a $6 million multi-year grant from CIDA. Committed to promoting integrated ecosystem approaches to the rehabilitation and management of watersheds, the program is engaged in research, training, and community development in Ecuador and Mexico. While the primary focus of the work is in these countries, INSTRUCT has also sponsored seminars and workshops at Trent, and the university has benefited greatly from the presence of visiting scholars and graduate students.

TIP works closely with international and Canadian students enrolled in a Special Emphasis in International Studies. It co- sponsors with the Trent International Students Association a World Affairs Colloquium, which features guest speakers and student-led discussions. This year's theme is "Other People's Wars: Can Outsiders Bring Peace?"

International and Canadian students enrich one another's experiences through participation in a multitude of clubs and activities. Students from around the world also contribute to Peterborough's cultural diversity and enliven our community with their music, talks to schools and local groups, and volunteer service. They are planning something special for Peterborough's millenial celebrations: in January 2000, they will participate in a multicultural food fair and put on a spectacular show of song and dance in the Evinrude Centre. All in all, international students contribute much to Peterborough, and make Trent more exciting, intellectually and culturally. They also really like Peterborough, and find our community warm, friendly, and supportive. David Morrison is Director of the Trent International Program and Professor of Political Studies and Comparative Development. He is author of [italics] Aid and Ebb Tide: A History of CIDA and Canadian Development Assistance (Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University Press), 1998. He may be reached at 748-1280 and dmorrison@trentu.ca.