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This article, with a focus on North American postsecondary education, identifies international students as a strategic enrollment management institutional priority; presents themes in the international student retention, satisfaction, and success research literature; and describes related best practices. It also presents the findings from an in-depth Canadian study, which identifies factors that contribute to attrition of international students. Suggested areas are offered for future improvements to enhance institutional international student success.

Clayton Smith is Vice Provost, Student Affairs, and Dean of Students at the University of Windsor, where he has coordinated campus internationalization and implemented new approaches in international student recruitment and retention. He previously held enrollment management positions, which included oversight for international student affairs, at the State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill, Tallahassee Community College, and the University of Maine at Augusta. Dr. Smith holds a doctor of education degree in higher education from Florida State University, a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Maine, a master of arts degree in political science from Drew University and a bachelor of arts degree in political science from the University of Southern Maine. Dr. Smith is a frequent conference presenter on enrollment management, student affairs and internationalization topics and is co-editor of the AACRAO’s SEM in Canada: Promoting Student and Institutional Success in Canadian Colleges and Universities. He has long been active in AACRAO and currently serves as a senior consultant with AACRAO Consulting where he has conducted consulting projects at more than 20 colleges and universities in the United States. and Canada.

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