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UNT Health Science Center is reaching out worldwide in its student recruiting efforts. 

Matt Nolan Adrignola, EdD, MBA, Associate Dean of the School of Public Health, recently travelled to India to encourage students to consider a move to Fort Worth to further their public health education.

The trip made sense from a demographic point of view. Almost 13 percent of SPH’s current student population is from India. And the Chronicle of Higher Education reports that graduate student enrollments from India have risen nearly 40 percent over each of the last two years.

 "It’s true, India is hot, and I’m not just referring to the weather," Dr. Adrignola said, recalling that during his recent trip to Delhi, Ahmedabad and Mumbai, temperatures soared above 100 degrees. "That’s hot, even for Texas."

The climate is one of top reasons Indian students consider the Lone Star State for their graduate studies. In focus groups of current SPH students, climate was noted as the second most important factor in their decisions, next to out-of-state tuition costs.

Traveling with Dr. Adrignola was Senior Web Analyst Vikas Tomer, a 2007 graduate of the school’s Master of Public Health  program who is originally from Delhi. The two visited with students who had been accepted to SPH but were still making their final decisions as to where in the U.S. they would go. 

"Vikas is a native of India who understands the cultural concerns for new students, and who also has experience with our school both as a graduate and a member of the SPH staff," Dr. Adrignola said. "He was able to put their minds at ease … and there is also some speculation that he may be starting a new cricket team once they arrive."

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