In 1996 there were over 2000 international students enrolled, with the largest groups coming from the Asian region. The internationalisation of the university also means that staff too now come from diverse backgrounds, so that the phenomenon of a recently-arrived NESB lecturer facing mainly NESB students is by no means rare. Finally, the university's prioritising of links with Asia means that many academics can now expect to be involved in offshore teaching - in itself a unique challenge. Those with a concern for equity issues, on the other hand, insist that minority access, retention and success rates are an important part of any university's mission, and call for active interventions on the part of the institution to ensure that this mission is fulfilled. Consensus on such issues is rare.
Further controversy occurs when the subject of full fee-paying international students comes up.
These issues cannot begin to be resolved in an article of this length. Controversy and debate will and should continue. Programs tailored for particular discipline areas can be arranged and personal consultancies are always available on request. Dr Christine Asmar is a recently appointed lecturer at the Centre for Teaching and Learning who will lead the cross-cultural workshops in the June and November programs.