By Joyce Kryszak
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wbfo/local-wbfo-744525.mp3
Singapore – The rush to serve higher education needs around the world is creating marketing challenges for countries trying to fill the void. WBFO's Joyce Kryszak was in Singapore where she found that branding is helping East meet West.
The outdoor hawker centers in Singapore are legendary. Stall owners in these open air food courts hustle customers to their tables, thrusting tantalizing menus at them. You can have your carrot cake with prawn oyster omelet, barbequed sting ray, sugar cane juice or many other Singpaore favorites.
And, of course, eat while a street musician serenades you with some classic American tunes.
John Conceicao is with the education division of Singapore's tourism board. They are working to draw foreign students to Singapore. He said Singapore has a lot to offer them beyond a quality education.
The problem is - most people don't know that - or even where Singapore is for that matter. Conceicao said that is their biggest challenge in recruiting students.
Partnerships with foreign schools, such as UB, help draw students to Singpaore.
The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees at its Singapore branch campus. But Singapore is not the only country getting UB education traffic.
One of UB's newest programs is in Bangalore India. UB Management Professor Ram Ramesh runs the India graduate degree programs. In only a year, Ramesh said the program has seen explosive growth in the rapidly developing nation. But he said UB needs to establish itself quickly to tap the education market.
And time is ticking away.
The higher education boom has universities racing to foreign shores against a tide of competition and an unstable global economy.
Click the "listen" icon above to hear Joyce Kryszak's story now or use your podcasting software to download it to your computer or iPod.