There are nearly 30,000 international students who are studying at Ohio's colleges and universities. And state leaders hope to attract more. From our Statehouse bureau Jo Ingles reports.
The chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education, John Carey, says increasing the number of students from other countries will be good for the Buckeye State.
"Having these international students in Ohio presents tremendous opportunity for our state to enhance its workforce, for Ohio to grow its economy and to give its citizens more pathways to prosperity. This effort will not only enhance college education experience for our resident students but it will also make our state more competitive in the global economy and make all of our students better job candidates for Ohio companies," Carey says.
Carey says he hopes a new statewide initiative in which state leaders and universities will work together to market Ohio colleges globally will the state's share of international college students from 4.1 percent to 6 percent.
He says that would generate an estimated $1.2 billion and support 17,000 jobs.