Recent changes in the University of Iowa International Programs will shift recruitment duties to other departments.

The elimination of two assistant deans, Scott King and Janis Perkins, will put more responsibility on the university’s Admissions Office for recruiting international students.

The two positions were eliminated in a decision to restructure the program, which was announced earlier this month.

Doug Lee, currently an associate dean in the Division of Continuing Education, will fulfill both King’s and Perkins’ responsibilities as the assistant provost of the International Programs beginning Feb. 1.

UI Director of Admissions Michael Barron said international-student recruitment has always been a joint effort between International Programs and the Admissions Office. The new changes will shift more responsibility onto the latter.

"We have been heavily involved all along," he said. "It’s just going to [take] a little bit more effort. I don’t see this personally as a big strain."

King was involved in a joint committee focused on international recruitment. Becky Hanson, assistant director for international admissions, and Maureen Burke, the director of the Iowa Intensive English Program, also served on the committee.

"The committee itself is not going to function as it has before," Barron said. "It was a joint effort in the past, and now admissions will take the lead."

This year, the Admissions Office received $150,000 for international recruitment efforts from the Provost’s Office. Barron said that because the budget has been set for the year, there are no immediate changes set for the budget at this time.

"The main takeaway is that international recruitment will continue," he said. "We will continue to recruit in places that make sense to us. We will continue to look in new markets. And that’s going to continue."

This fall, the UI enrolled 3,442 international students, its largest international enrollment yet.

Dean of International Programs Downing Thomas said budget concerns and the increased participation also played a factor.

"[International Programs] doesn’t have unlimited resources, and like every [program] we need to look at how we can make best use of funds," he said. "We determined in looking at this, that this would be a good way to be more efficient. Eliminating those positions was a way of living within our means and addressing what’s needed on campus."

Recruiters travel to roughly 20 countries, Thomas told The Daily Iowan last fall.

Thomas said eliminating the two positions will allow other aspects of the department to be better funded.

UI spokesman Tom Moore said plans to expand and restructure the program further are "still a work in progress."

"The purpose was to streamline the structure and make it more efficient and even more successful," he said.