IAPNETW RK INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL NETWORK
IAPNETW RK INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL NETWORK
INSIDE
IAPNETW RK What makes IAP INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL NETWORK
Network so special PAGE 8 Meet the IAP NETWORK Team PAGE 6 See what IAP offers students PAGE 12 OVERVIEW: U.S. College Fair PAGE 18
IAPNETW RK INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL NETWORK
IAPNETW RK INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL NETWORK
BRIDGING THE GAP The International Academic and Professional network; IAP Network, based in Ruston, LA has one of the fastest growing programs for African student placements into institutions in the USA and elsewhere in the world. IAP provides exceptional educational services to students interested in studying abroad, while aiding cultural transition with services tailored to their needs.
OUR VISION
T
he International Academic and Professional Network has been working since 2012 to bridge the gap between students around the world and higher education opportunities. Started by founder and CEO Anthony Tchakounte, the mission of IAP Network is to not only make getting an education in the US or Canada possible for international students, but to make the transition as quick and easy as possible. With offices in both Cameroon and the United States, IAP has personnel ready to assist clients at every stage. IAP Network walks clients through the entire process, from expedited admission and visa application to travel support all the way through the transition into a western institution. IAP Network is there every step of the way.
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Created in 2012, the company quickly identified a growing need to promote international college placement programs across Africa. The company commenced a strategic partnership with ELS Educational Services, Inc. in summer 2015 to help raise awareness of international study opportunities among African students and to make international universities more aware of the caliber of students in the region. Currently, only 5 percent of the international student population in USA is from Africa. Our Vision is to promote foreign higher education in African countries by providing the assistance these students need to pursue degrees in their country of interest. IAP Network guarantees high quality placements, ensuring that our students are able to use and develop the skills they have learned at university.
IAPNETW RK INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL NETWORK
UPCOMING EVENTS IAPNETW RK INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL NETWORK
IAPNETW RK INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL NETWORK
US College Fair May 18 -20, 2017 • Douala / Yaounde / Buea
IAPNETW RK INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL NETWORK
Academic advising and career counseling, study abroad opportunities.
Education Conference August 2017 (specific dates TBA) • Houston, TX The conference will bring together US education experts from various institutions and education leaders from Cameroon and other countries of the central African region. Points of emphasis: • Promote the creation of STEM Education programs in the region • Promote Digital learning and innovation in education • Launch DIGITED: An e-learning and online training platform for students and professionals.
For more information, contact: info@iapnetwork.com
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MEET ANTHONY TCHAKOUNTE CEO Anthony strongly believes in the power of education. His passion for innovation is his drive towards his achievements. He has been the Vice President of Finance for a new technology development organization. He has also founded other US based companies serving diverse industries. The senior finance major received the entrepreneurial spirit Award in 2014 from Jones Walker, one of the largest US based law firms with about 400 attorneys. In 2016, Anthony co-founded Global Practicum with Dr. Shane Puckett, a US based organization bridging the gap between academia and the industry.
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SHANE PUCKETT VICE PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Shane has been with IAP since its inception. He acted as a mentor to Anthony and later came aboard as the VP of Business Development. He is now a fundamental part of the company, as he coordinates bilateral agreements with partnering groups and institutions, liases with US consulate offices within the Economic Community of Central African States, oversees the Douala office, acts as a company spokesperson, and designs and manages marketing campaigns for the network, among other responsibilities. His experience with the international community starts back in his days as an PR practitioner in London, and he has proudly served as an officer in the US Navy. Shane has been a professor of communication for 10 years and is the Director of Debate at Louisiana Tech University. Shane also holds a doctorate in education and completed a dissertation, “Educational Leadership and Communication Apprehension,� on the effect of online courses in higher education compared to traditional instruction.
TEAM OUR
CORANTINE ENOW BATE OFFICE COORDINATOR - INTERN Corantine joined the IAP team in December 2016 to help extend the company’s presence in Cameroon. Before coming on board as the Office Coordinator Intern, Corantine graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Buea in 2015. She has served as an accountant intern for CAMAS and as an intern at the Taxation office in Douala. A bilingual resident of Douala, Corantine’s help navigating the city has been instrumental in the company’s success in expanding its efforts in Cameroon. She coordinates school visits, manages office activities and helps with business development outreach efforts.
RACHELL MAXWELL ACADEMIC PROGRAM COORDINATOR - INTERN Rachel first came across IAP Network while working on an article for Louisiana Tech’s newspaper in February of 2016. Seeing the company’s mission and Anthony’s passion for helping people access education inspired her to come aboard as the Academic Program Coordinator Intern in Cameroon. She now operates the Douala office, helps with business development outreach efforts, and coordinates programs within schools and communities in Douala and surrounding areas to expand the network’s presence in Central Africa. Rachel is a student at Louisiana Tech University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in communication with a concentration in journalism and a minor in marketing.
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GOING THE
DISTANCE
The International Academic and Professional Network helps prospective students from Central Africa find their academic home
F
Words by RACHEL MAXWELL
or most American high school seniors, the college application process is relatively easy. For international students, the process is more difficult, and for African students seeking an American education, that same process can take years. “We are working to make that process easier for students in the Central African region”, said Anthony Tchakounte, CEO of IAP Network. Tchakounte, a Senior finance major, said his inspiration behind starting the company was his own two-year experience trying to navigate the United States’ higher education admission process. Tchakounte took his idea to the Top Dawg New Venture Championship in 2013 and in 2014 won the Jones Walker Entrepreneurial Spirit Award, giving him the resources to start the company. Debbie Inman, member of IAP’s Board of Advisors and director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Information and Technology at Tech, said Tchakounte’s devotion to his idea separated him from competitors in the eyes of the judges. “His dedication to his idea and his tenacity are what stood out,” she said. “He wanted to make certain that individuals from Cameroon and other
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countries who wanted to come to college in the United States, but had a hard time researching opportunities, could come get an education here.” “Dr. Shane Puckett, instructor of communication at Tech, was assigned to be Tchakounte’s mentor through Tech’s entrepreneurial program, and later joined IAP as vice president of business development. Dr. Puckett said it was Anthony’s character as much TCHAKOUNTE as the business that persuaded him to sign on. “He’s driven; he’s focused” he said. “Whenever you see someone with that type of tenacity, you want to kind of tail onto their ventures, because they are going to be successful, and I knew that my skill set could get him there” PUCKETT By increasing diversity on college campuses with more African students, people would stop referring to Africa as a country and may get to know Angola, Cameroon, Chad, Gabon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea etc. and would understand that these cultures and value systems are vastly different.
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IAP NETWORK TESTIMONIALS Wilson Meli “I had a lot of struggles when I graduated from high school. It was hard for me to navigate through the US College system in which I had alot of interest. Also, I had some concerns about my english language level. Through IAP, I learned about the intensive language program offered by ELS. They also assisted me in getting admitted in both the english program and to Louisiana Tech University in the biomedical engineering program.”
Christina Ngosso “Working with IAP Network was one of the most important thing that happened to me. Like majority of other high school graduates, the lack of information and guidance made it difficult for me to go through the US College admission process. Thanks to IAP Network I was admitted at GSU and granted a scholarship as well. My experiences here are wonderful thanks to the type of people I meet and surround myself with everyday.”
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Students speak about the many opportunities they have gained through IAP Network Sankara Ekane “The first hardship I faced was how to find for a US College with my desired program of study. After a couple of months I realized that I was committing myself to something I did not have a perfect mastery of. I was admitted to the ELS language program which helped me a lot to develop and improve my English language skills. As organization, IAP Network created connections between me and the universities for which I had an interest. They also took care of my accommodation and support in my new environment.”
Lucie Doumbe “After completing my Bsc from the University of Buea, I had plans to pursue my graduate studies in the USA. Luckily I was referred to IAP by some friends. My experience with IAP was great, their expedited admission process in less than 72 hours was awesome, and I was granted a scholarship as well. They provided me with all the assistance I needed once in the USA. I will definitely recommend you to trust their service.”
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IAP NETWORK SERVICES Learn about the tools we can offer to help you meet your educational goals
I. UNIVERSITY PLACEMENT SERVICES Expedited admission in Selected US institutions Student receives his I-20 and admission letter 7 days after IAP Network receives the complete paperwork. Testing Services and online Registration Testing Services supports our student to prepare for college by providing high-quality assessment services. We also provide the resources they need for the preparation of exams such as: TOEFL, GMAT, LSAT, GRE etc.
• Connecting them with student and professional organizations • Orientation weekends • Group travel • Student pick up upon arrival
IV. INSURANCES
Health Insurances We offer affordable insurance policies which covers up to 80% of your medical expenses. Travel Insurances This insurance policy covers medical expenses, trip cancellation, lost luggage, flight accident and other losses incurred while traveling, either internationally or within one’s own country.
II. FINANCIAL SERVICES Online Payments Services such as tuition payment assistance, online test registration and other services required by our students. We also assist them with a college tuition payment plan.
III. SUPPORT GROUPS
We help our students during the transition period once they arrive at their study destination. Our support services include: Tutoring Our Students benefit from IAP tutoring services in their respective colleges. They also have the possibility to receive online assistance 24/7. Academic Counseling Our counselors are university teachers who provide counseling to our students upon request.
V. ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS On-Campus We assist students to book on campus housing during the college application process. Off-Campus Students will have the choice to select apartments and the lease term (3, 6, 12 months). IAP proceeds and makes arrangements on behalf of the student.
VI. INTERNSHIPS AND VOLUNTEERING IAP Network connects international students after graduation to job opportunities. We also give you the opportunity to get some volunteering experience with some nonprofit organizations.
ELS
EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
Partnering with IAP Network to help international students reach their goals Words by SIMON GOOCH
ABOUT ELS
ELS Educational Services offers 55 years of expertise in helping international students— more than 1,100,000 to date— to achieve their personal and professional goals through English preparation and academic success skill preparation. ELS assists international students select and gain entry to higher education institutions around the world, including in Australia, Canada, Europe, India and the United States according to their academic profile and personal preferences. ELS has the largest network of campus-based English language instruction centers in the world (ELS Language Centers), offering over 80 study locations including centers in Australia, Canada, China, Europe, India, Malaysia and the USA, with the majority of locations on university campuses. More than 650 universities worldwide accept completion of an advanced ELS level (Intensive English Program) as proof of English proficiency, thereby meeting the English language proficiency requirement of admission. ELS helps develop international student recruitment strategy with its partner universities and
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Simon Gooch
colleges on an individualized basis – some of our closest partners engage regularly with ELS to the extent that they may participate frequently on tours organized by ELS to key strategic markets overseas to recruit qualified international students. In some cases, ELS is fully responsible for a partner institution’s international student recruitment. In addition, ELS provides a solution for those universities who do not have their own Intensive English program as ELS is open to establishing an ELS English language center on the campus of interested partner institutions, which allows them to attract and recruit international students who meet the academic requirements of that institution, but who lack the English language skills: to date, more than 60 universities worldwide have taken advantage of this solution. In successfully recruiting students from more than 100 countries in the world, ELS has also developed and maintains a network of approximately 2000 agent partners, who use their local market knowledge to assist ELS in selecting the most effective means to promote ELS and its partner institutions. ELS’s partner institutions have access to this extensive agent network to assist them in their student recruitment efforts. In September 2015, ELS invited a select group of
agent partners from 6 countries (Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, France, Switzerland, Togo and Turkey) to visit 15 ELS language centers and partner institutions during a 10-day tour. This tour included visits to centers in Boston, New Haven (Connecticut), New York, Atlantic City and Camden (New Jersey), Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Francisco and the Silicon Valley area. The aim of the tour was to introduce the concept of a campus-based language center as operated by ELS as well as to the strengths of a number of our partner institutions to our agent partners, so that they can more successfully promote these locations and identify suitable clients for these institutions in the future.
THE FAM TOUR
So-called ‘Familiarization Tours’ have played a key part in driving increased student numbers to both ELS and its partner institutions as our agent partners tend to feel more comfortable in promoting a particular university or college after having visited the campus, viewed the facilities and also having met both the local ELS staff and the key staff at the university responsible for international student admissions. ELS expects to see similar growth in student numbers as a result of this tour, especially from the developing markets of West Africa.
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ELS COMMUNITY COLLEGE PATHWAY Q. What is a Community College? A Community College is an option for students who have completed high school in their home country and who wish to continue their Higher Education in an English-speaking country. Students may opt to complete a 2-year Associate Degree at a community college or they may transfer their community college credits to a 4-year university and go on to complete their Bachelor degree. (a 2+2 option)
Q. If I study at a Community College and then transfer to a University to complete my Bachelor degree, what diploma will I receive? You will receive the standard Bachelor Degree Diploma from the university where you spent your third and fourth year of study. Q. Is it really possible to enter top universities such as University of California, Berkeley via a Community College Pathway? Yes. Of course you will need to achieve an excellent GPA during your 2 years of study at your chosen Community College, but it is possible.
Q. I want a Bachelor Degree. Why go to a Community College first? • Lower tuition fees • Lower English Language proficiency requirement • Easier admission standards • Smaller classes and more individual attention • Credits earned may be transferable even into highly ranked universities • Some highly ranked universities, including six of the University of California campuses, offer guaranteed admission to many of their degree programs if students complete the pre-defined requirements, such as earning a certain minimum grade point average (GPA)
Some top-ranked University of California campuses such as UC Davis and UC Irvine will even guarantee your admission for certain programs if you complete the requirements of the Transfer Admission Guarantee program. More info can be found at: http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/files/tag-matrix.pdf.
Q. How will ELS help me to enter a Community College? ELS has partnered with many leading Community Colleges across the United States, including over 50 in California alone.
IAP NETWORK
U.S. COLLEGE FAIR Douala + Yaounde, Cameroon / Africa / March 17-21, 2016
Words by SHANE PUCKETT
O
n March 18, 2016, the International Academic and Professional (IAP) Network held the first US college fair in Douala, Cameroon. This college fair not only hosted US colleges and universities, but partnering institution ELS and hundreds of interested students. This event was an attempt to connect central African students with various US educational institutions, as well as showcase US educational programs. In addition to the college fair in Douala, the IAP network held an educational summit and US college fair in Yaoundé on March 19, 2016. With these events, IAP showcased US programs and university offerings. Dr. Shane Puckett, the Vice President of Business Development, stated “The college fairs in Douala and Yaoundé were a huge success in launching the IAP Network services with US colleges and universities collaboration. Working with ELS and various US colleges, Cameroon students received a better understanding of US education markets; as well as, different educational programs and paths that are available to them.” Puckett further explained, “May 2017, the IAP Network is looking forward to bringing more US institutions to the second college fair in Yaoundé, Cameroon.” The IAP Network is a company designed to ease the application and admission process for central African student to the US educational market. As reported from US News and World Report, there are 1.4 million foreign stu-
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Anthony Tchakounte, IAP Network CEO, gave a speech about his challenges as an international student in the United States.
dents in American colleges and universities; however, only 5% of these students come from the continent of Africa. To testify to the difficulty of navigating the systems is the founder and CEO of the IAP Network, Anthony Tchakounte. His story accounts his 2 year journey trying to find information on US educational programs, navigating the college application process, and securing a student visa to attend the university of his choice. Now Anthony simplifies the process for others. Tchakounte explains “Most of us have the funds needed to pursue a US higher education. We have the will, but we don’t have the directives, the guidance to get through the process.” The mission of the IAP network is to help with guidance and bridge these gaps in the process.
Dr. Puckett advised high school students about choosing a major that fits their career goals.
Simon Gooch, ELS Director for Europe and Africa, talks to students about the ELS program in the United States.
Our marketing team during the US College fair in Yaounde, Cameroon.
IAPNETW RK INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL NETWORK
Simon, Anthony and Shane’s panel during the U.S. College Fair in Yaounde.
IAPNETW RK
IAPNETWORK NETWORK INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL
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THE IMPORTANCE OF
E-LEARNING
Words by RACHEL MAXWELL
T
he age of the Internet has opened up countless possibilities across virtually every industry across the globe. One area particularly inclined to digital advancement has been education. Teachers now have access to more curriculum and resources than ever before and students can utilize technology for research, note-taking, and studying. In addition to supplementing traditional forms of education, technology has changed the educational landscape all together for some. Online degree programs have increased access to education for students who cannot, or choose not to, attend college in the traditional sense. These programs can be
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especially helpful to international students. Some institutions can be difficult for students to access as traditional students, particularly if they are coming from a foreign state. By enrolling online, students bypass the visa process and obtain the same international degree as students traveling across the world to go to class. This can be helpful for students that are wishing to stay in their home country to help with family or work, and helps stop the “brain drain” that is often blamed on study abroad. With technology changing the world around us at such a high rate, it has never been easier to access a first-rate education. Online classes are giving students from different corners of the globe the opportunity to earn the same degree as someone living in a school’s dormitory.
DIG TED PROMOTING DIGITAL LEARNING SOLUTIONS AND INNOVATION
Through this program IAP Network will reinforce the idea of digital Learning and innovation in Africa, and transform teaching and learning through the innovative use of digital technologies.
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S.T.E.M. GROWING SUCCESS FROM
S.T.E.M. is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education, in an interdisciplinary and applied approach STEM is important because it pervades every part of our lives. By exposing students to STEM and giving them opportunities to explore STEM-related concepts, they will develop a passion for it. A curriculum that is STEMbased has real-life situations to help the student learn.
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IAPNETW RK INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL NETWORK
IAPNETW RK INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL NETWORK
IAPNETW RK INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL NETWORK
IAPNETW RK INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL NETWORK
STUDY ABROAD • STEM PROGRAMS • E-LEARNING • INNOVATION WWW.IAPNETWORK.COM