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Truman State University
They Take Special Care of International Students
The lush, rural countryside near Kirksville, Mo. is not where one would expect to find a nationally recognized university. Yet Truman State University, a liberal arts school and the home for 6,000 students, has quietly impressed the experts.
Truman State University has been recognized by The Fiske Guide to Colleges, The Princeton Review, The Best 31 Colleges, Americas 100 Best College Buys, BottomLine personal newsletter and Kiplinger's Personal finance magazine.
In addition U.S.News & World Reports 1999 Americas Best Colleges listed Truman as number one on the list of Top Regional Public Universities in the Midwest. Truman was the only Missouri public university on that listing. Truman also ranked 11th in the overall category for Best Regional Universities in the Midwest.
Because of its sparkling academic reputation, Truman has been attracting students from across the United States and numerous foreign countries. The school has been accepting international students since 1937 and last year had 161 students from locations as far away as Bulgaria, Japan, China, Russia and Bangladesh.
Melanee Crist, the University's international student advisor, helps the students adjust to their new culture and answers their many questions. That includes answering questions they should be asking like, "What about health insurance?"
Melanee and the school originally made arrangements for the Lewer Agency to handle the health insurance for the students in 1994. By making the insurance mandatory for the international students, the school has streamlined the process and improved the coverage. "We saw the need for this type of program and had been shopping around for it when we contacted the Lewer Agency," said Melanee. "We bill the insurance to the student account in the same way we do tuition, residence halls fees and other fees. The student fills out a general enrollment account and we send it to the Lewer Agency."
Although a few students have a comparable policy at home, most are uninformed. "By the time they would realize that they need good health insurance, it would be too late for them to get it," said Melanee. "When the students need it, they appreciate having it."
On one occasion a Chinese student burned herself with scalding water while cooking. She was in her final semester in school and needed skin grafts, which cost $7,000. Much of her medical care was handled locally, but the skin grafts had to be done at the University of Missouri Hospital in Columbia, two hours away. "The Lewer Agency took care of it all but the $50 deductible," said Melanee. "The student was allowed to withdraw from school for a semester while she recuperated and graduated the next semester. By the time I thought to call to check on the bills, they were already paid."
Melanee has been impressed with the efficiency of the Lewer team. At the beginning of the school year when the students enroll in the health insurance program, Melanee is organizing shuttle services, doing orientations, counseling students and helping them deal with everything from algebra to homesickness. "It's absolutely frantic," said Melanee. "The fact that the Lewer team is so flexible is a major help to us. Time and time again I will come to them with questions. 'Can you do this?' 'Do you cover that?' 'Invariably the answer is 'yes.'
"Their staff is friendly and customer-service oriented. We have been very pleased with the Lewer Agency's service."
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