International students make up more than two-thirds of the first MPA/ID class. Students from developing countries account for 50 percent of the class, and an additional 18 percent are from industrialized countries outside the United States.

"It really adds a lot to have people from all those countries," says Finney.

Program administrators place students in diverse study groups in an effort to encourage students to learn from their different experiences.

Mende says the geographic mix of the student body did have some downsides at first, creating a hurdle students had to overcome in order to bond together. But most agree that the students have now become a tight group.

The World Bank is aiding KSG in its efforts to create a class of students from around the world. The organization is sponsoring 15 students from developing countries in each incoming class, paying for these students' tuition in the school and giving them a monthly $1200 stipend for living expenses. These students must then return to a developing country after graduation.

According to Finney, many of the students from developing countries would be unable to attend the program without this aid.

The Basics