Magali is the associate dean of students responsible for student transitions. She supervises the directors of orientation, conduct, first-year programs and transfer programs. Among strategic priorities for her direct reports is relationship-building with international programs and expansion of services to better serve international students.
Magali invites the director of International Programs to a half-day professional staff retreat to build relationships and consult on ways the Dean of Student Life Office can improve international student care. Magali and her team are eager to learn, but unprepared to receive the volume of feedback from international programs. Magali was aware that her team had room to grow. She was not aware that international students support had as many dimensions and that her team was underperforming.
During their consult, Magali’s team was made aware of the innumerable and arguably unreasonable expectations placed upon international students as they acculturate to higher education in the United States. The list from the consultation included, but was not limited to, the expectation that upon arrival, international students will: (1) Comprehend and adhere to U.S. notions of academic integrity; (2) Recognize and navigate the formalities and informalities of U.S. academic culture; and (3) Understand, expect and appreciate “student services” as they are organized in the U.S.
The consultants offered that regarding international students as similar to first-generation college students may be a helpful comparison as they conceptualize the needs of international students and how transition programs should communicate resources and expectations. Magali and her team are surprised and overwhelmed, but relieved to have received accurate and quality information to improve the programs. The team reorganizes the remainder of the retreat to begin to process this feedback and organize short-term solutions to integrate as many insights as possible for the current academic term.
- The Issue: The transitions team within the Dean of Student Life Office is under-informed about the needs and undue expectations placed upon international students as they acculturate to higher education in the United States.
- The Deliberation: Magali invites consultants from international programs to share their knowledge. The student life team is made aware of a number of gaps in their services connected to misinterpretation of international students’ needs.
- The Growth: Magali and her team rapidly raise their consciousness to the dearth in their services and are motivated to explore and vet short-term solutions to address service gaps in the current academic term.