Outreach Steps for International Advisors

This section for international student advisors provides easy steps to develop and expand your international student outreach initiatives by working with the Multicultural Services Offices on campus and involving international students.

The multicultural services professionals have a lot of contact with students in venues that you may not have access to (Black Student Union, Latin American Student Association, MEChA, Fraternity/Sororities, etc.). Also, they likely have established effective contact with student populations that you may not be reaching as effectively (underrepresented populations in study abroad such as African American, Latino, Asian/ Pacific Islander, and Native American students). These two factors alone make them powerful allies for the international student professional.

Steps to Expand Your Outreach Initiatives

1. Learn more about the role of your Multicultural Services Office
2. Contact and Set Up a Meeting with the Director of Multicultural Services/ Student Affairs on Your Campus to Review Together the Following Steps and Resources
3. Agree on Venues and Events where International Students can Be Included
4. Agree on Ways the International Student Office can help Multicultural Services/ Student Affairs Contact International Students
5. Agree to Refer Interested International Students to Each Other so that They can Give Outreach Presentations to Student Organizations and Classes
6. Refer the Students to the Helpful Resources on our Website for Planning, Making, and Giving Their Presentations
7. Evaluate Their Presentations so They can Be Improved and Used in the Future

Step 1 Learn more about the Role of Your Multicultural Services/ Student Affairs Office

The multicultural services professionals and the international student advisors have much in common. If you have not met before, it is likely not from lack of interest, but rather because both offices are usually overwhelmed from the multitude of responsibilities they have and their limited resources. Like international student advisors, multicultural services professionals also wear many hats. However in a simple meeting to go over the steps and resources below, we hope you can help each other with relative ease and little pressure on your resources.

Like International Student Professionals, Student Affairs/ Multicultural Services Professionals also wear many hats. They are typically responsible for all Student Events and Activities including New Student Orientations, Leadership Programming, Chapel, Campus Recreation, Intercultural Programming, the Volunteer Center, the Career Center, and maintaining the University Calendar for the above. They are usually also in charge of all Student Organizations & Clubs and their Advisors such as the Student Government Association, Fraternities and Sororities, and Academic, Cultural, Professional, Service, Athletic, and Social Diversity groups and provide them with advisement, approval, monitoring, services, and facilities.

Step 2 Meet with the Director of Multicultural Services on your campus Go Back Top

If your college or university does not have a Multicultural Affairs Office, we suggest setting up a meeting with Student Affairs staff at your college or university who mentor multicultural students In your meeting together go over the steps and resources below to reach a plan for future action. Your Multicultural Student Office may already have a plan in motion for international students to do outreach, in which case you can request to become a part of the plan.

In the event that the Multicultural Services Office is not able to collaborate:

• Make use of personal contacts (e.g. administrators/ staff, faculty, or current university students) that may help you access student organizations and classes interested in international student outreach.
• Enlist the help of a faculty member who has expertise and potential contacts relevant to similar outreach projects and/ or study abroad. Pay particular attention to faculty members in Education, Languages, International Business, or other International Studies and Area Studies Programs.
• Also check the list of classes to see faculty that might be interested.

Step 3 Agree on venues and events where international students can be included Go Back Top

• Invite Multicultural Services to co-sponsor events with the International Student Office or ask if they will include a table for study abroad at their events and student organizations' events.
• Ask them to mention meeting international students at their orientations to students and parents as an invaluable part of the college experience.
• Ask them to list international student activities as one of their student activities/ organizations in their flyers and on their website.

Step 4 Agree on Ways the Study Abroad Office can Help Multicultural Services/ Student Affairs Contact International Students Go Back Top

Offer to help Multicultural Services/ Student Affairs disseminate their information to your students to help the students maintain a feeling of connectedness with their U.S. campus throughout their U.S. study experience.

Step 5 Agree to Refer Interested International Students to Each Other so that They can Give Outreach Presentations to Student Organizations and Classes Go Back Top

The Multicultural Services Office may be able to offer advice to access student organizations and classes and offer you contacts to other resources that can help. Ask if you or your international students can present to their student leaders or student organizations and who your students should contact to set up these international outreach presentations. Introduce international students to the key contacts in your student organizations (including organizations such as the Black Student Union, the Latin American Student Association, MEChA, Fraternity/Sororities, etc.) to set up these presentations.

Step 6 Tips for presentations Go Back Top

Our Outreach Assistance Program for Students lists guidelines and resources to do an international student outreach presentation. These resources include PowerPoint presentations that have been created as customizable templates for their own presentations about international study. You can direct international students and others volunteering to make presentations to student organizations or in a classroom to the website to help them prepare for their outreach presentations. It can even be used by you personally if you are planning to give an outreach presentation.

Step 7 Evaluation of presentation Go Back Top

You can mentor student presenters by giving them advice on preparation, content suggestions, and feedback about their presentations. It is important to provide feedback so that they can further refine and improve their presentation for next time. Review the overall success of the presentation as well as planning issues, collaboration with contacts/ advisors, and other logistical issues.

You can download our presenter evaluation form here. These evaluations can be used by you or someone such as a student organization leader or faculty member who will be present at the outreach presentation.

Given that school and student demographics, interests, and resources often change, it is important that presenters be encouraged to consider ways to make their presentations more innovative, attractive and relevant to a particular audience.

After a presentation, you should maintain strong communication with the student organization and student presenters to encourage future collaboration.

We hope that you found this information to be of help to you. We welcome your questions, comments, and useful resources you'd like to share! Please contact us at .