At the AIEA 2017 conference in Washington, DC, Di Hu, co-founder of interEDGE, chaired a session entitled “Intercultural Strategies for Enhancing Campus Inclusion and Student Success.” The session brought together Senior International Officers from Babson College, McDaniel College and Xavier University of Louisiana to share their leadership perspectives and experiences in developing and implementing applying cost-effective, high-impact intercultural strategies to enhance intercultural competence for all student groups including international students.

2. Intercultural
Strategies
for
Enhancing
Campus
Inclusion
and
Student
Success
February
22,
2017
AIEA,
Washington
DC
Di
Hu
(di@interEDGE.org)
Co-­‐founder
and
Principal
Coach
interEDGE.org
Amir
Reza,
Ph.D.
(areza@babson.edu)
Vice
Provost,
Interna=onal
&
Mul=cultural
Educa=on
Babson
College
Amy
McNichols,
Ph.D.
(amcnichols@mcdaniel.edu)
Associate
Dean,
Interna=onal
and
Intercultural
Programs
McDaniel
College
Torian
L.
Lee,
J.D.
(tllee@xula.edu)
Director,
Center
for
Intercultural
and
Interna=onal
programs
(CIIP)
Xavier
University
of
Louisiana

3. Agenda
for
today’s
session
• Context
of
the
discussion
• Three
experts
from
different
ins=tu=onal
contexts
• Q&A

4. Key
quesTons
to
address
1. What
are
some
of
the
challenges
in
enhancing
interna=onal
student
experience?
2. What
are
some
of
the
cost-­‐
effec=ve,
high-­‐impact
intercultural
programs
and
strategies?

5. Context
of
the
discussion
Di
Hu
Principal
Coach
&
Co-­‐founder
interEDGE.org
• Mo=va=onal
speaker
and
intercultural
trainer
focusing
on
interna=onal
students
inclusion
and
career
success
• Contributor
to
Forbes
and
Asia
Times
• M.S.
in
Interna=onal
Development
from
American
University,
and
M.A.
in
Psycholinguis=cs
from
China

6. In
search
of
soluTons…
Increasing
challenges
Declining/Stagnant
resources

7. ShiVing
emphasis
on
enrollment
growth
19%
56%

8. Not
the
headline
we
want…
“Colleges
need
interna=onal
students
in
part
for
the
tui=on
revenue,
but
language
and
cultural
barriers
make
assimila=on
a
struggle”
-­‐The
Wall
Street
Journal
• “

10. SIO
PerspecTve
• Diverse
ins=tu=onal
contexts
• Challenges
• Prac=ces
• Lessons
learned

11. SIO Perspective
Amir
Reza
Vice
Provost
for
InternaTonal
&
MulTcultural
EducaTon
Babson
College
• Served
on
regional
leadership
boards
for
NAFSA
and
is
ac=ve
in
AIEA.
• Presented
at
numerous
na=onal
and
interna=onal
conferences
on
interna=onal
educa=on.
• His
research
focus
is
on
interna=onaliza=on,
and
intercultural
development
• B.A.
and
M.Ed.
from
the
University
of
Maine,
and
Ph.D.
in
Higher
Educa=on
Administra=on
from
Boston
College’s
Center
for
Interna=onal
Higher
Educa=on

12. International Students at Babson College
BABSON
COLLEGE
• Founded
in
1919
• Specialized
Bachelor’s
and
Master’s
• 2,100
undergraduate
students
• 900
graduate
students
• Nearly
1000
interna=onal
students
• From
more
than
90
countries.
300 321
373
422
479
536 551 555 565 558
608
281 306 295
239 263
287 293
341 334
305 320
29 43 53 52 50 54 38 35 44 32 30
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Fall 2009 Fall 2010 Fall 2011 Fall 2012 Fall 2013 Fall 2014 Fall 2015 Fall 2016
Undergraduate Graduate Exchange

13. BABSON
COLLEGE
MISSION:
Babson
College
educates
entrepreneurial
leaders
who
create
great
economic
and
social
value—everywhere.
GLAVIN
OFFICE
MISSION:
We
empower
students
to
think
and
act
intenTonally
in
intercultural
contexts,
to
explore
their
idenTTes,
and
to
develop
the
skills
necessary
to
navigate
the
environment
in
which
they
live,
learn
and
work.

14. • InsTtuTons
are
increasing
their
capacity
to
recruit
interna=onal
students,
thus
becoming
increasingly
diverse
• The
conven=onal
wisdom
has
been
that
interac=on
with
diversity
is
posiTve
and
has
dividends
for
learners’
intercultural
competence
• Many
are
less
clear/deliberate
in
avoiding
some
of
the
pidalls
that
come
with
growing
diversity
Challenges

15. 1. Vicinity
is
Important,
But
Not
Sufficient

16. 2.
Misconcep=on
about
the
Interna=onal/Domes=c
Divide
“There
are
two
kinds
of
people
in
the
world.
Those
who
divide
the
world
into
two
kinds
of
people,
and
those
who
don’t.”
-­‐Robert
Benchley

17. 3.
Conformity
Pressures
are
Real
and
can
be
Harmful
-­‐-­‐
and
we
unwiengly
contribute
to
these
pressures

18. 4.
Fragmenta=on
is
Apparent
at
Many
Ins=tu=ons
-­‐-­‐
and
it
threatens
our
communi=es

19. Source:
M.
Hammer,
2009
Commonality
Difference
CONFORMITY
FRAGMENTATION
When
not
Integrated

20. Source:
M.
Hammer,
2009
Commonality
Difference
FOCUS
INNOVATION
When Integrated

21. • Glavin
Global
Fellows
combine
humani=es
and
business
approaches
to
cri=cal
thinking
on
global
issues,
language
study
and
interna=onal
experience.
They
also
integrate
Babson’s
business
and
liberal
arts
educa=on
with
interna=onal
studies
and
proficiency
in
another
language.
Glavin
Global
Fellows

22. Global
Scholars
Program
ü 10
Scholars
per
cohort
ü Compe==ve
need-­‐based
scholarships
ü Full
tui=on
+
living
expenses
as
needed
ü Increased
socio-­‐economic
and
regional
representa=on
among
interna=onal
student
popula=on

23. Campus Traditions [a sample]
§ MulTcultural
FesTval
§ LaTn
American
Forum
§ O.N.E.
Week
§ Shabbat
Dinners
§ India
Symposium
§ Lavender
GraduaTon
§ Asia
Entrepreneurship
Forum
§ Hispanic
Heritage
Month
§ Diversity
Forum
§ Transgender
Awareness
Week

24. Undergraduate Orientation
• Overhaul
and
ongoing
assessment
and
improvement
of
efforts
to
strategically
embed
more
experien=al
diversity
and
inclusion
content
that:
• Increase
awareness
of
self
and
other
• Challenges
assump=ons
and
bias
• Define
and
Promote
Bias
Incident
Repor=ng
• Encourages
curiosity,
empathy,
and
moving
past
one’s
comfort/familiar
zone

25. • Ongoing
assessment
and
improvement
of
curriculum,
educa=onal
materials,
and
guidance
on
diversity
and
inclusion-­‐
specific
content.
• Expanded
FYS
Instructor
training
• Full
day
with
external
trainer
Class
1:
IdenTty
Class
7:
Stereotypes,
Micro-­‐aggressions
Class
8:
Bias,
Privilege
Class
10:
Intercultural
Leadership
First Year Seminar (FYS)

26. Staff & Faculty Development
Diversity
Magers
Dialogues
• Monthly
dialogue
series
facilitated
by
faculty
and
staff,
for
faculty
and
staff.
• We
explore
common
interests
and
diverse
perspec=ves
in
an
effort
to
create
an
inclusive
campus.
A
few
examples:
• New
Faculty
Orienta=on
• Intercultural
Development
Inventory
• Global
Mindset
Workshops
• HR
collabora=on
for
new
employees
External
Opportuni=es:
SIIC
BISC
WISE

27. SIO
PerspecTve
Amy
McNichols
Associate
Dean
for
Interna=onal
and
Intercultural
Programs
and
Associate
Professor
of
Spanish
McDaniel
College
• Named
Director
of
Global
Ini=a=ves
in
2012
to
lead
campus
interna=onaliza=on
efforts
• Research
interest
in
wri=ng
by
and
about
marginalized
subjects
led
to
ethical
global
experien=al
educa=on,
intercultural
competence
development,
and
inclusion/access
in
global
educa=on
• MA/MAT
from
Binghamton
University,
and
Ph.D.
from
the
University
of
North
Carolina
at
Chapel
Hill

28. InsTtuTonal
Context
• Small
liberal
arts
college
in
rural
county
outside
of
Bal=more/DC
metropolitan
area,
1600
undergraduates,
1600
graduate
students
• Very
small,
diverse
interna=onal
student
popula=on,
including
Global
Bridge
Program
students
(“mul=-­‐local,”
mul=-­‐na=onal
iden==es)
• Sister
campus
in
Budapest,
Hungary
with
full
four-­‐
year
degree
program
and
globally
diverse
student
body

29. Make
Challenges
=
Strengths
• Small
campus,
small
interna=onal
student
popula=on
• Majority
popula=on
largely
local/
regional
• Rural
campus
• First
genera=on
students
• High
percentage
of
students
on
financial
aid
• Limited
resources
Goal:
Cul=vate
meaningful
interac=ons
among
students
of
diverse
backgrounds.

30. InternaTonalizaTon
=
Building
Community
• Global
Fellows
Program
• Global
Bridge
Program
• Emphasis
on
intercultural
competence/interac=on
• Programming
to
engage
students
in
discussion
of
complex,
global,
cross-­‐cultural
issues
• Classroom
experience:
Faculty
development
work
on
intercultural
competence
in
teaching
and
learning

31. Shared
acTviTes
• Global
Bridge
• Global
Fellows
• F-­‐1
students
• Study
abroad
returnees
• Second
language
and
interna=onal
studies
students
• Faculty
and
staff
Partnership
and
cooperaTon
with
the
Office
of
Diversity
and
Inclusion,
Wellness
Center,
Residence
Life,
Associate
Dean
of
Faculty
Development,
Faculty

32. Shared
values:
Budapest
and
Maryland
• Interna=onal
Peer
Mentor
Program
• Local/global
connec=ons
• “Students
First”
ethos
• Student
exchange

33. ConversaTons
Build
Bridges
and
CulTvate
Learning:
Social
Networks
• Global
Bridge
Coffee
Hours
• Bus
trip
to
Washington,
DC
Cherry
Blossom
Fes=val
• Global
Fellows
Program
• “Where
are
you
from?”
Campaign
• Post-­‐elec=on
discussions
• “Mul=-­‐Local”
Faculty
Panel

34. SIO
PerspecTve
Torian
L.
Lee,
J.D.
Chief
Interna=onal
Officer
and
Director
of
the
Center
for
Intercultural
&
Interna=onal
Programs
Xavier
University
of
Louisiana
• Serves
on
the
AIEA
leadership
team
as
a
Member
of
the
Board
• A
three-­‐=me
Fulbright
Scholarship
recipient,
he
has
twelve
years
of
experience
in
Interna=onal
Educa=on
• B.A.
from
Virginia
State
University
and
J.D.
from
Capital
University

35. Xavier
University
of Louisiana

36. Unique History & Mission…
• Xavier
was
founded
in
1925
by
Saint
Katharine
Drexel
and
the
Sisters
of
the
Blessed
Sacrament
• Xavier
is
the
only
Historically
Black
and
Catholic
university
in
the
United
States
• Xavier
Mission:
Promo=ng
a
more
just
and
humane
society
and
Prepara=on
of
students
for
leadership
and
service
in
a
global
society.

37. Xavier by the Numbers
• 2,976
is
the
student
enrollment
for
Fall
2016
• 40
states
and
foreign
countries
are
represented
in
student
body
• 13:1
is
the
Student-­‐Faculty
Ra=o
• 2
Colleges
make
up
Xavier:
Arts
&
Sciences
and
Pharmacy
• 6
Divisions
are
in
the
College
of
Arts
&
Sciences
• 21
Departments
are
in
the
College
of
Arts
&
Sciences

38. Emphasis
on
Student
Success
INTERNSHIPS
Office of Career Services
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
Center for Undergraduate Research
STUDY ABROAD & INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SERVICES
Center for Intercultural and International Programs
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
Office of Career Services
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Academic Departments/Student Services/Volunteer Services
LEADERSHIP
Center for Student Leadership & Service

39. Intercultural Strategies for Enhancing
Campus Inclusion and International
Student Success
• Enhanced Orientation and Support
• Campus Cultural Exchange Opportunities – “Cultural Night”
• Community Service Activities
• Academic Support Services
• Student Organizations & Activities
• Monthly off campus cultural
excursions for International Students
• Pairing international and U.S. students
in campus housing and mentor programs
• Courses across the curriculum with significant international content

40. Lessons Learned
• It is important to collaborate with all campus departments to
ensure the success of international students.
• An organized series of off campus activities in the local
community and beyond helps to enhance the International
Student experience.

41. Resources
Bit.ly/4iStudent

42. QuesTons/Comments
Di
Hu,
interEDGE
(di@interEDGE.org)
Amir
Reza,
Babson
College
(areza@babson.edu)
Amy
McNichols,
McDaniel
College
(amcnichols@mcdaniel.edu)
Torian
L.
Lee,
Xavier
University
of
Louisiana
(tllee@xula.edu)