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Session Evaluation

Session

International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS)

A Hard Day's NISE: Forging Connection with New International Students

Thursday, October 31, 2024
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM CDT
Location: Schaumburg F
Presentation Description: The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign serves a large international student population on a decentralized, rural campus, posing challenges for new international students. Our New International Student Experience (NISE) aims to support students transitioning from home country to campus, from pre-arrival orientation (PAO), to logistical support, and continued connection post check-in. Post-COVID we have emphasized in-person services like in-country PAO and a Shuttle project from O’Hare in order to forge connections with students throughout their cultural adjustment.

Learning Objectives:

  • During this presentation, attendees will learn about a unique logistical project that seeks to support new international students culturally while transporting them from O'Hare to our rural campus.
  • During this presentation, we will explore how we have faced the challenges of a decentralized rural campus with a reinvestment in in-person activities in a post-COVID environment.
  • After this presentation, attendees will be able to reflect on how the student arrival experience may be adapted on their own campuses to support students adjusting to a new environment.