This section for Multicultural Services and Student Affairs administrators and staff provides quick and easy steps to promote your students' education about other countries and regions worldwide by working with your International Student Office and involving international students in outreach.

Learning from international students is an effective way for students to develop global awareness. Students who learn about the world and then go abroad often have a profound experience that remains with them forever and influences their further education and often their career.

Until now, the percent participation rates of African American/ Black, Hispanic/Latin American, Asian/ Pacific Islander American, and Native American students studying abroad are significantly lower than the percentages for these students in U.S. higher education enrollment (Data Tables); however the coordination of the Multicultural Services/ Student Affairs Offices with the International Student Office in outreach utilizing returned students can help improve these numbers.

Steps to Promote Your Students' Participation in Study Abroad

1. Learn more about the role of your International Student Office on campus
2. Meet with the Director of International Students on your campus
3. Agree on venues and events where international students can be included
4. Agree on ways the International Student Office can help Multicultural Services contact international students
5. Agree to refer interested international students to each other to do outreach presentations
6. Tips for giving presentations
7. Evaluation of presentation

Step 1 Learn more about the role of your International Student Office on campus

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. International student advisors, like the multicultural services professionals, wear many hats and often duplicate the positions already in existence on campus for all international students. However in a meeting to go over the steps and resources below, we hope you will find that you can help each other with relative ease and little pressure on your resources.

Step 2 Meet with the Director of International Students on your campus Go Back Top

If your college or university does not have an International Student Office, we suggest setting up a meeting with faculty or staff at your college or university who advise/recruit international students or staff at a college or university near your campus. In your meeting together go over the steps and resources below to reach a plan for future action. Your International 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 International Student Office is not able to collaborate, or there is no International Student Office:

• On your own, contact international students to present on their home country to your student organizations referring them to our Outreach Steps for International Students.
• Enlist the help of a faculty member at your institution 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.
• Use the resources in our Outreach Steps for International Students to do the presentation yourself. These resources include PowerPoint presentations that have been created as customizable templates for your own presentations about international study.
• Make use of personal contacts (e.g. administrators/ staff, faculty, or current international students) who may help you access international students and/ or classes interested in international student outreach.
• 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 the International Student Office to co-sponsor events or include a table for them at your events and student organizations' events.
• Agree to mention learning about countries of heritage at your orientations to students and parents as an invaluable part of the college experience.
• Agree to list meeting international students from countries of heritage as one of your student activities/ organizations in your flyers and on your website.

Step 4 Agree on ways the International Student Office can help Multicultural Services contact international students Go Back Top

Ask the International Student Office to help you disseminate information to students abroad so the students maintain a feeling of connectedness with to the campus throughout their time in the U.S.

Step 5 Agree to refer interested international students to each other to do outreach presentations Go Back Top

Agree to help facilitate international students (and other volunteers) to present to your students' organizations, leaders, and classes by:

• encouraging international students to present and to contact the International Student Office
• introducing the 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

Perhaps the International Student Office can help connect you with students by giving you a list of international students to invite them to present to your students' organizations directly; or by distributing a letter from you to these students with the same invitation.

Also invite the International Student Office to present to your student leaders and organizations themselves.

Step 6 Tips for presentations Go Back Top

Our Outreach Assistance Program for Students lists guidelines and resources to do an 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 an international student advisor, 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 and the student organization should maintain strong communication with study abroad advisors and student presenters to encourage future collaboration.

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