Chapter 16:

 Infrastructure for International Education

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The 1990's, and especially the last five years of the century, brought with them a major expansion in the support structure for international education at San Francisco State. Through its Office of International Programs (OIP), there has been a significant increase in and enhancement of services provided to students and faculty. This chapter will focus on the university's attempt to establish a viable infrastructure to support international education responsive to the recommendations emanating from the university strategic plan.

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STRATEGIC PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS

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The strategic plan recommended that the university increase the information and bibliographic material necessary for enhancing its international dimension by: (a) creating a clearinghouse of information on international programs, resources, and activities available to students and faculty; (b) establishing a systematic and regular method for the dissemination of information regarding OIP programs; (c) placing relevant information on its World Wide Web home page [www.sfsu.edu/~oip/]; and (d) continuing to develop its own library collection and its network with other collections to support internationalization of the curriculum. It recommended that the role and responsibilities of the Office of International Programs be augmented by increasing support for and expanding the services provided by the office and also by housing the office in a more visible campus location. Additionally, the strategic plan recommended that the university continue to expand the use of "international floors" in the residence halls for combined occupancy by both international and domestic students. Furthermore, it recommended that the university establish a physical facility for an international center on the campus.

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OVERVIEW 1992-2000

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OIP Staff

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In 1992, the university's support for its international endeavors consisted of an Office of International Programs composed of one study abroad adviser, one international student adviser, and a part-time secretary, with directorial oversight provided by the associate vice president for academic programs and planning. (In 1991, the position of OIP director had been suspended for budgetary reasons.) With a new infusion of resources in 1994, the staff grew to seven members, including an acting director, a coordinator of international student services, a coordinator of student outreach services, a coordinator of international exchanges, an international student advisor, an office secretary, and a systems analyst.

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By 1998, OIP had a staff composed of eleven members assigned to different responsibilities in the various programs and services offered by the office. The staff included the OIP director, an office manager, a receptionist, a systems analyst, a coordinator of study abroad and international exchange, a coordinator of international outreach services, a coordinator of international student services, a study abroad advisor, two international student advisors, and an international scholar specialist. This last position was reclassified to coordinator of international grants and protocol in 1999.

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OIP Physical Space

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For most of its existence, the Office of International Programs was housed in a temporary building on 19th Avenue. In fact, in 1992, OIP shared this structure with the American Language Institute. When the decision was made in 1994 to improve the university's infrastructure for international education, the entire temporary building was turned over to OIP and some remodeling was done. Within two years, the structure, with less than 2,000 square feet, had become too small to accommodate the operations of OIP. Needed staff could not be hired because there was no office space for them. A couple of staff members were housed in spaces within the building that previously served as storage rooms, were inadequately ventilated, and had no natural light. The absence of running water only added to the inappropriateness of such an accommodation.

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In early 1998, when retrofitting work was being completed on the administration building, the administration decided to make changes to the occupancy of the building. The OIP was invited to be part of the Academic Affairs set of offices on the 4th floor of the Administration Building. This new space is not only larger, providing 3,000 square feet, but also assigns to OIP the importance and seriousness that such an office deserves. This is also consistent with the university's commitment to raise the profile of international education on the campus. All staff members are now comfortably housed, and there is room to accommodate a slight growth in staff and programming activities.

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OIP Budget

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The budget of OIP has been consistently increased every year since 1993, when the budget for that academic year was $109,896:

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1993-94

$109,896

1994-95

$253,412

1995-96

$259,992

1996-97

$458,098

1997-98

$487,936

1998-99

$520,520

1999-00

$534,410

2000-01

$550,500

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OIP Programs and Services
From 1992 to 2000, the university has provided OIP with a major increase in staff, budget, and space. This has led to significant growth in the international functions, programs, and services available to the SFSU community. These are discussed in more detail in Chapters 17 and 18 and include the following:

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• Study Abroad and International Exchanges
• International Student Outreach and Recruitment
• International Student Services and Programs
• International Alumni Services and Development
• International Visitors and Protocol
• International Living Community
• Fulbright and Scholar Services
• Grants and International Training and Development
• Internationalizing the Curriculum
• Bay Area Community Relationships

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International Living Community—Physical Residential Facility

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In line with the goal of enhancing the infrastructure for international education was the decision in 1997 to convert the university's Guest Center into an International Living Community [see www.sfsu.edu/~ housing/facilities_ic.html]. Prior to this decision, there were international floors in the university dormitories such as the "Adelante" floor which had a Latino theme. After the creation of the International Living Community, the international floor themes were discontinued in the dormitories. The creation of the International Living Community (ILC) was a significant commitment of university resources to make available a cross-cultural residential environment that offered a unique experience for residents (both international and domestic) and served as the center for cross-cultural programming for the entire campus. In 1998, the first group of 90 student residents were housed in the new International Living Community.

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From the very beginning of the creation of the ILC an advisory board was formed. The advisory board was composed of students from the ILC itself, staff from the Office of Housing and Residential Services and the Office of International Programs, and faculty. This board met regularly to deal with issues of policy and programming. The goal was to continue shaping international community programs to insure their success in serving the students and the campus. The projection in 1998 was that eventually the international community would become an International House. The difference between the two types of residential facilities is that the international community has limited programs and services coordinated by a part-time graduate student, whereas an International House is directed by a full-time professional staff which can develop a comprehensive international program.

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In the Spring of 1999, the Academic Affairs Office provided the funds to hire a part-time graduate student to coordinate an academic and cross-cultural program for the International Living Community. The coordinator started working twenty hours per week and developed a program plan for both the residents and the campus community in general. In addition, with room and board provided to this graduate student by Residential Life Services, she was able to feel and be perceived as being more connected to and immersed in the life of the international community. One of her first accomplishments as coordinator was to create an international community lounge where many of the international activities would be held. The coordinator's other responsibilities included organizing a Brown Bag Series where faculty members would make presentations on topics of interest to the residents; academic advising; establishing English language tables; making referrals when needed; and working in collaboration with other residential staff. In addition, she worked closely with OIP coordinators to provide a linkage between the International Living Community and OIP.

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Unfortunately, at the end of the 1999-2000 academic year, the International Living Community and, in fact, the entire Residence Apartment Building, was closed indefinitely due to the discovery of toxic mold in the wall structure. It is not known how long it will take for this serious building problem to be dealt with. However, the "Adelante" international floor has been resurrected for 2000-2001, with a mix of international and domestic students.

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International Center—Physical Facility for International Activities

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Even though the strategic plan recommended that the university should work toward the building of a physical facility for an International Center to host on-campus international activities, this recommendation has ranked low in terms of the university's priorities for resource allocation and fundraising. The recommended International Center is not an International House, where student residence is one of the primary functions. The SFSU strategic plan described the International Center as a physical facility for international activities with unique characteristics: housing OIP offices and programs; accommodations for international visiting scholars; an international dining facility; class and seminar rooms; lecture hall and auditorium; gathering place for student organizations; exhibit halls; international pavilion; high tech international communications room; special collection and documentation archives; and offices for international institutes, professors emeriti, and faculty groups.

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This recommendation is complex and far-reaching and requires a major infusion of financial resources. The creation of an International Center is a long-term goal which the university will continue to explore.

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Technological Information/Communication Services

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OIP has created a World Wide Web home page with information on its range of programs and services. The home page contains the OIP mission statement, a listing of the staff, and a complete presentation of all of the programs and services offered. This site is visited an average of over 40,000 times per month. On this web site, OIP responds to inquiries from prospective international students in a semi-automated format. In addition, OIP manages a listserve with over 1,000 subscribers to provide current international students with information relevant to their needs.

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As a way of keeping the campus, the alumni, and the community informed of its activities, OIP also publishes four newsletters: the International Review for faculty and the campus in general; The Bridge for students interested in international exchanges and study abroad; The Compass [www.sfsu.edu/~oip/news. htm], published for currently enrolled international students; and the International Ambassador for international alumni. These newsletters are published twice a year in the fall and in the spring.

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A Faculty Resource Handbook on the web and in print would be an important resource for campus and community groups seeking information regarding faculty expertise and experience in the international arena. OIP has been working on this project with the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and will continue to do so during 2000-2001 to produce a useful, continually-updated, resource.

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In OIP's Study Abroad Resource Center, students contemplating study abroad can find information on all of the university's bilateral exchange programs, as well as information on the CSU's International Programs. In addition, there are hundreds of books and videos that provide information on specific countries and on a range of issues relating to the study abroad experience. Students have access to the web on a computer in the resource center. They may also look at the videos on a video monitor. The resource center has more than doubled in size since 1992 and continues to receive donations of books and other resources for use by students.

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Recommendations for the Future

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As OIP expands, grows, and offers more international programs and services to the university, the demand will keep increasing. As a result, there will be an increasing need for more resources. There will also be a need to continue to train and develop the OIP staff. Currently, speakers are invited to make presentations to the staff about areas related to OIP work. The staff attend workshops and conferences that enhance their knowledge and skills. In the future, OIP is planning to develop training manuals for staff and student assistants.

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In addition, OIP needs to monitor the quality of the services offered to the university. It needs to conduct regular surveys to assess how the university community perceives the services being offered.

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Finally, to deal with the strategic plan recommendation for the creation of an International Center, the university will need to establish an advisory board to formalize the structure to initiate the discussions to plan for such a center. The advisory board should be composed of university members, community leaders, international and domestic alumni, and others. What will undoubtedly be needed is a ten-year plan to make the International Center a reality.

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