Over the weekend, my wife and I visited a community-run non-profit theater that features cinema outside of the mainstream blockbusters. Expecting an evening of the oft-quoted suspension of disbelief, I instead was reminded of how vital our support of all students is, but especially those who have crossed borders seeking the educational foundation for future success.
If you haven’t seen it, or even heard about it, I cannot recommend enough the movie “The Farewell” – a story of family and the struggle for identity when straddling two cultures.
No spoilers here, but the whole movie is a contrast in cultures, pitting the family and society over the individual. One scene at the family dinner table touches upon underlying concerns of seeking study outside of one’s country and the impact it has upon the family and even upon individual identity.
How we International Educators keep the identity development of the student in mind as we seek internationalization of our institutions will strongly affect the retention and success of our students.
Supports we have in place – from academic advising to international student services, from peer-to-peer mentoring and faculty engagement to cross cultural programming and counseling and more – all factor into helping that student in the academic and social integration necessary for student persistence. But we must reflect on whether our students both engage in those services in a meaningful way and reap the outcomes we presume those services provide.
It is no small matter to choose a university – even more so when that institution is on the other side the globe and a million miles away from the culture and family that have thus far nurtured that identity. The stakes are high for the student.
As schools face the pressures of finding enrollments that have been displaced over the past 5 years, as departments vie of coveted budgets, as we all seek to promote a welcoming atmosphere in the face of unwelcoming immigration system – we do well to continue to strive for improvements to the services we provide our students for their success and well-being.
We do well to build community across cultures and borders, bringing everyone to the table. For more information or questions on your institutions support of international students, please contact us at info@globaledprofs.org.