Better Service through Collaboration:
International Student Orientation at MSU
FYE Conference – February 10, 2015
James M. Lucas, Amber Cordell, Dillon Frechen
Framing Questions
§  What changes have you experienced in relationship
to international first-year students?
§  Have these changes resulted in challenges for you
campus?
§  How have you addressed them?
MSU Context
§  Rapidly changing nature of MSU enrollments and
demographics
§  Requirement for changes to the structure and foci
for orientation
§  Changes to college advising, housing, and
student support services
§  Student safety concerns for both domestic and
international students
Residency
International
15%
Illinois
California
New York
Ohio
New Jersey
China
South Korea
India
Taiwan
Saudi Arabia
Domestic NonResident
14%
Resident
71%
Enrollment Trends
Fall Semester International Students
6000
Undergraduate
Masters
Doctoral
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
1971
1980
1990
2000
2005
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Fall Semester Student Demographic
40,000
35,000
30,000
25,000
Domestic
Undergraduate
20,000
15,000
International
Undergraduate
10,000
5,000
0
1971 1980 1990 2000 2005 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Fall Semester: Chinese Students
4500
4000
3500
Undergrad
Grad
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Impetuses for Change
§ Organizational change
§ Scale
§ Non-attendance
§ Academic integration issues
§ Student information retention
§ Housing
§ Safety
What we did
§ Collaborations
§ Marketing and communication
§ In-country sessions
§ Mandatory sessions
§ Extended requirements
§ Housing changes
§ On-line offerings
Collaborators
§ Core Committee: Office for International Students
and Scholars, Orientation Office, and the English
Language Center
§ Additional Members of Larger Committee:
Registrar, Admissions, Academic Advisors, Faculty,
Neighborhood Directors (Residence Education and
retention specialists)
Key Campus Partners
§  Provost
§  Undergraduate Education
§  Residence Education and
Hospitality Services
§  Campus Police
§  IT Services
§  ID Office
§  Neighborhood engagement
centers
§  City of East Lansing
§  Alumni Association
§  Rec Sports
§  International student
organizations
§  Multicultural Center
§  Graduate School
§  Lansing Airport
§  Detroit Airport Shuttle
§  Faculty
Marketing and Communication
§  Composed summer communications as a team
§  Reviewed all of our websites together and cross-linked
§  Created an admissions portal with streamlined checklist of
pre-arrival required steps
§  Combined orientation schedule booklets into one
Pre-departure Program in China
§  Hosted by MSU international student office (OISS) and
Chinese student groups
§  Shanghai, Beijing (and some years Chengdu)
§  Info sessions for admitted students and families
§  Conducted in Mandarin
In-Country Sessions
§  Welcome
§  Resource Fair
§  Immigration Basics
§  Healthcare and Health Insurance
§  Laws and Safety
§  Road to Academic Success
§  U.S. Classroom Culture
§  Online Resources
§  What’s Next?
Mandatory Sessions
§ To deal with lack of attendance, made orientation
sessions mandatory
§  Created attendance tracking system
§  IDs swiped at beginning and end of mandatory sessions
§  Make-up sessions offered last day of orientation
§  Online e-tutorials required by deadline
§  Warning e-mails sent
§  Holds placed on accounts
§  Classes dropped
Extended Requirements
§  Goal: increase engagement with faculty, staff and diverse
students and make new students aware of campus resources
§  Reframe required sessions as the start of conversations
§  Make them more interactive and simple, knowing that more was to
come
§  Must attend three events fall semester
§  Over 80 opportunities offered (academic, social, cultural, health)
§  Get signatures and turn in by deadline
§  Hold on account if not completed
Housing Changes
§  No temporary housing
§  Online ID process
§  Students move into assigned room the day before orientation
§  REHS provides welcome kits
§  REHS collaborated with airport shuttle to provide
transportation to dorms
§  International orientation week meal card provided
§  Strong communication/collaboration with orientation
committee
Online Offerings
§  Students register for orientation online and create personal
orientation schedule
§  Required E-tutorials for those who missed a session
§  YouTube videos
§  Active social media
Lessons Learned
Institutional
§  Outside perspectives,
unclear intent, and respect
for institutional knowledge
§  Enhanced collaboration
§  Language and knowledge
retention concerns
§  Year- or semester-long
curriculum
§  Use of learning outcomes
and assessment
Programmatic
§  Smaller-scale
§  More interpersonal touches
§  More interactions with
domestic students, faculty,
and staff
§  More online, pre-arrival
work
§  Better collaboration with
colleges and retention
programs