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Running Head: CAPSTONE PAPER

Capstone Paper
California State University, Fullerton
Kan Li

Introduction
I worked as a coordinator in the International Student Office at Qingdao Binhai
University in China for one year. Nothing makes me happier than assisting more students to

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progress step by step in higher education. As a future student affairs educator and current
international student in America, I noticed that most students develop more mature
interpersonal relationships and establish their identity more quickly when they have
nontraditional learning circumstances, as is the case with international students. The
international student population in the U.S. has been increasing in the last 35 years; in fact,
the number of international students has skyrocketed within the past decade to a total increase
of 72.5% because talented persons were highly needed to contribute to the development of
their home countries (Bevis & Lucas, 2007). Various services are urgently needed to support
and guide the increasing international student population that come from different cultural
backgrounds, religions, and values. Therefore, I am inspired to be a coordinator in an
International Students & Scholars Office (ISS) at a public or private university in America to
enhance the communication between the U.S. and other national education systems and to
promote opportunities for knowledge and experience exchanges in a multicultural campus
climate.
In this position, I would have a wide array of responsibilities that focus on providing
assistance and information for international students participating in U.S. universities, for
domestic students planning to study abroad, and for exchange scholars, professors, and
students living in and experiencing the United States. It is important for us to support diverse
students from different cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, religions, and genders and improve
their competency for academic achievement, career preparation, and cultural sensitivity.
Therefore, some of my functions would include collaborating with other departments on
campus to plan and coordinate a variety of academic, leadership, social and cultural campuswide events. I will also deal with legal document processes for international students, such as
those for J-1, F1, and H1B visas; OPT and CPT; scholarship and sponsorship; and insurance.
Furthermore, I have a desire to build cooperative relationships with universities and

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educational institutions in China and South Korea for Study Abroad Programs, since I have
studied in those countries myself. Overall, a coordinator at an International Students &
Scholars Office should support international students in advising, co-curriculum and
programming, and in their adjustment to the campus climate. I will discuss these different
aspects and apply the topics of diversity, social justice, and equity to create intentional plans
for improving campus climate and services in higher education.
Advising
Immigration laws and regulations throughout American history have affected the influx
and wellbeing of international students in the United States. In the late 1900s, the U.S.
passed some restrictive immigration laws, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the
Scott Act of 1888 (Sping, 2014), which disallowed Chinese from studying in the United
States. When the 9/11 attack happened, the Student and Exchange Visitor Information
System (SEVIS) was added to the enrollment process to to track and monitor schools;
exchange visitor programs; and F, M and J nonimmigrants while they visit the United States
and participate in the U.S. education system (ICE.gov., 2016). The U.S. government paid
high attention to national safety and became less welcoming toward international students,
especially those from Middle Eastern countries. Because the immigration laws and
regulations are continually updated, it is extremely important for ISS to provide accurate and
updated information on new regulations and legal processes. Moreover, I believe there is no
minor problem when dealing with the issues confronted by international students. If accurate
knowledge about immigration laws and regulations are not provided in a timely manner,
international students may be deported, bear huge mental pressure, or waste time and money
due to receiving wrong information or missing an application deadline. Every issue can
affect the reputation of the university or even the United States on some level.
I believe the ISS office should promote more personalized advising and workshops to

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equip students to deal with the various issues they have in America. Many international
students struggle with homesickness, loneliness, stress, discrimination, or disconnectedness
with domestic peers, faculty, and staff when they are transitioning from their own countries to
America. These students may come from countries with very different perspectives on
diversity, multiculturalism, racial conflicts, civil rights, and immigration. These hot topic
issues in the U.S. may cause cultural shocks to international students, so I believe individual
advisement in the ISS office can build a deeper understanding about America through
building their capacity of historic analysis. Additionally, personalized advisement can
promote more fluent communication and better relationships between ISS and international
students, so that they will gain a sense of belonging on campus, feel less depressed, and have
a better experience in America. Therefore, I will need to be knowledgeable of various
resources on- and off- campus such as writing center, career center, or counselling services so
that I can be a reliable resources to the students I support.

Co-curriculum and Program

Stereotypes about international students, such as people thinking they are rich, lack
language skills, and are less interested in taking part in campus activities, create further
cultural barriers. Because some international students think they do not truly belong to
America, they might focus only on their degree instead of other aspects of college life, like
developing their ethnic identity, professionalism, or leadership skills on campus. Although
international students have higher tuition cost than domestic students, they lack both the
catered availability of resources on campus and the desire to use those resources. Resource
centers, the support of faculty, staff, and administrators, and the university as a whole play an
important role in connecting international students with the campus and helping them
succeed, but institutions sometimes fall short of ensuring quality support for these students

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(Urban & Palmer, 2016). Therefore, I would like to improve the co-curriculum and program
designs for international students. As mentioned in Spring (2014), resisting segregation is an
important aspect of American history, which largely affects social justice, racial issues, and
womens rights. Most of the international students come from countries that are less diverse
than America, some of them never having realized or understood their ethnic identity issues
before coming to America. So it requires a necessary transition process when they are
studying in America, learning how to navigate both a new way of life and a new education
system. As such, I want to ensure international students develop their cultural sensitivity
through programs such as American Studies 101 and academic field trips, which will provide
them an educational background in the ideas of multiculturalism, racial segregation, and
human rights to inspire them to think critically about their own ethnic identity, how history
affects their world views, and how to respect people who are different from them. At the
same time, international students can better adjust to American society and overcome the
cultural barriers that prevent them from fully taking part in college life. As a coordinator, I
will advocate for programs that promote international students professional development,
such as workshops on leadership, team work, and skills for job hunting, so that they can be
better prepared for their professional life after graduation.
Campus Climate
Spring (2014) mentioned that from 1980 to 1988 under the global market circumstance,
American schools were trying to improve their countrys impact on the world by fostering
globally competitive abilities in their education system. Currently, the number of
international students studying in the U.S. continues increasing annually, bringing diversity,
community exposure to different cultures, increased revenue, cross-culture collaboration, and
internationalization to many institutions of higher education (Douglass et al., 2011).
International students also play an important role in conducting research in key fields of

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technology and science (Anderson, 2010). American Universities need to create globalized,
multicultural, and inclusive campus climates for both domestic and international students.
Many of the problems and needs of international students have been ignored because most
international students will go back to their home countries after graduation. In 2014-2015,
fees, tuitions, and other expenses that international students paid contributed 30.8 billion
dollars to the U.S. economy (Institute of International Education, 2015). Personally, I do not
want international students to feel that American universities need them only because they
need economic benefits or to be called a global campus. Thus, it is imperative that I
cooperate with stakeholders on campus for any significant changes occur. Even short-term
successes are important to make progress, since any progress can affect the institutional
philosophy toward international students. Creating partnerships with student cultural clubs
and organizations are also important in regards to student orientations, cultural events, and
extracurricular activates.
First, I would coordinate cultural events such as international cultural festivals, providing
a platform where international students can showcase their culture, language, food and
traditional clothes to more faculty, staffs, and domestic students. These cultural activities can
increase the awareness of globalization, diversity, and multiculturalism. It can give
international students a sense of pride in their own culture, as well as a sense of
accomplishment in taking part in educating the campus. Second, because the ISS office has
limited budget and staff to serve thousands of international students, it is important to work
with international student organizations and clubs during orientation, cultural events, or
advising. The leaders of international student organizations and clubs come from different
countries, so they are passionate about helping to build connections for international students.
Such involvement can also foster their leadership skills, communication skills, and team work
abilities. Lastly, ISS office would provide learning opportunities such as professional

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development to ensure that institutions, staff members, counselors, and faculty understand
international students situation and know how to engage them. As Spring (2014) mentioned,
since American campuses become more diverse, it is necessary for all stakeholders to open
their minds and armed themselves with knowledge so that they strive to provide these
students with a quality education in America. At the same time, faculty and staff members
would be advocated to connect students to institutional resources to help them persist through
their postsecondary education in American.
Conclusion
Evans (2010) points out that any transition, including both events and non-events, can
cause adult development. Coming to America for study is a big transition for international
students, so under the individual situation and based on their personal and demographic
characteristics (p217), it is crucial that I support them in earning their degree, adjusting to
the social structure, and learning through different experiences on campus. It is critical to be
aware of my role in encouraging and motivating more institutions and educators to step up
and advocate for international students. As educators, we are supposed to ensure that
diversity, justice, and equity remain in higher education and to support and assist our
students, we must keep social justice in mind and try to improve the improve our programs to
set our students up for success.

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Reference:
Anderson, S. (2010). Debunking myths about international students and highly skilled
immigrants. International Educator. 4-7. doi: 800.654.2051
Urban, E. L., & Palmer, L.B. (2004). International students as a resources for
internationalization of higher education. Journal of Studies in International Education,
18(4), 305-324
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history (1st Ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
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Developmetn in College:Theory, Research, and Practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
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Administration, Ninth Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
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Retrieved from: https://www.ice.gov/sevis
Zhang, J. & Goodson, P. (2010) Predictors of international students psychosocial adjustment
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