The OISS Annual Report

1. OISS: Office of International Students & Scholars Highlights, Challenges & Opportunities Administrators’ Forum – January 13, 2015 The OISS Annual Report Presented by: Adria L. Baker, Ed.D., Executive Director, OISS Associate Vice Provost for International Education

2. OISS Annual Report • International Education Exchange at Rice • Office of International Students & Scholars (OISS) • Brasil@Rice Initiatives • Highlights • Challenges & Opportunities

3. OISS Annual Report Internationalization That Matters “Educational exchange can turn nations into people, contributing as no other form of communication can to the humanizing of international relations.” Senator J. William Fulbright quote, 1983 speech to the Council on International Education Exchange

4. OISS Annual Report International Education Exchange at Rice Highlights: • Building infrastructure for agreements, collaborations and engagement. (Virtual Global Office (VGO) meets bi-monthly, chaired by Dr. Vassar). • Focus on Fulbright initiative • Various committees across campus creating internationalization standards and coordination. • Finalist for Simon Campus Comprehensive Internationalization award

5. OISS Annual Report International Education Exchange at Rice Challenges & Opportunities: • Need more interdisciplinary collaboration and coordination. • Need to continue to learn “best practices” from one another and ways to communicate that. • Quantifying the vast internationalization efforts and initiatives across campus.

6. OISS Annual Report Office of International Students & Scholars (OISS) Highlights: • Record numbers of international students = 23% of overall student population. • 11.8% of undergraduates • 39.7% of graduates • Staying compliant with immigration, given the high/growing numbers of internationals and expanding regulatory mandates. • Refined undergraduate international student supportincluding iPREP. Coordination with other offices.

7. OISS Annual Report Overall International Student Population Who are the internationals at Rice University? The OISS is responsible for tracking, reporting, and providing services for 3000+ internationals at Rice. The total international population is a 12+% increase from last year.

8. OISS Annual Report International Student Enrollment Trends at Rice Graduate vs. Undergraduate Enrollment 1998-2014 The overall graduate international student population increased by 6+% from last year. Total graduate internationals = 1037 (39.7%) The overall undergraduate international student population increased by 2+% from last year. Total undergraduate internationals = 462 (11.8%)

9. OISS Annual Report Comparative Data with Peer Universities (from IPEDS)

10. OISS Annual Report Major Fields of Study: Rice International Students The largest percent of international students at Rice University study in one of the Engineering fields, with Natural Science in second and Social Sciences is third. Architecture, Business Administration and Music remained almost the same as last year.

11. OISS Annual Report Areas of World: Rice International Students

12. OISS Annual Report Country Diversity of Rice Students Number of Countries Represented by Students 2004-2014 Countries represented by students (2014) = 77 Countries represented by students 10 years ago (2004) = 83

13. OISS Annual Report International Scholar Population at Rice Number of Countries Represented 2004-2014 Rice hosted 735 international scholars last year . This is a 16.8% increase from the previous year.

14. OISS Annual Report Fields of Specialization: Rice International Scholars The largest percent of international scholars at Rice University are in Engineering and Natural Science, with Humanities & Music being third.

15. OISS Annual Report Office of International Students & Scholars (OISS) Challenges & Opportunities: • New immigration regulations effective Jan. 5, 2015 • For J Exchange Visitors (mainly affects scholars) • Internships for F students (especially undergrads) • Campus-wide Briefing on procedures and Immigration Reform Executive Order – January 22, 2015 • Managing the numbers of internationals (3000+) • 1499 International students • 736 International scholars • 109 Exchange and visiting international students

16. OISS Annual Report Office of International Students & Scholars (OISS) (cont.) Challenges & Opportunities: • Managing unrealistic turn-around times. These will push back in 2015 due to: • Increasing numbers • More steps required for visas, including Visitor System process • Staffing • Country diversity • International population not throughout campus, i.e., heavy in particular areas

17. OISS Annual Report Brasil@Rice Office Highlights: • Have expanded government scholarship participation into all categories (since Spring 2012): • Undergraduate visiting (40) • Professional Masters (10) • Doctoral (3) • Intensive English (17) • Postdocs & other researchers (39) • Faculty participation high • 50+ faculty engaged in Rice-Brazilian collaborations

18. OISS Annual Report Brasil@Rice Office Highlights: • Faculty Travel Grants • Approximately $100,000 in AY 2013-2014 • Calls for Grant Applications: April 1 & November 1 • Brasil@Rice board just approved student internship application grants via AIESEC • Also finalist for Simon “Spotlight” Campus Internationalization award • Relationships with Brazilian government leaders • Diaspora headquarters in Houston via Brasil@Rice • Visit from CNPq General Manager from Brasilia

19. OISS Annual Report Brasil@Rice Office Challenges & Opportunities : • Lack of outward student study abroad mobility to Brazil. Obstacles include: • Costs • Language • Opportunities: CLIC doing a language immersion course; Financial support of internship applications. • Constantly changing parameters, policies, due to the Brazilian government reversing their decisions.

20. OISS Annual Report Invitation for Rice Community (You and Your Department) to Engage Internationally at Rice Professionally: • See a need? We can help pull together a short-term task force to discuss issues and solutions. • Individual department, school, faculty trainings, i.e., immigration updates, procedures. • Encourage participation from faculty and administrators in the Focus on Fulbright special visits.

21. OISS Annual Report Invitation for Rice Community (You and Your Department) to Engage Internationally at Rice (cont.) Professionally: (cont.) • Encourage faculty to apply for Brazilian faculty travel grant. • Encourage participation in your department for International Education Week (November 2015)

22. OISS Annual Report Invitation for Rice Community (You and Your Department) to Engage Internationally at Rice (cont.) Personally: • Participate in the the Friends of International Students & Scholars (FISS) program, i.e., befriend a first-year student. • Help us find other FISS friends. • Consider being a substitute for the Volunteer English & Culture classes (usually at noon).

23. OISS Annual Report Thank you! Questions & Discussion