July 2012, Academic Issue 1

I N S I D E :

ISS At A Glance

And Off They Go!

A Year in Review….From the Desk of Director Laurie Cox

What You Should Know About ISS Orientation

Cultural Adjustment 101

What ISS Can Do For You

Fun Facts: International Student Statistics

Check Out the International Student Guide

Build Global Competence Through International Reach

ISS Compass The ISS Compass is a biannual e-newsletter from International Student Services designed to provide information to all faculty and staff about student services and resources for the campus in relation to serving international students.

On May 2, 2012, ninety graduating international stu-dents were honored by the Wisconsin Alumni Association and International Student Services with awards ac-knowledging their academic achievements and leadership contributions to campus.

Celebrating with their fami-lies and friends, awardees received words of praise from Dean Gilles Bousquet, Division of International Stud-ies, for their academic suc-cesses and gratitude for bringing the world to Wiscon-sin. Participants also had the opportunity to hear from ISS Director Laurie Cox, WAA

AND OFF THEY GO!

Photo by Andy Manis

Director of International Alumni Relations Kim Santia-go and WAA Executive Vice President Mary DeNiro. They were regaled with song by Jewop, the campus Jewish a cappella singing group, and were photographed innumer-

able times with Bucky! WAA and ISS hold this successful event at the end of both fall and spring semesters. The next fall celebration is sched-uled for Friday, December 7, 2012.

International Student Services (ISS) is located in the historic Red Gym and Armory building on the 2nd floor (Room 217) overlooking the Wisconsin Union Terrace and Lake Mendota. What a welcoming scene for our new interna-tional students!

Our mission is to contribute to the successful experience of the more than 4,500 interna-tional students studying at UW-Madison from all over the world. We begin with an orienta-tion where we welcome new students, review F-1 and J-1 student visa regulations (which we keep up-to-date by working with U.S immigra-tion bureaus) and inform them about pro-grams and resources available on campus and in the community. Throughout the year we offer advising on immigration issues, adjust-ment to US university life and counseling on cross-cultural issues. We also offer an array of

(Continued on page 4)

I SS AT A GLANCE

A YEAR IN REVIEW.. .F ROM THE DESK OF DIRECTOR LAURIE COX

Did you know..? New international students may arrive in the US no more than 30 days prior to the start of the

semester (Sept. 4th).

Page 2

global competence at the Student Person-nel Association and to participants at the Teaching and Learning Symposium.

ISS staff members are looking forward in 2012-2013 to working more closely with the Assembly of International Students (AIS) and to assisting them in becoming strong student leaders. ISS staff members also look forward to making stronger con-nections with more academic depart-ments and staff across campus.

International Student Services (ISS) offers a wide variety of services and programs to international students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This academic year, UW-Madison was visited twice by the U.S. Department of Homeland Secu-rity (DHS). In fall 2011, UW-Madison was selected as the university where U.S. DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano would deliver remarks highlighting innovative ways to encourage the best and brightest international stu-dents to study and remain in the U.S. Then in spring 2012, representa-tives from the DHS visited the cam-pus again, this time to speak with UW-Madison students about career opportunities after graduation. In May 2012, the UW Madison campus received approval from DHS for the recertification of the F-1 Student program.

This year, ISS worked with 108 exter-nal offices and community partners to host its programs and reached an estimated 11,500 students and oth-er audience members. One of the

highlights was hosting UN World Food Programme Chief Spokesperson for North America and UW-Madison in-ternational student alumna, Bettina Luescher, for four presentations. ISS has also made progress toward mak-ing stronger connections with aca-demic departments. ISS staff gave two presentations involving International Reach, discussing the university’s LEAP goals and our students’ ability to gain

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ISS ORIENTATI ON

New international students are invited and required to attend a variety of orientation

programs. However, ISS Ori-entation is MANDATORY and was designed specifically to address the needs of inter-national students.

At an ISS Orientation, interna-tional students learn about their visas and how to main-tain their legal status, learn more about the UW and the surrounding community, meet important people, and learn about the resources available to them throughout their studies.

The US Department of Home-land Security requires interna-tional student visa holders to register with their school prior to beginning their academic program in the U.S. By attend-ing an ISS Orientation, students complete this mandatory obli-gation. They may be put on “hold” if they do not attend an ISS Orientation and risk falling out of legal status (which re-quires check-in, full-time en-rollment, local address update and following employment rules).

International students may ar-rive a few weeks up to the night before their scheduled orienta-tion. However, ISS recommends arriving in Madison a minimum of 2-3 days prior to orientation to be well rested for orientation activities.

To find out more about all the ISS Orientations and welcome events designed for new inter-national students, visit http://www.iss.wisc.edu/mandatorycheckin.html.

excitement and a sense of

novelty about their new

environment. After some

time, the student may expe-

rience “The Culture Shock

Stage.” This stage can in-

clude: feeling uneasy about

speaking the local language,

noticing distinct differences

between one’s home envi-

ronment and new environ-

ment, and not understand-

ing the behavior or actions

of the local people. During

this stage, students are like-

ly to feel more homesick

than before and may even

question whether they

want to remain in the Unit-

ed States. “The Recovery

Stage” follows and often

occurs when internal

1,500 new international

students are projected to

start their undergraduate or

graduate programs at the

UW this fall. With this in-

crease, it may be helpful to

know some of the cultural

adjustment issues students

may experience upon arri-

val in the United States.

Cultural adjustment or

“culture shock” as it is often

called, affects individuals in

different ways, however

research has shown that

cultural adjustment follows

general trends.

The first stage of cultural

adjustment is called “The

Honeymoon Stage.” This

stage is when one feels

conflicts are resolved and

students begin to appreci-

ate the new culture again.

“The Adaptation Stage” is

when students feel at home

in their new environment

and have a sense of

“biculturality” where they

are able to appreciate the

values of both cultures.

(Continued on page 4)

CULTURAL ADJUSTMENT 101

Page 3

SPECIAL NOTE Counseling services are gen-erally more acceptable in the United States than in many other countries. Visit UHS Counseling & Consultation Services http://uhs.wisc.edu/services/counseling/ for more information.

Here at ISS, we are committed to helping you serve international students. Contact us for:

General information about F-1 & J-1 student visas; Cultural adjustment of international students to the United States & our educational system; International student employment concerns; Any concerns or issues regarding international students and their success at the UW.

We would be happy to set up a meeting with your staff to discuss any of the above related topics or anything else with which you may need our assistance. Please feel free to call 262-2044 or email us at iss@studentlife.wisc.edu for more information.

WHAT ISS CAN DO FOR YOU Fun Facts: International Student Stats (Spring 2012) Top 10 UW Majors for Int’l Undergraduates

# of Students

Economics 226

Mathematics 114

Business: Finance, Investment and Banking

96

Biochemistry 69

Business: Accounting 68

Business: Actuarial Science

65

Chemical Engineering 63

Business: Risk Manage-ment and Insurance

48

Biology 47

Psychology 45

Top 6 Countries/Territories Represented

# of Students

China 1671

Republic of Korea 762

India 371

Malaysia 217

Taiwan, Republic of China 188

Thailand 109

Top 5 UW Majors for International Graduates

# of Students

Electrical Engineering 229

Computer Sciences 144

Economics 117

Statistics 100

Tie: Industrial Engineer-ing and Mechanical Engineering

78 each

Page 4

CHECK OUT THE INTERNAT IONAL STUDENT GUIDE

If you have not yet

discovered the ISS

website, please visit

www.iss.wisc.edu.

You will find a wealth of

information and re-

sources for new and

current international

students.

If you work with new

international students

please refer them to

the Students link and

make sure they are

aware of the infor-

mation available under

Arrival and Orientation.

We highly recommend

viewing the Interna-

tional Student Guide,

an interactive E-tutorial

funded through an MIU

(Madison Initiative for

Undergraduates) grant.

This is a popular way our

new and prospective stu-

dents learn about UW-

Madison and prepare for

their arrival here.

http://iss.wisc.edu/

Tutorial/index.htm

Not all students experience all of the stages of cultural adjustment and

the stages do not always flow in this distinct pattern. In addition, stu-

dents may be unable to verbalize their feelings and may not even recog-

nize when they are experiencing a stage of cultural adjustment. A knowl-

edgeable faculty or staff member should ideally be able to recognize

when a student may be experiencing “culture shock” and act appropri-

ately (i.e. showing empathy towards the student or in extreme cases,

referring the student to UHS for counseling).

CULTURAL ADJUSTMENT 101 (Continued from page 3)

Meet Ms. Wenbin Wang, ISS’s 2012 Meyerhoff Undergraduate Excellence Award Winner. Learn more about the Meyerhoff Award and Ms. Wenbin Wang at http://goo.gl/IiuR1.

BUILD GLOBAL COMPETENCE THROUGH INTERNATIONAL REACH International Reach is a free educational program through ISS that places international student speakers in schools, campus venues and community organizations for short presentations, panels, and discus-sions. Consider Reach for your classroom curriculum, department pro-fessional development, or student organizations. Reach presenters share perspectives on their home countries to further global education and intercultural dialogue. It is easy to request a speaker online at ISS’ website: http://www.iss.wisc.edu/reach/request.html.

programs with many campus partners focused on wide ranging topics from academic expectations to career skills to attending UW sports events or visiting a local Wisconsin family farm! We are working to better inform faculty and staff about the unique needs of our students and the many contributions international students make to our campus communi-ty. We serve as a resource to help get students con-nected to campus departments and support services that can assist with their educational experience.

At ISS we see the “Wisconsin Idea” at work – the boundaries of a UW education extend beyond campus, beyond the state and beyond the nation to the world.

(Continued from page 1)

I SS AT A GLANCE

International Reach volunteers teaching community members calligraphy

716 Langdon St. Rm. 217

Madison, WI 53706

Phone: 608-262-2044

Fax: 608-262-2838

E-mail:

iss@studentlife.wisc.edu

FRIEND, L IKE, OR FOL LOW ISS!