Help Us Welcome the 2018-2019 Fulbright Scholars, Returning ALLEX Fellow

by Gabriella Cassidy, ’19

For yet another year, Stetson University’s language and intercultural programs received a boost from international language scholars.

Fernanda Ribeiro joins us from Brazil to teach Portuguese as a Fulbright Language Teaching Assistant. She is a first-generation college student who graduated from Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro in 2015, earning a licentiate degree in Portuguese, English and their respective literatures. Ms. Ribeiro earned a Master’s degree in linguistics from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro this past February. She has been teaching Portuguese, English and Brazilian literature at language schools and preparatory courses since 2010. Immersed in and in love with the diversity and richness of her home country, Ribeiro brings to the United States a multifaceted approach to the Brazilian language and culture. She hopes to contribute to the expansion of teaching Portugese at Stetson.

Naila Shaqqur joins Stetson from Israel to teach Arabic as a Fulbright Language Teaching Assistant. She earned a bachelor of education degree in English literature and education at Gordon College of Education in Haifa, Israel in May, 2018. During her undergraduate studies, Ms. Shaqqur tutored and taught English as a foreign language in both elementary and high schools. She plans to earn a Master’s degree in English linguistics, something she became interested in during her studies. Ms. Shaqqur believes that teaching Arabic as a foreign language will help to bridge the social and cultural gaps between Americans and Arabs, and help each student expand their world and cultural views.

Renjing Lin returns to Stetson for a second year as Alliance for Language Learning and Educational Exchange (ALLEX) Fellow. He teaches Mandarin Chinese courses after having spent time teaching in Macau and Taiwan. Mr. Lin earned a bachelor of science degree in finance with specialization in financial engineering from the Unividade De Macua.

Stetson University brings Fulbright Language Teaching Assistants to campus each year. Scholars come to U.S. colleges and universities from around the globe to teach foreign languages and share cultural knowledge. They further their own research and education during their fellowship residency. The Fulbright program is an information and cultural exchange program which is very highly competitive. Likewise, the ALLEX Foundation enables universities to initiate or maintain high quality Chinese or Japanese language programs by providing professionally trained, native Chinese or Japanese instructors. 

Read about 2017-18 international language scholars
Read about 2016-17 international language scholars
Read about 2015-16 international language scholars


Stetson’s international language instructors are housed in the Department of WORLD Languages and Cultures. ALLEX Fellows are in residence for two academic years and Fulbright scholars serve one year. Language instructors are required to engage in professional development by taking courses at Stetson. Fellows also participate in New Faculty Orientation and other new faculty onboarding activities. The language instructor residency program is coordinated by WORLD: The David and Leighan Rinker Center for International Learning.

Stetson welcomes parents of new international students

Parents of new international students enjoyed lunch and an orientation to Stetson University’s support structures for students. Parents hailed from countries including Australia, Canada, and France.

Stetson faculty and staff showcased resources available to international students and discussed student learning in a new country.

Stetson welcomes new international and exchange students

Welcome to our new international and exchange students.

As part of a three-day special orientation, students enjoyed a tour of downtown Deland with Savannah-Jane Griffin, director of community engagement and inclusive excellence.

International students will join domestic students on Sunday, August 18 for the kick-off of FOCUS, Stetson’s five-day comprehensive first-year student orientation program.

Helping overseas students create home away from home

International students bring welcome diversity to campus, but to thrive they need support

At Portland State University two graduate students in the Conflict Resolution Program—one from Egypt, the other from Syria—recently set up a group to support students from countries at war. The students began their work before the Paris terror attacks in November 2015. After the attacks they decided to add discussions about safety and how the university could help international students feel they were an important part of campus life.

International students in the United States are witnessing a complex time both at home and abroad, which can affect how at ease they feel on U.S. campuses. A survey conducted by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers found that political events have had an impact on the opinion of prospective students: nearly 40 percent of U.S. educational institutions saw a drop in international applications, especially those from the Middle East, for fall 2017.

“It’s about giving our international students the chance to experience being part of a university campus. And we also want our domestic students to have positive interactions with international students.”

To reach out to the students and allow them to voice concerns, Portland State holds a wellness check half-way through the first semester, in four languages—Arabic, Chinese, English and Japanese. “Our mission is not just about teaching people English,” says Julie Haun, director of the PSU’s intensive English language program. “It’s about giving our international students the chance to experience being part of a university campus. And we also want our domestic students to have positive interactions with international students.”

A solid link with college life

Not only do international students now come from an array of countries and cultures, they also have varying levels of academic achievement, which can make their needs more complex. “Part of the challenge is that we have different types of international students,” says Thomas Lavenir, assistant director at James Madison University’s Center for Multicultural/International Programs. “We have English learners in a bridge program, exchange students here for one or two semesters, transfer students, incoming freshmen and graduate students.”

One way to ensure the right support reaches students is to expand the orientation programs that are already mandated by the federal government for all F-1 and J-1 visa holders. JMU’s three-day orientation includes information sessions about campus safety as well as social gatherings. Fifteen students from around the world provide peer support and create a link between new students and the campus.

Other institutions have followed a similar path. At Southern Methodist University, orientation for graduate students was at first splintered across academic departments. Now, though, the office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) has taken charge of the process and disperses information about campus life, health and safety, enrollment, library and IT resources to all students. “Previously, some of the departments had one-day orientations, some were one or two hours, and some sent students to us,” says Anna Lippard, international services specialist at SMU. “ISSS began running orientation to make sure every international grad student is getting the information they need no matter what program they are in.”

These events help students unfamiliar with U.S. culture avoid costly mistakes. At JMU, Lavenir says, one student flew to Harrisburg, Pa., rather than Harrisonburg, Va., where the university is located; while another went to a hospital emergency room for a cold instead of seeing a doctor on campus.

“We try to use a personable, friendly approach to orientation so the whole ordeal of moving overseas and leaving your family behind can be made a lot smoother,” Lavenir explains. The peer-to-peer service, he says, “helps personalize the experience and make it more comfortable for students to ask questions.”

Fresh perspectives on complex issues

Arabic students make up nearly 10 percent of the international cohort in 2014-15 and contributed just under $3 billion to the U.S. economy, according to Al Fanar Media, a publication covering higher education in the Arab world. But the U.S. immigration debate and President Trump’s much-publicized travel ban earlier this year have made many feel unwelcome. Mahamadou Sissoko is from Mali in West Africa, and studies finance at Portland State. “The ban wasn’t about my country directly,” he told KGW, an NBC-affiliated TV station in Portland, “but it took away the feeling of security.”

Portland State staff in the intensive English language program reached out to Jahed Sukhun, a former colleague and vice president of the Muslim Educational Trust in Portland. He met with Arabic-speaking students and led role-playing exercises to address what they might do if they felt uncomfortable or harassed on campus. The goal of these activities is to improve integration and inclusion, making sure that the students benefit from and feel part of college life.

At PSU, Christina Luther, the director of the Office of International Student & Scholar Services (OISS), partners with the Middle East Studies Center, the Global Diversity and Inclusion Office and the Conflict Resolution Program to promote dialogue about sensitive issues. Working with the Global Diversity and Inclusion Office, the OISS has organized a forum to provide information about Islam and show attendees how the religion differs from its portrayal in the news. “It will offer a different perspective than what’s flooding the media right now,” said Jill Townley, PSU’s associate director of international student life.

Research shows that interactions with foreign students on campus increase empathy in their U.S. peers and better equip them for a competitive and global employment market.

A richer educational experience

Such activities foster a dialogue that holds benefits for the student body. Discussion about tricky topics prepares all students for working in a complex world after they graduate. Research shows that interactions with foreign students on campus increase empathy in their U.S. peers and better equip them for a competitive and global employment market. The study, conducted by academics at Duke University found that forming friendships with students from other countries enabled the U.S. students to build leadership skills, relate to people of different races and religions, acquire knowledge independently, formulate creative and original ideas and even improve their computer skills. “With the campus environment more diverse than ever before,” the authors write, “institutions should promote a welcoming, caring and productive learning environment and foster opportunities for meaningful, substantial interactions in order to enhance students’ educational experiences.”

The presence of international students enriches both campus and academic life. And providing the support that allows them to integrate makes for a more diverse and engaging experience for all—a big part of what higher education is meant to be about. As PSU’s Jill Townley puts it, “The more we can connect students of different faiths and backgrounds, the more openness and understanding will develop.”

This content was paid for and created by Terra Dotta. The editorial staff of The Chronicle had no role in its preparation. Adopted from 

It’s Good To Be Back!

We hear quite a bit about FOCUS Orientation, but Stetson University also hosts New International Student Orientation, a program tailored to meet the needs of students new to the U.S. and to Stetson. Tove’s Strandh, senior student from Sweden, explains more in her blog post.


August 25, 2017


Welcome to my first blog post! My name is Tove Strand and this semester you’ll be able to follow me through this blog during my last months at Stetson. If you want to read more about me, you can do it here!

I’m still processing the fact that classes started yesterday but, luckily, I don’t have classes on Fridays so I have a long weekend to recharge. I hope your summer was as good as mine. I went back to Sweden for three weeks in May and then spent the rest of the summer doing an internship for a company in South Florida. Afterwards, I came straight back to Stetson to welcome the new international students for the International Orientation. Classes only started yesterday but I’ve been back almost two weeks now. So yeah, I didn’t really get much rest this summer but that’s fine because I had a great summer anyway!

I arrived to Stetson on a Sunday and the following day International Orientation started with a one-day training for all leaders. There were 14 leaders among 84 students so we needed this day to plan (as much as we could) for the upcoming week. I did this last year so I already had a good sense of what was coming up.

Before I continue you should know that this orientation is nothing like FOCUS. The leaders don’t get paid and there isn’t much preparation for us. We are more or less given a schedule for the week and then we’re on our own to make it work coordinating everything. Okay that isn’t exactly true, we get SO much support from W.O.R.L.D. (Roxanne and Paula). But that is why I love International Orientation. You go with the flow, you make the best out of every situation, and solve problems as a team as they arise.

The second day was probably my favorite day because that’s when all the new students arrived. We spent the whole day at the airport finding tired and jet-lagged internationals and shipping them off to Stetson in buses. The following three days consisted of information, information, and information. But then, when all tired internationals wondered if they would ever see anything else besides the inside walls of LBC, Friday arrived and we went to the DeLeon Springs! Actually, scratch what I first said, this was my favorite day of orientation. We spent the day swimming in the freezing water and playing games. Some went kayaking and saw alligators. International Orientation was, just like last year, so much fun and I gained so many new friends.

If I could do it again I definitely would.

Follow her blog: Tove Strand ’18

New International Parent Orientation welcomes parents from nine countries

On August 16, 2017, Stetson University formally welcomed parents of new international students from nine different countries – Argentina, Australia, Belgium, the Cayman Islands, Ecuador, France, Honduras, Peru, and Saudi Arabia.

During the half-day New International Parent Orientation, family members

Now celebrating its third year, the primary goal of the Orientation event is to introduce parents from across the globe to campus life, academic environment, American culture, and the diverse success resources available to their student.

As in past years, feedback was very positive. Parents cited enjoying the beautiful campus, learning from current students, and exposure to resources offered to their international students.

International Parent Orientation at Stetson University is facilitated by Cortney Dowdle, international student recruiter, and Roxanne Lewis, international student and scholar services coordinator.