GSIE Staff Receive National Honor for Excellence in International Education at NAFSA Conference

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U of A staff members at the annual NAFSA conference for international educators.

Staff members from the Graduate School and International Education at the U of A were recognized for their outstanding work in international education during the annual NAFSA: Association of International Educators conference May 28-31.

More specifically, members of the International Students and Scholars Office, including Director Sara Parrott, Assistant Director Cynthia Smith, iFriend coordinator Clark Eckels, front desk administrator Lauren Denny and intern Clara Linnemayr, won Best Poster in Community Engagement. The poster competed against 23 other peer-reviewed entries from universities and organizations around the world.

GSIE's poster focused on our Dinner in an American Home event offered to international students during orientation. This event has successfully paired international students with local community members for a dinner of American cuisine the first Saturday after students arrive to campus for more than 30 years.

"Studies show that only 20 percent of international students enter an American home when studying abroad in the U.S. We want to give new students that chance immediately," Smith said.

Smith said that close to half of incoming international students sign up for Dinner in an American Home, making the event one of the highest-attended programs offered during orientation.

"It takes them into home life versus campus life, so it helps them feel more comfortable in the community at large," she said. "Helping students make these connections with our community makes them feel welcomed and anchored to our campus."

"I knew that our Dinner in an American Home event was special, offering a unique opportunity to get international students connected with the broader community within their first weeks in the U.S. Through our poster presentation, we had conversations with international educators from around the world and realized that this is a program many other schools dream of hosting. I'm thankful that we have the community engagement in Fayetteville to make this event happen each semester."

Smith added that they are currently looking for residents in Northwest Arkansas who live within 20 minutes of campus to serve as host families and participate in the event. For those who are interested but live further away, we offer a monthly friendship program through iFriend Programs and an opportunity to host for Thanksgiving in an American Home. Those interested in participating in any opportunity can contact ifriend@uark.edu to sign up.

In addition to GSIE's poster featuring our Dinner in an American Home event, Andrew Van Lew, Brian Poepsel and Katie Sabo presented at the conference. Van Lew, graduate and international recruitment coordinator, co-presented on best practices in data collection, analysis and visualization. Poepsel, assistant director of study abroad, and Sabo, senior study abroad coordinator, co-presented on nurturing and empowering study abroad on campus champions.