By ALICIA FEYERHERM
Tiger Media Network
As part of the Tiger Talk series, the Online Student Government Association (OSGA) hosted a virtual presentation about International Student Services on Thursday evening.
Global Ambassador Derek Oum shared his experience as an international student.
Oum first started taking online classes at Fort Hays through a partnership with the American University of Phnom Penh (AUPP). He then came to Fort Hays and took classes on campus.
“I just want to share one piece of advice as an online international student, which is don’t be afraid to reach out to professors, your advisors, really anyone that you think may be relevant, especially people at the International Student Services Office,” Oum said.
Senior Director of Global Affairs and International Student Services Haley Williams said the Global Ambassadors are students who work for Global Affairs.
“They’re made up of students all over the globe,” Williams said. “Typically, on our team, we speak anywhere from 15 to 20 languages, which I think is a great resource and a great service that we have here in the office.”
The office staff also helps students coming to Fort Hays navigate the visa process as well as employment compliance.
“The only jobs they can have on a visa are here on campus, so helping them get social security numbers and find jobs that fit their interest is something else we do,” Williams said.
Global Affairs strives to make the transition to campus as seamless as possible. Once admitted, students have access to a Blackboard course that guides them through the transition to another country. Once here, there is a week-long orientation and then students are enrolled in an 8-week on-campus course.
“That just continues to help them be successful in the classroom,” Williams said.
Fort Hays also sends faculty to the partnership schools.
“We take the education to the world rather than expecting the world to come to Fort Hays,” Williams said.
Williams also explained the different partnership models. Students can choose if they want to earn their whole degree from their home country or spend one or two years on campus at Fort Hays.
“We have so many different models, which again, opens up opportunities and accessibility for our students, Williams said.
Williams closed by explaining the variety of options available for online students.
All online students are eligible to study abroad or participate in the National Student Exchange program, where you attend another university, but pay Fort Hays tuition rates.
“We’ve had students in Hawaii, Alaska, New York, Florida, going all over the US to have these learning opportunities,” Williams said.
Online students can also become Global Citizen Leaders. Students receive a note on their transcript after completing the requirements.
“It’s not an additional thing you do; rather, it’s a way to recognize that you have, through your experiences at Fort Hays, compiled a portfolio of things that now we can say you’re a global citizen leader,” Williams said.
Some of the qualified events include studying abroad and community engagement.
DePaul University is also hosting free Global Conversations webinars. Global Conversations are 90-minute Zoom sessions in which students from several international partner institutions discuss global topics. These sessions will be occurring from April 27 to May 7.
“It’s a really neat way to have a global learning experience without even leaving your house,” Williams said.