Mission
The mission of the Office of International Student Services (OISS) is to actively promote international and intercultural understanding and to cultivate a mutual commitment and support for international education throughout the campus community.
OISS serves all incoming and currently enrolled international students and scholars at UA Little Rock, the Bowen School of Law, and the Clinton School of Public Service. Our office provides assistance to prospective international applicants, supports current international students and scholars in immigration advising, social, cultural, and academic issues during their stay. In addition, OISS seeks to increase international ambience on campus by identifying and implementing new opportunities between domestic and international students through workshops, collaboration with the International Club for social programs, trips and cultural excursions.
Summary Narrative
Improve student recruitment and yield processes
- OISS has no designated recruitment budget at this time, so in order for it to create one in a short period of time, the University should consider instituting a tuition capture model that would allow OISS to receive a percentage of the tuition paid by international students each semester. The revenue created by this model could then be used to fund international student recruitment and retention-related initiatives.
- International recruitment markets are fluid, vast, and very competitive, and offer significant challenges to those institutions without global and national rankings. Institutional rankings are very important to international students as well as to their parents and play a critical role in the student and parent decision-making process.
- Beyond rankings, there are many other uncontrollable variables of the international student recruitment life cycle that determine student flow. These include, but are not limited to: the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, economic and political conditions in a country, US relations with those countries, visa regulations and limitations against a country, currency exchange rates, country location, scholarship opportunities, safety, affordability, and employment and internship opportunities.
Other
Recommendations:
- Provide necessary resources, financial and otherwise, to fund and support an on-campus international student infrastructure.
- Create additional scholarship and fellowship opportunities for highly gifted and talented international students in areas of academics, athletics, art, and music.
- Engage in bilateral agreements between UA Little Rock and institutions of higher education outside of the US.
- Improve websites devoted to prospective international students.
At A Glance
- Conducted multiple orientation sessions during the fall 2021, spring 2022, and summer 2022 to provide a variety of information regarding life at UA Little Rock, campus services for students, the U.S. educational system, American culture, health and nutrition concerns, and immigration regulations. Students also learned more about the Office of International Student Services and the support and retention activities it offers to the campus community.
- Increased enrollment of international students by 223 new international students during the 2022 and 2023 academic year.
- With an average annual expenditure of $13,320 for tuition alone, the additional 200 international students represented a $2.97 million increase of revenue for UA Little Rock and an economic impact (using the 2.5 multiplier) in Little Rock of $7.42 million.
- Processed more than 350 CPT, OPT & STEM OPT applications during fall 22, spring 23, and summer 23 semesters.
- Served more than 1,000 prospective international students and processed their immigration documents during fall 22, spring 23, and summer 23 semesters.
- Worked with the Export Controls Office and updated certain sections of the website that are designated to J-1 Exchange Visiting Professors/Scholars.
- Managed ~ 1,000 international student insurance enrolments during fall 22, spring 23, and summer 23 semesters.
- Reviewed and processed over 100 Non-Resident Alien forms (i.e., employment eligibility form that is designed exclusively for international students at UA Little Rock) for those who have received an on-campus job offer.
Assessment 1
Alignment with UA Little Rock Goal
Access | Increase student access to transformative educational experiences that are affordable, versatile, and relevant.
Alignment with Student Affairs Goal
Improve student recruitment and yield processes
Goal
Increase freshmen enrollment in FY23 by 5%.
Type of assessment (learning outcome or operational)
Operational
Activity or experience being assessed
None identified
Assessment artifact
Attend ICEF conferences to identify agents and sign contracts to increase the number of well-qualified international students at UA Little Rock.
Time period assessment was done
August 2022 & Spring 2023
Results
A new agent contract has been drafted and approved by the Chancellor’s Cabinet on November 09, 2022. However, the state’s bidding regulations created issues in signing agreements with various agents. If the university requires each and every agent to go through a formal bidding process, we will not be able to sign partnership agreements with recruitment agents since it is not a common practice in international higher education in the US. Further, OISS does not have funding to participate in ICEF fairs here in the US and abroad.
Continuous improvement process
A meeting will take place between OISS and Enrollment Management leadership to see how we can strategically increase international freshmen enrollment during future semesters.
WHEN: Fall 2023 & Spring 2023 semesters
Assessment 2
Alignment with UA Little Rock Goal
Experience | Improve the student, faculty, and staff experience by cultivating an engaging campus community that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusivity.
Alignment with Student Affairs Goal
Enhance the recruitment, service, and engagement of and for UA Little Rock’s diverse student population
Goal
Provide a comprehensive orientation program that delivers specific information and resources that will allow new international students to get familiar with immigration rules that apply to their status.
Type of assessment (learning outcome or operational)
text
Activity or experience being assessed
International Student Orientation
Assessment artifact
Observation
Time period assessment was done
August 2022 and Spring 2023
Results
Going through the health screening process without insurance ID cards on hand is an issue. New international students must have their insurance ID cards in their possession so they complete the health screening process without paying for it. The issue with that requirement is once a new international student reports to the university, it takes a couple of business days for the insurance provider to make the ID cards available for them, which creates registration delays, late charges, and other issues for new international students.
Continuous improvement process
The following step-by-step process was drafted for new international students after meeting with Health Services and the Bursar’s Office:
- Call or arrive at Health Services with the items needed to schedule your appointment.
- Based on the documents you do or do not show to Health Services, it will determine if you are booking an appointment for MMR and TB or just TB. Health Services will work with you to schedule an appointment based on their appointment calendar.
- Health Services will give you a pay slip indicating if you must pay $58 for the T-spot TB test or $145 for the MMR and T-spot TB test.
- Take the pay slip to the Cashier’s Window located in SSC (find them on the Campus Map!).
- Keep your receipt at the cashier’s window.
- On the day of your appointment, arrive 15-30 minutes early.
- Make sure to bring your cashier’s receipt and any other documentation requested by Health Services.
- Keep the Walk out slip provided by Health Services.
- If you enroll in LewerMark insurance (sponsored by UA Little Rock), you can send the Walk Out slip to LewerMark and they will refund the money spent on the appointment.
WHEN: Fall 2023
Assessment 3
Alignment with UA Little Rock Goal
Access | Increase student access to transformative educational experiences that are affordable, versatile, and relevant.
Alignment with Student Affairs Goal
Improve student recruitment and yield processes
Goal
Make the Exchange Visiting Scholar Program process much simpler by combining the Academic and Immigration Review processes into one.
Type of assessment (learning outcome or operational)
Operational
Activity or experience being assessed
Make the Exchange Visiting Scholar Program process much simpler by combining the Academic and Immigration Review processes into one.
Assessment artifact
Observation by the Offices of Export Controls and International Student Services.
Time period assessment was done
August 2022 and Spring 2023
Results
The former two-step process was not user-friendly based on the feedback we received from host faculty members.
Continuous improvement process
A new exchange visitor process process was created and is available online at https://ualr.edu/international/bios/exchange-visitors/j-1-researcher-visiting-professor-processing/
WHEN: Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 semesters
Continuous improvement process
We haven’t finalized the prospective changes for FY24 yet since we have not seen the actual results of the changes that we have made in spring 2023 semester.
WHEN: Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters if needed
