Nov. 2024 Department Debrief: Office of International Affairs
November 18, 2024
Office of International Affairs
To contact the Office of International Affairs: Email oia@osu.edu, call (614) 292-6101 or visit their website.
Department Debrief is a monthly article from the Parent and Family Relations office dedicated to helping family members and supporters better understand the services, opportunities and support offered by particular offices for students.
This month, our team met with the Office of International Affairs, an office dedicated to championing cross-cultural interactions through teaching, learning, outreach, collaborations and innovative programs that help create a globally engaged campus.
1. You must explain in 30 seconds what the Office of International Affairs does or the grinch is going to steal Christmas from everyone in Columbus. What would your elevator pitch be?
“The Office of International Affairs is everything international at the university,” Kyle Sturges, the associate director of Global Education at OIA, said.
Sturges said OIA plays a key role in managing a range of international initiatives, from supporting outgoing students studying abroad — whether for academic, volunteer or professional purposes — to welcoming international students pursuing degrees at Ohio state.
For Sturges, who works within the Global Education team in OIA, his primary role involves overlooking Ohio State’s education abroad programs — also known as study abroad — which allows students to engage in cross-cultural interactions while enjoying their educational experience in another country.
With over 350 programs in 70 countries, study abroad can be an educational opportunity for students taking classes through an exchange program or foreign university, completing an independent study or participating in a service learning project, according to OIA’s website.
Students can go abroad through faculty-led programs, a third party provider, direct enroll programs to study at a foreign institution with whom Ohio State affiliates and much more, according to OIA’s website.
For more information about study abroad, parents, families and students can go to Global Education’s page on OIA’s website to learn more about getting started, ways to go abroad, how to choose a program, funding opportunities, study abroad academic-related information, identity and inclusion components and disability and accessibility considerations for traveling abroad.
OIA also operates study centers with regional expertise and oversees the Global Engagement team, which fosters cross-cultural engagement and academic collaboration.
“We also have our global engagement team that is working with domestic and international students to bring them together and offer opportunities,” Sturges said. “So, basically, if its international it’s happening in the Office of International Affairs.”
Beyond its core functions, OIA offers various activities and events aimed at connecting students with diverse cultures and perspectives, Sturges said.
Global Engagement Night is just one example.
“[OIA] does [Global Engagement Night] every week, and it’s an opportunity for domestic and international students to come together,” Sturges said.
Occurring every Tuesday in room 160 in the Enarson Classroom Building from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., Global Engagement Night encourages cross-cultural discussions and provides informative presentations to help all students experience Ohio State’s diverse culture, according to OIA’s website.
“It’s really meant to serve as a bridge between the domestic and international students and offer that regular meeting time [and] regular meeting spot for everyone to come together,” Sturges said.
In addition to facilitating student connections, OIA ensures the health and safety of all Ohio State travelers abroad, Sturges said. The office’s Global Health and Safety team plays a crucial role in providing resources to ensure the well-being of students, faculty and staff while traveling.
“We have a fully staffed, full-time Global Health and Safety team, global health and safety manager, global health and safety specialist and primarily making sure that where we are sending our students meets certain criteria,” Sturges said.
Such criteria include locations having certain medical facilities on site, ensuring students aren’t participating in risky activities, supporting and providing safety and health information to travelers, monitoring security information via advisories and alerts and responding to any emergencies that occur abroad, Sturges said.
“We are all there trying to navigate and make sure our students are accounted for while abroad,” Sturges said.
Sturges said the Global Health and Safety team also navigates the health of its travelers by monitoring global emergencies or events and sending wellness checks when necessary.
“[The Global Health and Safety team] is a full university service for Ohio State travelers that are navigating the world when these events happen,” Sturges said.
OIA’s services extend beyond just group travel. Individual travelers — whether students, faculty or staff — can also register their trips and receive the office’s support, Sturges said.
The office further enhances international learning by offering a range of scholarships and grants to support study abroad programs, research and other international opportunities.
“[Global Education’s] scholarships have two cycles per year for students applying or accepted to programs, depending on their timelines,” Sturges said. “Once a student starts an application in our system for one of our programs, they get matched in ScholarshipUniverse for our fundings, so they can apply if they want to.”
OIA two sessions typically take place once during the fall semester, and the other during the spring. ScholarshipUniverse is a search tool students can use to find and apply for both Ohio State and external scholarships.
OIA’s grants are designed to promote and encourage international educational opportunities that raise global awareness, according to OIA’s website. The office’s scholarships fund a variety of initiatives, including internationally themed workshops, travel, study abroad programs and more.
2. How can parents and families get involved with OIA?
From a global education perspective, Sturges said the critical role that families play in preparing students for studying abroad is essential.
“A lot of it comes back down to parents, families [and] guardians being open to the idea of their students traveling overseas [and] going somewhere the family has never been,” Sturges said. “Getting that support and buy-in from your family is really important.”
Sturges said students can often face a lot of barriers when deciding to study abroad, whether financial, academic or personal, but connecting with their families can help alleviate those concerns, alongside working with OIA’s employees.
“Knowing the connectedness to Ohio State that students still experience when they study abroad, I hope that when parents and families see [OIA’s] resources [and] the holistic view we take, that it helps relieve some of their anxieties,” Sturges said.
Sturges aid OIA encourages parents to be actively involved in their student’s international journey, noting that parents are welcome to join advising appointments with students to address any questions or concerns they may have.
“We welcome that,” Sturges said. “We want [parents and families] to be involved and be that champion for their student when they do pursue studying abroad.”
Sturges said he also emphasizes that studying abroad isn’t a vacation for students, but rather a chance for them to gain valuable professional, personal and academic skills.
3. If you could offer one word of advice to parents, families and/or students (related to or unrelated to OIA), what would it be?
“Just do it,” Sturges said. “Embrace the uncomfortable and expand your horizons.”
Sturges said stepping outside one’s comfort zone is one of the most rewarding aspects of personal growth, both for students and their families.
Brooke Tacsar
Student Assistant
Parent and Family Relations