Peer mentors, who were honored at a reception in this photo, are part of an academic advising initiative to help international undergraduate students thrive. The initiative, developed by the Office of Academic and Career Advising/Office of Student Success in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, was recognized with a 2024 Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award for Campus Internationalization by NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
Syracuse University has been awarded a prestigious 2024 Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award for Campus Internationalization by NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Named after the late U.S. Sen. Paul Simon of Illinois, the annual NAFSA Simon awards celebrate outstanding commitment and accomplishment in campus internationalization.
The University was recognized for its academic advising initiative, the International Student Success Model, launched by the Office of Academic and Career Advising/Office of Student Success in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.
Syracuse was one of only three institutions this year to receive the spotlight award from NAFSA, the largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education and exchange.
“Syracuse University has long recognized the benefits of embracing the talents and contributions of people from all backgrounds around the world,” Chancellor Kent Syverud says. “The University’s International Student Success Model reflects our commitment to internationalization and ensures equitable access to the supports our international students need. It is a tremendous honor for the University to be recognized with the NAFSA Simon Spotlight Award, and I am proud of the program’s success and those who have made it possible through their dedication to our students.”
Ling Gao LeBeau
The International Student Success Model was developed by Steve Schaffling, assistant dean of student success, and Ling Gao LeBeau, director of international student success, in the Office of Academic and Career Advising in A&S | Maxwell. These two colleges represent about 40% of the University’s undergraduate population, including typically about 1,000 international undergraduate students from over 50 countries, more than 50% of the University’s international undergraduate student population.
In 2019, Schaffling saw the need to help international students in their first-year transition to their academic career at Syracuse and boost retention rates. His proposal was to provide intentional, targeted programming to international students in academic and career advising. In January 2020, the office hired the first associate director of international student success, LeBeau, to lead these efforts.
After meeting with stakeholders and assessing challenges and opportunities, Schaffling and LeBeau developed a mission statement, student learning outcomes and five pillars. The five pillars are pre-arrival academic onboarding coaching through a noncredit asynchronous course that familiarizes students with the University’s academic expectations and the people that will help guide them; peer mentoring; advisor training; academic intervention to help students stay on track; and communication, including through a weekly newsletter and social media connections that also keeps parents connected. There is also a weekly International Student Wednesday Forum, a welcoming space for students to meet, learn and share their experiences.
Steve Schaffling
“The International Student Success Model ensures we’re doing all we can to give students the specific tools they need for a rewarding first-year experience—that leads to a successful academic career at Syracuse,” Schaffling says. “We are grateful to NAFSA for recognizing this important work that we hope will inform other institutions and their efforts to help international students thrive and flourish.”
The success model has paid off: in fall 2022, the international student retention rate for A&S | MAX was 91.5%, the highest since 2010 and the second highest on record.
“The initiative represents a vision for student success by changing the narrative of international student support and, most importantly, bridging the gap between academic advising and international education,” LeBeau says. “My work is to help international students navigate their first year and beyond through multiple connection points, and to build trust and provide impactful programs that boost their confidence in academics and career development.”
The programming has also benefited students in other schools and colleges. International students across the University can subscribe to the international student newsletter, attend the weekly forum and join the weekly onboarding academic training.
The targeted advising approach gained national notice from an article last year in the Chronicle of Higher Education, “Where Cultural Understanding Is Key to Student Success.” LeBeau and Schaffling, who discussed the initiative in the article, received inquiries from other institutions interested in following Syracuse University’s model. The two later authored an article in Academic Advising Today, a newsletter of NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising, that further explained their work.
Syracuse University will be featured along with the other awardees in NAFSA’s annual report Internationalizing the Campus: Profiles of Success at Colleges and Universities, to be published this fall, and honored during NAFSA’s 2024 Annual Conference and Expo this spring.
Ling Gao LeBeau (center, left) and Steve Schaffling (center, right) accepting the 2024 Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award for Campus Internationalization from NAFSA CEO Fanta Aw (left) and NAFSA President LaNitra M. Berger during the annual conference.
[Editor’s note, June 7, 2024: Updated with photo from NAFSA’s 2024 Annual Conference and Expo.]
