SU Continues to Embody a Global Campus Community

The Slutzker Center for International Services welcomes international students to SU.

Students from all over the world have begun to arrive on campus. The Slutzker Center for International Services within the Division of Student Affairs has greeted more than 800 new international graduate students recently. They will continue to do so as the Fall semester nears. In total, more than 120 different countries will be represented on the SU campus, creating an immersive global experience and community on the hill.

“This is the most exciting time for all of us who are involved with the arrival and orientation of new international students,” says Patricia A. Burak, director of the Slutzker Center. “We call this time ‘the August Rush,’ and it is not only a rush of more than 1,200 new students coming into the office, being welcomed to the United States as well as to Syracuse University, but an emotional rush for all of us. The entire world (or at least citizens from more than 120 different countries) has arrived. What a great opportunity for global engagement.”

Pimsiri Aroonsri, an international graduate student from Thailand, who will be studying instructional design, development and evaluation program in the School of Education, has been highly anticipating the opportunity to study in an international academic setting.

“It is an honor to study in one of the most prestigious universities. Some of the the reasons why I chose Syracuse University are because of its unique programs of study and the academic environment, which allows for students to develop insights and knowledge in their field and to contribute that knowledge to the university and surrounding community,” says Aroonsri.

On Friday, Aug. 16, the Sluztker Center hosted an all-day orientation program for international graduate students that included Ben Ware, dean of the Graduate School; Professor Shiu-Kai Chin in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; and many staff within the Division of Student Affairs.

Diana Fidaoui, an international graduate student from Lebanon and a teaching assistant in the teaching and leadership program in the School of Education, expressed similar sentiments in relation to the University’s commitment to Scholarship in Action.

“I joined the academic community at Syracuse University mainly because of the diversity of the student body and the University’s strong reputation to scholarship that provides unique and enriching professional development opportunities across several disciplines,” Fidaoui says. “It is well-known that SU has prepared many domestic and international graduates to become active agents in their communities through holding key leadership roles—a fact that proves the quality of education administered to students.”

From Sunday, Aug. 18, through Wednesday, Aug. 21, the Slutzker Center will engage international undergraduate students in a two-day orientation program, which includes:

• educating them about the various academic departments and colleges on campus, as well as academic integrity;
• reviewing immigration policies and procedures; and
• sharing information about student life, campus culture, health and safety, and much more.

Additionally, the students will get to experience the Department of Recreation Services’ ropes course in Flanagan gym, as a way to learn more about each other and themselves, and to build a sense of community in a new and unfamiliar environment.

For more information on the international student population at SU, contact Burak at paburak@syr.edu.