Menlo’s Commitment to International Services

Menlo’s Commitment to International Services

By Erik Bakke, Executive Director for International Student Services

International students are increasingly important to Menlo’s continued success, especially given that domestic student numbers are projected to decrease nationwide in the coming years. The new International Student Services (ISS) program that I direct—and manage with Jessica Nguyen, International Student Advocate—is designed to serve our international student population, which has already grown to 195 students from 44 countries, almost 25% of our student body in fall 2022. The increase is by design. In spring of 2022, there were 146 international students from 34 countries.

International Student Services (ISS), with offices in the Administration Building in the Center for Academic and Professional Success, provides support for both international and domestic students as Menlo’s Intensive English Program and degree-seeking programs grow. Services and programs include I-20 and visa support, internship opportunities, Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and Optional Practical Training (OPT) workshops, tax sessions, film screenings, and resources for life in the United States.

This past semester, day trips to San Francisco and Great America provided opportunities for international students to better acquaint themselves with the area and to spend time off campus with domestic students. ISS begins working with students prior to orientation and continues to cultivate relationships post-graduation. The goal is to help each international student be in compliance with immigration policy while making Menlo a dynamic, rewarding, and comfortable space for all international students.

My own experience has reinforced the importance of such services. I have been fortunate enough to have traveled widely and to have studied or worked in Italy, Japan, Poland, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. It was a privilege to work in the English department at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and join the students in vibrant discussions of literature and popular, and oppositional, culture. A highlight for me was, also in Poznań, having a chance to lecture on San Francisco Bay Area painting at the Academy of Fine Arts while the great Magdalena Abakanowicz still lectured there. Each place I’ve traveled and studied or worked, I’ve learned something unexpected— some experiences were memorable, some life altering. I’ve found support and comradeship, such as being instructed by a student on a bus in Egypt about the many layers of political and cultural realities in Cairo or receiving zazen training from a Japanese Buddhist monk who used a keisaku to help me overcome my California style meditation practices.

To help both international and domestic students share in the excitement of being abroad, ISS is also home to Study Abroad, supports Menlo student applicants to Fulbright programs, and supports the Academic Global Immersion program. Study Abroad already has partnerships with schools in France, Spain, and Japan, and the program is growing. I encourage all students to take advantage of these opportunities to expand their horizons by contacting International Student Services.