Extending International OrientationAn Assessment of Early Integration into

the American College Campus

Jen Topp, Program Director, Global Engagement

Laura Dean, Graduate Assistant, Comparative & International Education

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

International Student Hierarchy of Needs

Duty

Norms

Immigration

Finances

Belonging

International Student Retention

2006 International Student

Population

2016 International Student

Population

40% increase

93%Lehigh’s International Retention Rate

94.5%Lehigh’s Overall Retention Rate

Nationwide

Common Threads

Orientation length reduced overtime

Need for Change

Student Needs

✘ Not mandatory

✘ Lack of campus-wide involvement

✘ Rebuilding partnerships across campus

✘ Mentorship from current students

Faculty Feedback

✘ Advising issues

✘ Concerns for academic integration

✘ Students unprepared for life at Lehigh

Campus-wide

EmailFaculty, Students, Staff,

Alumni

Provide tools for success

Use mentors as additional support

Build in time for reflection

Integrate into the campus at large

Build lasting networks and

connections

Our Mission

OFYE iOLs

& Grad Mentors

Campus

Integration

Length & Depth

of Orientation

Pre-arrival

Communication

Mandatory

MOOV

Original

Orientation

Fall 2016 International Pilot Orientation

Community

Connection

PreLUsion

Surveyed presenters, students, and orientation leaders/mentors

Pilot Results

39% Response Rate

98% Felt welcome

72% Feel prepared for Lehigh

93% Understand

student academic responsibility

85% Think conference sessions were valuable

100% Found UG panel helpful

79% Thought

mentors were valuable

Our Success Stories

o Financial

o Communication

o Food

o Planning

o Scheduling

o Group connection

o Feedback Follow-up

Areas for Improvement

Questions?

Burnapp, Dave (2009). Getting ahead as an international student. New York: Open University Press.

International Student Orientation: A Common Thread (2013). [Graph illustration of information

commonly provided to new students]. Common Threads of Information Provided to New

Students. Retrieved from http://www.nafsa.org/Professional_Resources/Browse_by_Interest/

International_Students_and_Scholars/Network_Resources/International_

Student_and_Scholar_Services/International_Student_Orientation_Models/

Lacina, J.G. (2002). Preparing international students for a successful social experience in higher

education. Internationalizing Higher Education: Building Vital Programs on Campuses

2002(117), 21-28.

Murphy, C., Hawkes, L. & Law, J. (2002). How international students can benefit from a web-based

college orientation. Internationalizing Higher Education: Building Vital Programs on

Campuses 2002(117), 37-44.

Qiang, Z. (2003). Internationalization of higher education: Towards a conceptual framework. Policy

Futures in Education 1(2), 248-270.

References