Vice Provost and Associate Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives William Kuskin
The University of Colorado Boulder is a powerhouse on the world stage. We have successfully met our international recruitment goal of 10% of the student body, we are a leader in study abroad programs, we have alumni thriving across the world, and we have profound university and industry connections around the globe.
These successes are not merely one-off endeavors but can be coordinated to provide a better understanding of where we stand internationally and where we might go. Coordinating these successes can provide the campus with a better understanding of where we stand internationally and where we should go.
To this end, the chancellor’s and provost’s offices have moved ahead with three initiatives.
First, Provost Russell Moore has appointed Larry Bell as assistant vice chancellor for global strategic initiatives within the provost’s office.
Bell's background in international academic services and programming will help promote collaborative global initiatives across the campus. This is a logical step for Bell, in that his expertise goes beyond International Education and touches many different aspects of our university.
Study Abroad, directed by Mary Dando, and International Student and Scholar Services, directed by Diana Salazar, will report directly to Mary Kraus, vice provost for undergraduate education. Please welcome Bell to his new role and feel free to reach out to him and myself with ideas at Larry.Bell@Colorado.edu and William.Kuskin@Colorado.edu, respectively.
Second, Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano has initiated the International Strategy Group.
The International Strategy Group, which originated as a working group including Sarah Adderholt, Julann Andresen, Ryan Chreist, Deb Coffin and Catherine Shea, Bell and myself, has since expanded into a formal committee focused on big picture, strategy issues.
Its first major task was to assemble a board, led by the chancellor and supported by the core International Strategy Group, of international alumni to advise the chancellor. The 16 CU Boulder champions who make up the board, termed the Global Ambassadors, are dedicated to thinking through the chancellor’s top priorities—impacting humanity, shaping tomorrow’s leaders and being the top university for innovation—in an international context.
As part of the Global Ambassadors initiative, the chancellor also charged the International Strategy Group to build a map of CU Boulder's international efforts and to use this map to think about a strategy that integrates recruitment, study abroad, academic programs, industry connections and our CU community of alumni and supporters. Assistant Vice Chancellor for Integrated Planning & Decision Support Steve Vassallo and the Director of Reporting & Analytics Raza Dawood have built a digital globe representing CU Boulder’s international activity. This website is still in beta testing, so we invite you to write Dawood at Raza.Dawood@Colorado.edu, as well as Bell, with ideas and observations to refine it.
Finally, and most recently, the provost has established the Task Force for International Student Support.
Moore has charged the new task force to develop a set of action steps to improve current practices regarding international students, from their recruitment and admissions to successful completion of degrees. The group is co-chaired by Kraus and Kuskin and includes representatives from Office of Admissions, the Office of International Education, the schools and colleges, Student Affairs and the Office of Budget & Fiscal Planning.
The task force will make recommendations for a streamlined organizational structure and improved communication flow regarding student recruitment and admissions, as well as the social and academic-support programs provided to international students. They will also identify areas of concern for faculty teaching international students and a protocol for addressing these issues. Committee recommendations will consider the campus commitment to inclusive excellence and design clear guidelines for inclusive pedagogy. The provost has requested final recommendations by the end of April 2017.
During the early phase of the project, surveys will be distributed to faculty and staff so that the task force can better understand their experiences with international student programs. You can also share any comments and questions by emailing William.Kuskin@colorado.edu or Mary.Kraus@colorado.edu.
William Kuskin,
Professor of English,
Vice Provost and Associate Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives
