Q: Can you describe the work you lead at the University of Chicago?

The Office of International Affairs (OIA) currently serves just over 6,000 current, degree-seeking international students and works to support an additional 1,400 international alumni for up to three years post-graduation during a period of employment authorization tied to their student visas (OPT or STEM OPT).

The office is separated into three teams: International students are supported by the Student Services Team, which is led by Amima Diagne (Associate Director and alum of the College). OIA works with non-degree visiting, short-term, exchange, and degree-seeking students once they are admitted and have to obtain a student visa from the U.S. Department of State before arriving in Chicago.

A second team within the office works to support the employment-based immigration for international faculty, staff, postdocs, and other academic appointees in a very similar way as they work to relocate to the U.S. and Chicago. The Employee & Scholar Services team is led by Dan Ashton (Associate Director) and supports the employment-based immigration of approximately 1,800 international faculty, staff, postdocs and other academic appointees, and approximately 1,000 dependent family members who accompany their spouses and parents to the University of Chicago.

The Administrative Services team supports the operational aspects of both teams and keeps the office moving – this team is led by Renée Myles, Associate Director.

Much of the supportive programming comes before someone even arrives in Chicago through pre-arrival webinars, drop-in advising sessions, and one-on-one appointments. Upon arrival, OIA collaborates with campus partners on orientation programs, hosts orientations for new international faculty and staff, and on-going webinars and workshops.

I am extremely proud of the OIA team – our work is constantly evolving and can often be disrupted, but in large part, we keep all of this work moving forward in service to the international populations at the University.

Q: What drew you to the field of international education and your current role at the University of Chicago?

The short answer is probably travel. I grew up in a beautiful corner of the state of Idaho and traveled often with my parents. My first flight was from Salt Lake to Chicago, again to visit family, and at the time on TWA airlines (age indicator there). Once in college, I knew I wanted to study abroad and had to take a foreign language requirement, so I opted for French because I wanted to visit Europe. I ended up going for my third year of college to the Université d’Angers, in Angers, France.

Being an international student for an academic year was perhaps the hardest thing I’d encountered at that point – trying to actually learn French and navigate my host culture was both exciting and super exhausting. Regardless, at the end of that year, I returned to Idaho, graduated with both a French and Finance degree, and turned my attention back to France – applying as an English Teaching Assistant. I returned about a year later and was an English assistant at a teacher’s college in Besançon, France (what was then called an Institut Universitaire de Formation des Maîtres).

When it was finally time to come back to the U.S., I applied for jobs everywhere. Eventually, I got a call from a professional association in Washington D.C. called NAFSA: Association of International Educators, for an opening they had managing federal grants. I worked for NAFSA for just over two years and got to know more about the field of international education – specifically immigration and worked closely with the EducationUSA network on their work connecting international students to U.S.-based educational opportunities.

One thing led to another and I chose a job and grad school at Northwestern University over proceeding with testing and interviewing to join the foreign service. I arrived in Chicago in the autumn of 2006 and haven’t looked back. Working with international students and faculty has continued to be a rich and rewarding experience – navigating the complexity of U.S. immigration while supporting people who have moved from around the world was an incredible combination that kept me busy and interested. Hearing from students and faculty about their backgrounds, what they are here to study and/or research is always fascinating. The public diplomacy that comes through this work is real and long-lasting.

Q: What are some key considerations you spend a lot of time thinking about to sustain the success of the Office of International Affairs?

I spend a lot of time thinking about the intersection of federal regulation and guidance with institutional policies and priorities. Whenever there is a change in administration, we see adjustments to regulatory guidance, and we have to be prepared to adapt while simultaneously communicating out to our populations, campus partners and leadership. We are constantly reviewing federal immigration regulation to ensure we are compliant and have communicated updates to those who need them. That process can take time and often requires coordination with a number of other offices on campus to determine the impact changes may have on existing institutional structures and policies.

I also spend a lot of time thinking about the OIA team and how we are spread across casework, compliance, and communication. Burnout is real for people, and I spend time thinking about how to work with the team to navigate through periods of high-volume work, uncertainty, and stress. I certainly don’t have answers, but we seem to come together and work through it as best we can.

Q: How long have you been in your role and how has your role changed since you've started?

I started with the University of Chicago in late autumn 2017. At the time, we were navigating regulatory policy changes as a result of a new administration (something that seems to spring up every four to eight years) and experiencing what seemed then to be unprecedented adjustments in U.S.-based immigration guidance and policy in higher education. By the start of 2020, we were again navigating uncharted regulatory territory with the COVID pandemic, which proved challenging from a global mobility standpoint and had clear impacts on U.S.-based immigration for international students, faculty, and other scholars. In what seems like a short amount of time at the University, I feel like my role has shifted whenever something springs up and has a direct impact on the international community. Once again, we are navigating those changes. So while it seems like my role has changed since I started, in many ways it has not – OIA continues to provide guidance on U.S. immigration policy while doing our very best to support the international communities at the University as they navigate here and settle into their academic lives.

Q: Can you give an example of a memorable experience you've had at the University?

Not long after I started at the University, I recall attending the 75th anniversary of the first nuclear reaction in December 2017. First of all, the history of the matter hadn’t been clear to me before that day, and I hadn’t recognized the reaction had taken place at the University of Chicago. What I hadn’t counted on when attending the event was the aerial, pyrotechnic show that was blasted off the roof of the Regenstein Library in celebration of the event. It was pretty remarkable.

Q: You have had a great impact on the University, how has the University of Chicago impacted you?

So many things come to mind, but I think at the end of the day, the people impact me the most. The immigration work can be complicated and create sticky situations that often require input from colleagues in different areas of the University. Through all of that work, we seem to come together and find our way through it to keep moving forward. I have learned so much working alongside so many smart and capable people. It doesn’t hurt that many of those people are enjoyable to be around, decent, and often fun to work with.

Q: Beyond your role as Executive Director and Assistant Dean of Students, Office of International Affairs, how else do you like to spend your time?

I may not be super unique in any of this, but day-to-day I enjoy cooking (and eating) and love to read. I’ve lived in Chicago for nearly 20 years now and in that time, I’ve grown to love the city and enjoy checking out places to eat, drink and explore. One of my favorite Chicago things to do occurs every Saturday afternoon at the northside jazz club, the Green Mill. It’s a “live magazine” called the Paper Machete. Think standup, critique on current events, a musical act (or two), and there’s usually a puppet (Chad the Bird); between acts one of the bartenders tells a dirty joke. It’s a lot of fun and it seems to me to be a very Chicago-centric show. Beyond these few things, I also find great satisfaction picking up trash in my neighborhood. This was a pandemic-era hobby (inspired by David Sedaris) that I’ve since coerced my husband and dog into doing with me. For me, after a long day at work, there’s nothing quite as satisfying as using my handy little trash-grabber and filling a garbage bag full of local litter.

Q: Is there anything you would like to share with our UChicago community, such as a fun fact about yourself or a personal project?

I am forever trying to learn to be handy – YouTube has certainly helped, and I’ve taken a few classes here and there on home improvement projects. Mostly I've learned to avoid anything that has to do with plumbing or electricity. Some things are better left to experts. I am always open to hearing from others who have interest in this as well!