Degree Name

MA in International Education

First Advisor

Raymond Young

Abstract

In Fall 2013 semester, Wildcats International Neighbors (W.I.N.) was designed and implemented as a pilot program for the International Programs Office (IPO) at Northern Michigan University (NMU). It was a cross-cultural program to connect international students and local community members for mutual cultural exchange. Moreover, this program served as a support program for international students during their transition to American culture. Fall 2013 semester was first time when the IPO implemented this program. At the end of the semester, the IPO conducted a program evaluation, and the office discovered there were several aspects of the program that needed to be improved.

This Course-Linked Capstone (CLC) proposes a new Wildcats International Neighbors program based in large part on the evaluation results of the W.I.N. pilot program. The majority of this CLC is devoted to the Needs Assessment, to justify why the pilot program needs improvement. By adopting this proposed version of W.I.N., the IPO will be able to provide high quality of services to international students and invite local community members to explore a variety of cultures from around the world. In addition, the IPO will be able to assist international students at NMU with adjustment to American culture through the new version of W.I.N. In order to avoid confusion, in this CLC, the old version of W.I.N. is referred to as the pilot program, and the proposed version of the program is referred to as W.I.N.

Keywords: international student and scholar services, mentor program

Disciplines

Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | Higher Education Administration | International and Comparative Education | Student Counseling and Personnel Services

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