International student advisory group

Established in 2021, the CEHD International Student Advisory Group aims to support international students within the college’s mission of contributing to a just and sustainable future for all. The group collaborates on various projects to cultivate a culture of care and create a sense of belonging for all international students.

Committee members

Bhaskar Upadhyay

Bhaskar Upadhyay

Professor, Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development
bhaskar@umn.edu | 612-625-3286

Marina Aleixo

Marina Aleixo

Director, International Initiatives
aleix001@umn.edu | 612-624-9671

Ellen Sunshine

Ellen Sunshine

Associate Director of Student Recruitment, Admissions, and Engagement
sunsh001@umn.edu | 612-626-463

Nicola Alexander

Nicola Alexander

Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, Diversity, and International Initiatives
Professor, Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development
nalexand@umn.edu | 612-624-1507

Michael DallaValle

Michael DallaValle

Assistant Director of Graduate Education
mdallava@umn.edu | 612-625-5883

Sumitra Madhuri Ramachandran

Sumitra Madhuri Ramachandran

Graduate program coordinator, Family Social Science
ramac024@umn.edu

Nicole Shopbell

Nicole Shopbell

Director of Undergraduate Education
wileb011@umn.edu | 612-626-0398

Liz Hwang

Liz Hwang

Undergraduate International Initiative Coordinator, ISSS
Graduate student, Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development
hwan0243@umn.edu

Satomi Mitani

Satomi Mitani

Graduate student, Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development
President, CEHD International Student Community (CISC)
mitan005@umn.edu

2022-2023 Strategic plan

Based on the 2022-2023 International Student survey and focus groups, a strategic plan was created to support international students’ needs. Actionable items for academic year 2022-2023 are focused on three areas:

  1. CEHD International Student Grants
  2. Faculty Training
  3. Resource Development

2022-2023 Activities

As a first step to understand student needs, the advisory group conducted a comprehensive survey and focus groups. Administered separately to undergraduate and graduate students in the fall of 2021, the survey was an opportunity to hear student voices regarding their experiences in the college. After initial survey analysis, committee members facilitated 6 focus groups, 2 for undergraduate students and 4 for graduate students in spring 2022.

Survey results were reported to CEHD senior leadership and were the foundation for developing a strategic plan to better support international students.