Student Success on a Global Scale: ISU Embraces Culture Beyond the Classroom with Roopa Rawjee

When navigating the world of international education, special considerations need to be made, especially by co-curriculars, to create an environment and culture at their universities that inspires internationalization and magnifies student success. Roopa Rawjee, Executive Director, Office of International Engagement at Illinois State University, discusses how her past as an international student has shaped her present as an administrator and how she hopes to impact ISU and other universities to embrace global learning opportunities outside of the classroom in the future. Key Insights & Timestamps: [00:00] Podcast begins [01:06] Experience as an International Student: Falling in love with higher ed [10:51] Defining Success at Illinois State: Opportunities, success, & international opportunities [16:00] Technology & SIO Core Competencies: Partnerships, communications, & logistics [21:02] HERS Network Experience: Immersion learning from women in international ed [24:46] Rapid Fire Questions: Roopa talks investments, access, & advice for SIOs Guest Spotlight Roopa Rawjee: International education administrator with more than two decades of experience with student success strategies, co-curricular education, teaching, immigration advising, comprehensive internationalization, and strategic leadership grounded in the values of diversity, inclusion, and belonging. AIEA Presidential Fellow 2023-24. Inaugural Mentor: NAFSA RISE Fellows. Key Takeaways: Student Affairs & International Ed: “Our job as co-curricular educators is to create that safe and welcoming space outside the classroom.” As a non-traditional college student, Roopa attended university in California as a woman from India, older and more experienced than many of her classmates. While working with student affairs programming on campus, Roopa fell in love with higher ed and felt motivated to create a space for other international students to fall in love with learning, too. Bringing the World to Illinois: “I want to take us from opportunistic to strategic. Success for us is going to be comprehensive internationalization.” When measuring success at her current institution, Roopa is mindful of financial and logistical challenges of study abroad. When seeking to internationalize Illinois State, her office seeks opportunities to not only have students explore the world, but to bring the world, through faculty and fellow students, to Illinois. Leveraging Existing Tech: “I think the solutions can be really simple, looking at what’s already available on campus. We want progress, not perfection.” Higher education has experienced its fair share of tech hangups, and Roopa’s team at ISU have gone through mountains of paperwork and a myriad of emails trying to solve them. When it comes to optimizing technology at universities as large as ISU, Roopa believes in auditing and leveraging what already exists, versus jumping at the first chance for another new software. Resources Mentioned: Illinois State University | illinoisstate.edu Connect with Roopa: LinkedIn For More Information: Learn more about the Association of International Education Administrators at AIEAworld.org. Visit ViaTRM.com to learn more about Via TRM and access to additional resources. Stay Connected: Connect with Host Brooke Roberts on LinkedIn