Advising & Support

From predeparture to on-site arrival and everything in-between, there is a team of IES Abroad staff members who are working diligently to guide and support your students.

PREDEPARTURE

College Relations

Our College Relations Managers are here to partner with you in advising and supporting your students. Because every campus is different, your representative knows the policies and procedures at your school, and will provide assistance based on your students’ and your institution’s unique needs.

College Relation Managers are your main point of contact and are dedicated to working closely with you and your students as you navigate the process to find the right program fit.

You can expect that your College Relations Manager will:

• Be friendly and knowledgeable about IES Abroad, as well as various of aspects of the field of international education as a whole
• Be genuinely dedicated to helping students from your school succeed in studying or interning abroad, from start to finish, using their knowledge of your school’s mission and policies to do so
• Likely hold an advanced degree in international education, language, and/or related field
• Have extensive experience with events such as study abroad fairs, open houses, and on campus predeparture orientations.
• Be skilled in helping prospective students find the right program
• Be adept at meeting with the various groups on your campus including study abroad staff, faculty, and administrators regarding IES Abroad programming

Program Advising

The mission of our Advising team is to support and advise study abroad students and their families with innovation, compassion, and proactive communication. By engaging internal and external resources, we prepare students for the intercultural experiences ahead.

From the moment a student starts an application with us, they are assigned a program-specific advisor. Program Advisors know the ins and outs of their programs and are here to answer your students’ questions.

From visas to courses to cell phones, our Program Advisors have the answers! Our advisors are:

• Your students’ advocate within the organization to find a solution or to connect them to the necessary party to help them get what they need
• Dedicated to offering empathetic, flexible and customized support wherever possible
• Attentive and prompt in getting back to students and their families, usually within one day
• Experienced and travel savvy—all have studied abroad at least once and many have also lived, worked, or attended grad school abroad
• Always looking for exciting and innovative ways to share information with students, whether it be a program-specific newsletter, an online article about their host city, a webinar, a how-to guide, or another helpful resource that will reach students

ON-SITE

Center Directors

Our world-class Center Directors and their dedicated staff make IES Abroad the organization what it is. As the on-site leaders of academic programs at IES Abroad locations, Center Directors oversee all program elements and work in close collaboration with Program Deans to develop academic programs and ensure a high-quality academic experience. This is accomplished through consistent monitoring of syllabi, monitoring of academic delivery in the classroom, reviews of all student and program evaluation results, and recommendations for new curricula designs.

In addition to developing curricula, many of our Center Directors are also degreed academicians and develop and teach IES Abroad courses in their fields. Most of our Center Directors are natives of the countries where their programs are located. They also identify and partner with leading universities and institutions in these countries.

Student Service Staff

Under the oversight of our Dean of Student’s office, our highly trained and experienced onsite Student Services staff look after the welfare of our students at their centers. This includes health, housing, orientation, student activities and cultural adjustment. Along with our Center Directors and they also assist in issues of student misconduct and crisis management.

Our onsite student affairs staff attend regular in person and webinar training on important topics of student health and safety, student conduct, technology systems, Comprehensive Orientation and Reentry (CORE), student housing, crisis management, field trips, managing student conflicts, and numerous case studies.

BEHIND-THE-SCENES

Enrollment Management

The Enrollment Management (EM) Team are the mechanics of IES Abroad, keeping the admissions and predeparture processes finely tuned and running smoothly year round.

This team is the ultimate support unit, providing lightning-fast assistance and strong support to our colleagues in Program Advising and College Relations. In EM, we pride ourselves on:

• Speedy processing of applications for admission and the many required supporting documents
• Timely review of thousands of pre-departure forms
• Keeping abreast of the latest regulations with regard to student visas
• Maintaining excellent relationships with consulates and embassies around the US
• Expertly handling batch visa processing for almost 900 students per year through our ACCeSS program
• Reviewing financial aid applications within five days of receipt and awarding $5 million in aid to thousands of students across eight different scholarship and aid programs.

Program Deans

Working with local Center Directors, Program Deans identify and hire the finest, most experienced faculty; safeguard academic policies; and conduct strategic planning for the programs operating at our Centers. They regularly monitor course syllabi, and have advanced degrees and extensive international experience.

Program Deans also direct all program assessments, where they lead assessment teams comprising faculty and staff from IES Abroad Academic Consortium schools and IES Abroad staff members. Deans also serve as liaisons to other IES Abroad departments to ensure that we are providing the highest quality academic experience.

Student Affairs

Our Dean of Students Office provides pre-Departure and on-site support for you and your students. They establish and oversee our health and safety guidelines, and consult with the IES Abroad Centers to maintain high standards of safety for your students. Our student affair staff manage on site crisis management (in conjunction with our Crisis Management Team) and our Behavior Intervention Team and has access to a highly experienced medical and psychological consultants as needed.

Based in Chicago, our Student Affairs staff is responsible for guidance on:

• Pre-Existing Conditions
• Student Misconduct
• Student Health Insurance
• Student Medical Reports
• Accommodation Requests
• Parent communications

The Student Affairs staff also provides oversight and training of our onsite Student Services staff regarding:

• Student welfare (health, housing, cultural adjustment, student activities, orientation)
• Student insurance
• Student conduct
• Parent concerns
• Crisis management

Diversity Department

We're proud that our students are as diverse as the countries where they study and intern abroad. We launched our Initiative to Diversify Education Abroad to make studying abroad a learning experience accessible to all students, creating a student body that reflects the diversity of both the U.S. and our college student population.

Though we know every student is unique and distinct in their own way, we define a diverse student as someone who identifies as a racial/ethnic minority, first-generation college student, students with financial need, LGBTQ, and/or is a student who has demonstrated a history of overcoming adversity such as a physical, mental health, or learning disability.

Our Diversity Team provides:

• Predeparture advising preparation and services unique to the needs of diverse and underrepresented students.
• Guidance, resources, and training to U.S. colleges and universities in the IES Abroad consortium that improve access and student diversity, and assist in providing leadership on diversity matters in the field of education abroad.
• Top-notch diversity abroad resources in the field. Whether that's through our online country-specific diversity resources, student blogs, scholarships, and dedicated diversity team, or our personal one-on-on advising, our dedicated Diversity Team is here to support and encourage your students throughout the process.