Office of International Programs

Chapter 3

Global Communities

Upon first arriving, Robert S. P. Yien clearly recalled his first impressions of the school: to him, it looked like one lone building in the middle of a cornfield, he mused. During his 27 years as vice president for academic affairs, Yien helped SVSU grow into the major regional institution it was to become. Among the accomplishments of which he has said he was most proud is the degree to which he, President Eric Gilbertson, and many others worked to internationalize the campus by bringing multinational faculty and students to SVSU and by introducing those at SVSU to the larger world.

Office of International Programs

SVSU has greatly expanded its international programs during the past 25 years, bringing more students and scholars from other nations to campus and fostering more travel experiences for students overseas. Internationalizing the campus and making it more global helped cultivate leadership in SVSU graduates. As Gilbertson noted, “I hope [students] become comfortable with the people that they will be working with and competing against.”1

The 1991 strategic plan “Promises to Keep” identified three main strategies for international programs at SVSU. One was to encourage student international experiences on campus and off. Ideally, this would entail study abroad, and it involved bringing international students to the campus. To support these international students, the second strategy was to develop necessary academic infrastructure on campus, such as English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction. The third strategic goal was to “internationalize the curriculum” by offering more courses with a global focus.2

The administration made a leadership position within the Office of International programs permanent, though the position itself has been called “director,” “special assistant to the president,” “interim director” and “acting director” at various times. When Gilbertson arrived, history professor Robert Braddock held the position on a part-time basis and served from 1989 to 1991. He was succeeded by Lee Heywood “Woody” Pelton, who served