International Student and Scholar Services

The Host: Hello everybody and welcome back to the Student Affairs Podcasts. My name is Daniel Pinto, I am a fifth-year student at the University of Louisville, I am majoring in biology, and I am on the swim and dive team. I am happy to be your host today.

In this episode, we are going to talk about International Student and Scholar Services. We are excited to have this faculty that is continuously growing at our university. It adds another important thread to our campus. Today I’m joined by Janice Kim, Interim Director of International Student and Scholar Services. Janice leads UofL’s global efforts to produce international prominence for the university community.

Janice’s primary role is to oversee all compliance with USCIS immigration regulations relevant to the university. Her focus is to provide excellent service in advising and immigration services for our international students and scholars. Janice, thank you for joining us today.

The Host: What is the International Student and Scholar Services about?

Janice Kim: Thank you! I am happy to share. I would say a key component to internationalization in higher education institutions is understanding the increasing profile of the international community on campuses. The office of international student and scholar services here at the University of Louisville supports over 800 international students and 200 scholars and exchange visitors from over 85 countries. Our mission is to provide the necessary services and resources to facilitate the internationalization of the university. And as part of that effort, the key role of the International Office is to assist in visa and immigration advising to F-1 and J-1 international students and exchange visitors, and to facilitate compliance with federal and immigration regulations. The International Office also works closely with academic departments and other units to ensure that we are responsive to the needs of our international community.

The Host: What are some of the services offered?

Janice Kim: The International office offers many support services to our international students and exchange visitors. One of which is to provide professional expertise and resources for all information related to F-1 & J-1 Visa Status. We assist with the issuance of documentation for nonimmigrant visas such as the Certificate of Eligibility form I-20 and DS2019 through the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, also referred to as SEVIS. We also assist new and prospective students with pre-arrival information and new international student orientation at the beginning of each fall and spring semester. Throughout the year, we offer workshops on employment authorization and practical training. The International Office also supports as an advisor to the International Student Council, a recognized student organization here on campus. We work closely with this organization to help international students acclimate to the university and to help connect them with others in the global community. Our dedicated staff at the International Office is here to assist our international community.

The Host: Where is the office located?

Janice Kim: The International Student and Scholar Services office is located on the Belknap Campus, at the International Center in Brodschi Hall. We also have a satellite office on the Health Sciences Campus, at the Global Education Hall in the A Building, Room 218. You can contact us by phone or email at isss@louisville.edu and like us on facebook or instagram to get up-to-date information.

The Host: Excellent. With that, Janice, again thank you for such an informative interview. We were happy to hear more about international students and the services you offer. As an international student myself, this is great to know especially for the younger years.

For more information about student services go to https://louisville.edu/studentaffairs.

Did you know that there are over 400 student organizations? There is something for everyone – and if you don’t find what you’re looking for, you can always create a new group. Get involved! Check out the possibilities on the website: https://louisville.edu/engage.

And don’t forget that the Black Film Festival will be showing In the Heat of the Night, Wednesday, March 2, 2022 at 5:00 PM and 7:30 PM at the Floyd Theater in the SAC.

Finally, we would like to give a shout out to the men's tennis team for winning against Purdue University and the women's tennis team for winning against Austin Peay.

On that note, we would like to end our podcast episode. For our listeners, thank you for spending time with us and stay tuned. We’ll have another podcast out shortly.

A Department of STUDENT AFFAIRS

Student Affairs

SAC W302

University of Louisville

Louisville, Kentucky 40292

Office Hours

M-F 8:30am to 5:00 pm

No holiday hours

Phone

tel (502) 852-6933

tel (502) 852-5844

Inclusion Statement