The “Invisible” Sponsor Sandarshi Gunawardena, Vietnam Education Foundation
Who is a Sponsoring Organization? Some examples: In the United States Institute of International Education (IIE) Institute of International Education America-Mideast Educational and Training Services (AMIDEAST) America-Mideast Educational and Training Services Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) Council for International Exchange of Scholars Ford Foundation Ford Foundation American Councils (ACTR-ACCELS) American Councils Academy for Educational Development (AED) Academy for Educational Development World Health Organization (WHO) World Health Organization LASPAU: Academic and Professional Programs for the Americas LASPAU: Academic and Professional Programs for the Americas Foreign Embassies in the United States Foreign Embassies in the United States U.S. Federal Government Agencies U.S. Federal Government Agencies Overseas Foreign governments/ministries Foreign institutions and organizations
Wide variety of sponsors and sponsoring organizations Relationship between U.S. universities and sponsoring agencies varies Relationships between sponsored students and their sponsoring agencies vary Relationships between sponsored international student s and their U.S. university international offices vary
Case Study Mental health crisis Emergency medical evacuation
Challenges faced by Sponsors The “invisible” sponsor Who is really responsible for the student? Do you have authority to work on your students’/scholars’ behalf? Addressing a crisis situation at a distance Should you and when should you go to the location of the crisis? Ethical dilemmas: Working with sponsor requirements and a many other requests and requirements Dealing with conflicting responses and information
Lessons Learned Identify primary contact in your institution – for all matters and communication Crisis team – very important Priorities Confidentiality and privacy Ethical issues Cross-cultural issues Immigration issues
Lessons Learned Each crisis situation has its own set of individual circumstances Responses to a crisis being unified Crisis situations involving international students/scholars require great sensitivity and respect to a multitude of cross-cultural issues Each crisis situation requires a university/sponsor to address and refine internal procedures and policies, based on what was learned
Preparation: Plan and Assess Prevention Response Recovery
Sponsors and Universities: Communication. Who is the advisor who works with sponsored students at the university; who is the contact person at the sponsoring organization? Universities/colleges: Ascertain sponsor- specific policies and procedures – Each program has its own requirements All: Need to work collaboratively when making all decisions
A crisis involving international students/scholars cannot be prevented or addressed in isolation. It requires a team of designated, culturally sensitive, and responsible individuals working together