2010/11 - Bechtel International Center - Stanford University

Services to International Families
In today’s world, the individuals who come to Stanford
as dependents of international graduate students,
post-docs and visiting scholars often have equivalent
educational backgrounds to that of the person they are
accompanying.
Regardless of gender, these spouses all face a serious
challenge in deciding to join their partner at Stanford.
In most cases, they are forced to abandon or postpone
their own professional development in order to keep the
couple or family together. Reactions to this challenge
vary widely, from acceptance to frustration and
resentment at being cut off from one’s career, family and
friends. This situation can be a major source of stress.
The goal of the Office for International Families is to
create programs and services that will provide support
and assistance to these individuals in their varying
situations, and to build a supportive international
community that will enable them to create a positive and
constructive experience at Stanford. This is accomplished
by combining individual advising (in which the Adviser’s
role is supplemented by peer advising in various
languages through the members of the Spouse Welcome
Committee and advisers in the Resource Center for
International Families) and with program opportunities
(to develop classes that use their skills and/or attend
classes and programs that offer stimulation and new
perspectives). Through this process, as spouses become
involved in the I-Center’s programs, their basic needs are
addressed. They are introduced to the resources of their
new surroundings, build on their skills or learn new ones,
and develop a feeling of community with others in a
similar situation.
ADVISING & SERVICES
Coordinator for Classes and Programs for Stanford
Spouses, Partners & Families
The program has one Coordinator, who works 15 hours
per week for the program. Susanne Maas from Germany
has been working as the Coordinator of the Program
since November 2009.
The Coordinator is responsible for the quarterly Spouse
Program, the weekly newsletter, contacting volunteers,
updating the information material, recruiting new
volunteers, and answering questions about the program.
She also plans procedures for welcoming and orienting
newcomers to Stanford, including organizing the
Welcome Reception and leads the Welcome Committee.
Friday Morning Coffee Coordinator
and Welcome Receptions
This is a three-hour-per-week position, handling the
logistical aspects and assuring continuity of the various
procedures for welcoming and orienting newcomers to
Stanford. Hyeyon Moon from Korea has held this position
since November 2009.
Welcome Committee
We invite spouses to be part of the next year’s Welcome
Committee. Since the most effective way to assist
newcomers in adapting is to put them in touch with
someone who speaks their language and has gone
through a similar experience, we recruited and trained
a group of volunteers from many different countries to
be our Welcome Committee for International Families.
Committee members met during spring and summer and
organized a major Welcome Reception for International
Spouses.
Email Service
We provide an email service where new and returning
spouses can ask questions: stanfordfamilies@gmail.com.
Responsible for answering is the team of John Pearson
(Director), Shalini Bhutani (Associate Director) and Gridt
Find and later this year Wendy Cardamone (Building
Manager).
Resource Center
The Resource Center for International Families is a
comprehensive combination of information and peer
advising that enables spouses and family members
to build a stimulating and worthwhile experience for
themselves while they are accompanying a student,
post-doc, visiting scholar or faculty member at Stanford.
The community volunteer, Mary Schuelke, is responsible
for the project. She continually adds new material, which
she organizes and updates. She also coordinates the
scheduling and training of the volunteer advisers who
staff the Center.
The RC advisers provided a warm welcome and
encouragement to newly-arrived internationals as
well as information on car purchases, driver licenses,
health insurance, educational pursuits, volunteering,
work authorization, schools and activities for kids, and
recreational opportunities. Visitors also take advantage of
our lending library, with books in Japanese, Korean and
several other languages as well as English. The advisers
skillfully helped visitors to the Center during open hours
spread over 4 days per week
Resource Center Coordinator, Mary Schuelke, has
provided detailed information on the Resources Center’s
activities, which may be found on page 28.
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