PLATTSBURGH — The International Student Services and Study Abroad offices at Plattsburgh State have merged into one multi-function Global Education Office.
According to Jackie Girard Vogl, assistant vice president for global education, the evolution of a global education office — for international students studying here and Plattsburgh State students studying abroad — started about two years ago.
“I was asked by then-Interim Provost Patricia Higgins if I’d take over the operational side of the Study Abroad program in addition to maintaining my role in International Student Services,” Vogl said in a news release.
While Vogl was responsible for the operational side of Study Abroad — the students and their parents — Dr. Bryan Higgins, a SUNY distinguished service professor of geography, was the director of international education as it related to the faculty, including faculty-led study abroad and maintenance of the budgets.
“There is a great overlap in recruitment methodology for international students and for study-abroad students,” Vogl said.
When Higgins left the office this summer to return to the classroom, the timing was right to combine offices into one.
“Now I look forward to informing, energizing and supporting our faculty who are interested in taking students abroad,” Vogl said.
“There is growth nationally in short-term, faculty-led study-abroad trips. If we can make them happen here on a bigger scale, if we can grow our short-term study-abroad opportunities and get the faculty to buy into it, we could really shine.”
Students in a French civilization and literature class, for instance, could take a week and travel to Paris to get a first-hand look at what they’re studying in the classroom.
“Under the leadership of Jackie Girard Vogl, the reorganization of the internationally acclaimed Global Education Office will make it even better,” Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs James Liszka said in a statement.
International students responding to a survey by the International Student Barometer ranked the college No. 1 out of the 18 participating universities in the United States and No. 2 out of 208 in the world for overall satisfaction.
Among the rankings, Plattsburgh placed first in the United States and the world for its Office of International Student Services, learning support and performance feedback, students’ ability to make friends upon arrival, housing conditions, visa advice, overall satisfaction with arrival experiences and overall learning satisfaction.
For more information, contact the Global Education Office at 564-3287 or visit www.plattsburgh.edu/admissions/international.
