International Student Services & Intercultural Education

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James Mellon, Director, Student Services Building, Room 206


Tel: (808) 974-7313; Fax: (808) 933-0860
Web: 
hilo.hawaii.edu/studentaffairs/international/services.php

UH Hilo is a multicultural campus with international students from approximately 40 countries throughout the world, primarily from Asia and the Pacific Islands. Services for international students are provided to facilitate their transition to the U.S. and UH Hilo academic and social environments, support their educational, professional and personal success, and promote interaction and understanding between them and the campus and local communities. Services for international students include:

• Orientation for new international students
• Advising on immigration regulations and matters, including employment on- and off-campus and after graduation
• Official certification of immigration documents
• Programs and activities that promote the adjustment and integration of international students into the campus and local communities
• Administering scholarship programs for international students and providing information about scholarships, grants and loans
• Assistance with understanding and complying with the University’s academic and other policies and procedures
• Advising on academic, financial and personal matters
• Informing the campus and larger communities about the unique needs and contributions of international students and bringing an international perspective to a wide variety of campus programs and services
• Serving as a resource and liaison between international students and campus and community members and organizations
• Advocating for international students and international education

International students have the opportunity to participate in the International Student Association, which sponsors campus-wide activities, such as United Nations Day and International Nights, aimed at increasing cultural awareness and understanding. The International Student Association also organizes off-campus excursions to the mountains, beaches, and sea, activities that allow students to learn about the unique physical and cultural treasures of Hawaiʻi Island.

The International Student Services & Intercultural Education office is home to the Becoming Culturally Aware Project (BCAP). BCAP provides logistical support to enable international students to make presentations about their home countries and cultures at schools, community organizations, and on campus. UH Hilo welcomes the rich contribution made to its campus and the community by students from other countries.

In addition to services for international students, the International Student Services & Intercultural Education office engages students from all cultural, ethnic, national, geographic and socioeconomic backgrounds in programs and activities that facilitate and promote intercultural learning. The Intercultural Education program at UH Hilo aims to educate students for global connections and local commitments. As one of the most ethnically diverse universities and areas in the U.S., UH Hilo provides rich opportunities for students to develop global perspectives and apply skills, knowledge and abilities that enhance intercultural, interracial and interethnic relations. Intercultural learning programs and activities bring together domestic and international students to enable them to reflect on and understand their own cultures and values and those of their neighbors at home and afar, often through a social justice lens. Students explore differences on many levels and the cultural dimensions of interactions between and among individuals, organizations and political entities; search for and provide avenues to effective relations across cultures and differences; and expand worldviews and build skills to analyze interconnections between global and local systems and effectively participate and interact in intercultural contexts and situations within local communities, national borders, and around the world.