Welcome, New Faculty, from the Office of International Education (OIE)!
Meet the Staff:
The Director of International Education, Aurora Margarita-Goldkamp, holds a B.A. in French Studies from Wesleyan University, and a M.A. in International Education Management from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Aurora studied and worked abroad in Mexico, France, and Italy for several years. She is always excited to meet new faculty and discuss international education - don’t be afraid to send an email or drop by the Glendening Annex to introduce yourself!
The OIE’s Office Administrator, Sahra Grube, has been with SMCM since 2008 and joined the Office of International Education in 2016. She is also a Notary Public. She has traveled to Southern Spain, and this past January went to West Africa with the SMCM Senegal Study Tour. Sahra has always enjoyed watching the students grow in the many years she has been here, but this position has been by far her favorite. She loves seeing how transformative the experience of traveling the world can be for students and looks forward to meeting you!
What the OIE does:
The Office of International Education oversees both outgoing and incoming study abroad and international exchange. You can browse our programs and policies here. Currently, SMCM has a list of about 30 approved international education opportunities for its students, including semester and year-long programs and short-term faculty-led programs during breaks...and this is where you come in!
Academic Advising & Study Abroad
You may find yourself advising students on international education opportunities, or being asked to provide a recommendation for a specific study abroad program. We’ve created this link for advisors, which includes a handy resource to help keep you informed on how study abroad works at SMCM!
Academic Advising & International Student Support
You may also have some international students in your classes, as matriculating students, temporary exchange students, or even auditing Fulbright Language TAs. In this case, we hope you benefit just as much as we do from the global perspective these students contribute. However, sometimes, our international students can experience academic challenges. In this case, please do not hesitate to put a Beacon Alert or reach out to the Office of Student Support Services and/or our office so that we can check in with the student.
Interested in leading a faculty-led Study Tour?
If, during your time at SMCM, you’d be interested in assisting with, or developing your own faculty-led program abroad, please let us know! We have a limited and rotating roster of approved faculty-led programs, which we call study tours, each year. These are usually 1-4 week-long 4-credit courses taught over an academic break. Check out this page for details on the process, deadlines, policies, and don’t be afraid to reach out to us about the rewards and challenges of teaching such a course abroad.