Office of Internationalization

The Office of Internationalization provides leadership and support for the University of Denver's efforts to internationalize the curriculum and the campus. At DU, students and scholars from overseas are part of our community, and all our faculty and students are encouraged to study, research, and offer service in a global context.

The office comprises four main units:

1. The Office of International Student and Scholar Services provides orientation for new international students and scholars, immigration advising, work authorization assistance, cross-cultural adjustment assistance, and international programs and events.

2. The Study Abroad Office is the home for DU's flagship study abroad program, Cherrington Global Scholars, along with International Community Engagement and Service Learning. It also offers support to faculty-led programs and to any student seeking special help with study abroad to fit a special academic need.

3. The English Language Center prepares international students for the skills to be successful as undergraduate or graduate students at DU or other U.S. institutions of higher education. In addition, the ELC provides short-term language and culture programs in response to requests from University departments, community groups, and international constituents.

4. The Vice Provost for Internationalization oversees all the above units and implements, promotes, and assesses the University's internationalization initiatives by working closely with the Provost, academic deans, and departments, along with a faculty/staff advisory board. The Office of Internationalization is the clearinghouse for all agreements with international universities and works with the Center for Multicultural Excellence to bridge the gap between multicultural and international education.

Before the creation of the Office of Internationalization, international programs and services were managed through the Office of Student Affairs. Institutional reports and organizational charts from the 1940s and 1950s show that services for foreign students—including advising, housing coordination, and immigration support—were administered within Student Personnel and Student Services divisions, reporting to the Dean of Students.

Study abroad programming developed as a related but distinct function. Early initiatives were coordinated by academic departments and faculty committees. As programs expanded after World War II, central administrative offices assumed responsibility for coordination. In the 1960s and 1970s, institutional reorganizations led to increased centralization of both study abroad and international student services within Student Affairs or related student services divisions.

Earlier versions of these services included the International Student Office, Center for Students from Abroad, Center for International Education, and Foreign Students Center. By the mid-1990s, the Office of Internationalization became an independent unit, separate from Student Affairs.