From ASAB to International Advisor
Tracy Henderson finds a new home
By: Mi Feng
Issue date: 2/8/10 Section: News
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"I think it's a great opportunity to work in a different area of the university and help the students in a different way," Tracy Henderson said. She is now the international advisor of ENMU. She has take this job since the former international advisor Phillip Gill went to work at Texas Technology University last December.
Henderson used to be the Director of the Associated Students Activities Board for two and a half years. She said she took this new job due to many different reasons, one of which is the opportunity to transfer. Due to budget cuts and restrictions, the university combined student activities under campus life and gave her the option to transfer. Henderson said that although she is very new to this job, the administration level has given her great support.
According to Henderson, different from her previous job, the position of international advisor is academic-based and helps students on an individual basis. She said there are a lot of challenges in this new job, including knowing all the regulations and procedures and updating students' files. A change she will make at her new position is to "increase our international students' population." She wants to double the international students' population, which now counts three percent of the university population. Additionally, she will work on extending the international programs in more academic areas as well as communication and business, where most international students are studying in.
Henderson has been apart of the university for ten years. Besides working for Eastern she also competed both her bachelor and master degrees her and had once been a student regent. She said she loves the color green and greyhound. "I am so passionate about the university," she said. "I hoped the students got the same great experiences I had when I was a student here." She thought the benefit of her job as "seeing the students succeed."
Henderson has two assistants, one is Chinese and the other is Nepalese, to help her overcome the language and cultural barriers. Chang Liu, one of Henderson's student assistants said that Henderson is very effective and always does her best. "Last time when some (international) students had problems, I can see … she helped them whole-heartedly," he said.
Some international students spoke highly of the former international advisor Gill, who had been doing international advising for eight years. "I think he did a very good job. Although he had budget limits, he always tried his best to help international students," said Mumi Zhao, who used to work as a student assistant for Gill, in an online interview. She also said that international students do need an advisor to help them stay in the United States legally and give them suggestions.
According Liu, if students want to go back their own countries during the break, they will need to get the approval signature from the international advisor on their DS2019 form.
"I met him the first day when I got to Eastern … he knows everyone … he's a really good person," Jian Zhen said, the President of the International Club.