International Student Support Services at Ontario Universities

Clayton Smith is Vice Provost, Student Affairs, and Dean of Students at the University of Windsor, where he has coordinated campus internationalization and implemented new approaches in international student recruitment and retention. He previously held enrollment management positions, which included oversight for international student affairs, at the State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill, Tallahassee Community College, and the University of Maine at Augusta. Dr. Smith holds a doctor of education degree in higher education from Florida State University, a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Maine, a master of arts degree in political science from Drew University and a bachelor of arts degree in political science from the University of Southern Maine. Dr. Smith is a frequent conference presenter on enrollment management, student affairs and internationalization topics and is co-editor of the AACRAO’s SEM in Canada: Promoting Student and Institutional Success in Canadian Colleges and Universities. He has long been active in AACRAO and currently serves as a senior consultant with AACRAO Consulting where he has conducted consulting projects at more than 20 colleges and universities in the United States. and Canada.

Brenda Whiteside is Associate Vice-President of Student Affairs at the University of Guelph. As AVPSA, she is responsible for all the academic support programs and services offered at the university. Units in her portfolio that relate specifically to international students include: Counseling and Disability Services, Student Health and Wellness Services, Student Housing Services, Multifaith Resource Center, Center for New Students, and the Office of Intercultural Affairs. Whiteside is a member of a number of committees, including: the COU Accessibility Task Force, the COU Mental Health Subcommittee, and the Postsecondary Advisory Committee on Disability Issues. She is a graduate of the University of Guelph in management economics at the undergraduate level and economics at the graduate level.

Suzanne Blanchard is the Associate Vice-President (Students and Enrollment) and University Registrar at Carleton University. In this position, she is responsible for overseeing Carleton University’s comprehensive range of academic and personal support services for students through the application process, over the course of their university experience, and after they have graduated. She has a proven track record in managing and leading student-centered services as well as the knowledge, skills, and experience to lead the Students and Enrollment portfolio in providing an exceptional student experience for Carleton University students. Her recent accomplishments include the establishment of Carleton University’s Student Mental Health Framework, which won first prize in the national category of the Canadian Association of University Business Officers (CAUBO) 2011 Quality and Productivity Awards, and an extensive review of Carleton University’s advising services leading to the creation of new programs and services tied to student success and retention. Blanchard graduated from the University of Ottawa with a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons). She has worked in the field of postsecondary education since the late 1980s in a variety of positions including at the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, La Cité collégiale, and with Carleton University, initially as Director, Admission Services and then as the University Registrar.

Chris Martin is the Director of Research of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA), a nonpartisan advocacy organization representing the interests of more than 155,000 full- and part-time undergraduate students in Ontario, Canada. A recent graduate of McMaster University, Martin studied political science and theater. After two years of being an undergraduate student, Martin got involved in student government in order to promote the importance of a well-rounded student experience. After being exposed to a range of issues affecting students, Martin began working at OUSA on issues faced by international students. A strong believer in partnership, Martin was excited to continue this work with the co-authors of this article.