Back

ICFRC: Helping International Students Arrive & Thrive

Listen to an audio podcast of this program.

Grinnell College is a highly selective liberal arts college of 1700 undergraduates, located in Grinnell, Iowa. Nearly twenty percent of Grinnell's student body are non-U.S. citizens (350+ students from 60+ countries), ranking the school 11th among U.S. Baccalaureate Colleges for international student enrollment (IIE Open Doors) and 6th among National Liberal Arts Colleges for percentage of enrollment (U.S. News and World Report). Jon and Karen Edwards have been professional colleagues and partners, in admission and international student affairs respectively, for nearly 30 years. They talk about how their work has evolved; the valuable relationship between recruitment and retention; and current challenges and opportunities in their respective fields.

Karen Edwards, Dean of International Student Affairs at Grinnell College, has dedicated 30+ year to supporting international students. Since 2007, she has led Grinnell's Office of International Student Affairs (OISA) -- helping students navigate and find community in a new country; managing compliance with the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP); and helping to create an international-student-friendly campus infrastructure. Karen is an active leader and presenter in NAFSA: Association of International Educators and co-founder of the ACM/GLCA Advisors Roundtable. She has traveled in 30+ countries across five continents, holds a MA in Higher Education from the University of Iowa, and a BA degree from Luther College.

Jon Edwards is Director of International Student Admission at Grinnell. He began his career in international education in 1995 and has 26 years of experience in the recruitment, evaluation, and selection of international applicants at highly selective liberal arts colleges. He has served as a member of the Council of International Schools' Committee for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, organizing and leading admission recruitment trips in those regions. Over the years, Jon has led or participated in dozens of presentations at professional conferences around the world. His work with students, schools, and community-based organizations has taken him to 93 countries and counting. Jon earned his MA in German from the University of Illinois at Chicago and his BA from Luther College.

For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org.

Related Programs

thumbnail of video

ICFRC: Climate Security as National Security - Climate Change and the Hawkeye State
Recorded: November 14, 2023
Runtime: 01:01:11

thumbnail of video

ICFRC: Surviving a Dictator, A Dictator Surviving
Recorded: November 8, 2023
Runtime: 01:05:43

thumbnail of video

ICFRC: Border Imperialism: Control of Land and Bodies Through Colonial Violence
Recorded: November 2, 2023
Runtime: 01:00:51

thumbnail of video

ICFRC: Quality Education for All: UN Sustainable Development Goal #4
Recorded: October 24, 2023
Runtime: 00:59:48

thumbnail of video

ICFRC: Writing Across the Sinosphere: an IWP-CAPS-ICFRC Collaboration
Recorded: October 19, 2023
Runtime: 01:25:14

thumbnail of video

ICFRC: Peoples Science: Community Response to Public Health Crises in Lagos, Nigeria
Recorded: October 11, 2023
Runtime: 01:02:08

thumbnail of video

ICFRC: Jamaica: Holdin' a Vibe in a Textured Landscape
Recorded: October 4, 2023
Runtime: 00:53:55

thumbnail of video

ICFRC: Is Brazil at a Tipping Point? Democracy and Climate Change
Recorded: September 27, 2023
Runtime: 01:04:02

thumbnail of video

ICFRC: What Does it Mean to be a Good Citizen?
Recorded: September 15, 2023
Runtime: 01:26:10