International Program’s Office updates:
This fall semester, HCC will be hosting more international students than at any point in the college’s history!
F-1 students are required by law to maintain a full-time course load, which means that faculty/administrative withdrawals can result in termination of a student’s visa status. Please let us know if a student is at risk of withdrawal before processing a withdrawal – either by submitting a Navigate alert, or by contacting gwen.lee@heartland.edu. We won’t ask you not to drop a student who should be dropped, but please let us verify whether or not the student qualifies for a reduced course load or other visa-permitted accommodation before finalizing a drop, because US visa law requires that accommodations be requested/authorized prior to processing a withdrawal.
In the unlikely event that you are contacted by an ICE agent or immigration official requesting information about a student, please respectfully refer the official to Gwen Lee, Heartland’s designated ICE liaison. US Department of Homeland Security representatives are required to follow our institutional process and must make requests to a designated college representative when such a role has been defined by the institution.
The International Programs Office also acts as Support Liaison for DACA recipients and undocumented students. If you encounter DACA/undocumented students in need of assistance, please refer them to Gwen Lee or international@heartland.edu.
As always, please feel free to contact the International Programs Office with any questions/concerns!
International Program’s Study Abroad successfully completed three new programs this past summer:
Canada for intercultural communications in Toronto
Japan for humanities and culture in Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Osaka
Netherlands for international business in Amsterdam
For Fall 2024, we look forward to promoting the second agricultural trip to South Africa led by Miranda Buss.
We will also be planning our third annual international festival for April 2025 focused on Southeast Asia (especially Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia).
Anyone interested in participating should contact Gwen Lee or Zach Petrea
Finally, be on the lookout for communications regarding the upcoming faculty and staff professional development opportunities:
Site Visit to Ireland in March 2025
Two-Week Exchange to Finland and Netherlands