From May 27 to May 31, our office will be closed.  May 27, Tulane University is closed in observance of Memorial Day.  May 28- May 31, the entire OISS team will be attending the NAFSA Annual Conference.  As the most important annual event for international educators, this conference will provide our team with vital updates and ideas that will help us to better serve our international community.  As a bonus, we’re using this opportunity to update the carpet at 6901 Willow. 

If you have any timely requests, such as an OPT, CPT, or Academic Training application or a program extension, please be sure to get complete application to your OISS advisor no later than Friday, May 17 to allow for 3 to 5 business days for processing.  If not, we may not be able to complete your request before the conference. 

During this time, we’ll be monitoring our email for true immigration emergencies, but please be sure to expect a delay in our response.  We’ll still be there if you really need us. 

Thank you for your cooperation,

The OISS Team

Advising Changes at OISS

Office of International Students and Scholars oiss@tulane.edu
View PDF

We would like to share some exciting changes at the Office of International Students and Scholars with the Tulane community.

New Advisor 

First, as some of you already know, in April, we welcomed our newest advisor, Dessa Crum, to the OISS team.   Dessa is originally from the Kansas City area, and has spent time living in Germany, Japan, Hungary, and Turkey. Before joining the OISS team, she advised international students and taught English as a second language at Johnson County Community College in Kansas. We are thrilled and lucky to have her and she has already started meeting with students.  I hope you will join me in welcoming her. 

Advising Model 

The rest of the student advising team will transition to a holistic model of advising, and will each focus on a particular set of schools.  They will assist on all matters of the international student experience, from document production before the students arrive, through employment authorization once the students finish their studies.  This will allow OISS to develop ongoing individual relationships with our international students and will allow students to have a specific reference point inside of OISS.  Advisors will also serve as primary points of contact for the various administrators of their assigned schools.  To find out which advisor serves which school, please see our appointment page.    

Employment Advisor 

With Dessa’s arrival and the new advising model, there will no longer be an advisor dedicated specifically to student employment issues.  Each individual advisor will now be able to help their students with all questions, including about employment.  Kabir Hingorani has moved on from his role as Employment Advisor and is now our SEVIS Manager.  In this capacity he will manage OISS data, develop eforms and other automation and ensure our regulatory and reporting compliance.