Associate Provost for Internationalization Dr. Steven Wuhs is stepping up as the Interim Dean for the College of Arts and Science, but the Office for International Students and Scholars (OISS) will see few changes.
Specifically, Wuhs is retaining his responsibilities as the Principal Designated School Official (PDSO), representing and supporting international students under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). That means he is still the primary point of contact for international students.
Previously, international students primarily communicated with Wuhs and another Designated School Official (DSO). With the departure of the other DSO this summer, the Office has three new DSOs to do “frontline work” coordinating different aspects of academic life for international students, as part of a “decentralization” effort.
“It also gives you, as [an international] student, more people that you can reach out to, more people who you know are advocating for you and looking out for your success,” explained Wuhs.
Wuhs, who has been the PDSO at the University of Redlands since 2016, related his commitment to supporting the international community as motivation to continue his work with the OISS.
“I hold that work very close to my heart,” Wuhs said.
Furthermore, coordinating any customs and policy changes with the federal government is a process too complicated for a successor to transition into in such a short amount of time, according to Wuhs.
“There will be moments like that where I need to respond to a hundred individual emails because everyone is concerned,” said Wuhs.
He recounted the changes to regulations from Immigration and Customs Enforcement this past July that would have prevented international students from taking only online classes, which have since been rescinded.
“I really couldn’t be happier with how the transition has been going and I think it really will serve international students very well [in the] long-term,” concluded Wuhs.
Photo by Coco McKown.
