Our Mission

The Tufts International Center assists and supports all of Tufts's international students, scholars, and employees in their efforts to realize their academic and educational goals and enjoy personal and professional success. To accomplish this mission, the Center focuses on the following areas:

• Immigration and visa document services that help Tufts's international students, scholars, employees and their dependents to acquire and maintain valid US immigration status, and obtain any benefits for which they are eligible;
• Programs aimed at providing international students, scholars, and employees and their dependents with successful arrival, orientation, and ongoing campus experiences and support;
• Individual advising and mentoring that help to identify options and resources that meet individuals' immigration, academic, personal, and other needs
• Campus advocacy directed at reinforcing and strengthening Tufts's historical commitment to international engagement, global awareness, inclusion, and cross-cultural understanding

Our Service Commitments

In order to achieve our mission, the International Center commits to providing the best possible service to our students, scholars, employees and campus colleagues and partners. Our service commitments require us to be:

• Empathetic and Respectful: We are committed to providing services that treats each individual with empathy, respect and sensitivity, taking care to understand the personal, cultural, social, and institutional nuances of each individual's needs and situation
• Informed and Accurate: We are committed to providing detailed, accurate information that is appropriate to each individual's personal situation, and maintaining up-to-date knowledge and expertise to fulfill our advising and service responsibilities
• Efficient and Timely: We strive to provide service in as efficient and timely a manner as possible, and to communicate reasonable timelines for response or resolution to any question, case or service that cannot be addressed or provided immediately
• Conscientious and Proactive: We endeavor to provide individuals with the information and insight they need so that they can make their own conscious choices, to apprise them of apparent risks and benefits to any course of action, to make referrals to outside expertise when needed, and to be proactive in bringing problems and issues to the attention of relevant parties

If you have any questions or comments about our mission or about our services, please contact the Director of the International Center, Andrew Shiotani, at Andrew.Shiotani@tufts.edu. We welcome your input and appreciate your insights!