Bridging the gap: professional development for undergraduate student services staff supporting international students at Simon Fraser University

Canadian post-secondary institutions heavily recruit international students, who form almost a quarter of the student population. This study was prompted by first-hand experiences supporting international students, whose complex needs often require support across multiple university departments. Student services staff are the main point of contact and play a vital role in a student's academic career. Using semi-structured interviews, I explored the perceptions of four front-line undergraduate student services staff regarding their training needs, preparedness, and areas for professional development related to working with international students. Participants expressed that their roles are vastly changing and require ongoing professional development to keep up with the complex cases they work within the following areas: the need for intercultural training and communication professional development, institutional support to navigate the "institutional shuffle," the value of lived experiences, and the challenges international students face.