Christopher Rivers, associate professor of French, has been appointed to a three-year term as dean of international affairs beginning July 1. Rivers will work with assistant dean of international affairs Joanne Picard and assistant dean of studies for international affairs Terry Gargour-Rivers (no relation) on issues regarding international student advising and study abroad.
According to an April 11 letter to the faculty by dean of faculty Peter Berek and dean of studies John Rapoport, among Rivers's major responsibilities will be expanding opportunities for Mount Holyoke students to study abroad while maintaining the College's traditional strength in attracting international students.
<<< Chris Rivers
"In her year as interim dean of international affairs Donna Van Handle...has
provided an excellent foundation for moving forward in the area of study
abroad," wrote the two deans. "[Dean Rivers] will explore new ways to finance,
organize, and administer our study-abroad programs with the goals of increasing
the number of students who participate, sustaining the academic quality of
the experience, and assuring the cost-effectiveness of the approach we use
to financial aid for study abroad."
Rivers, who has himself benefited in his academic career from study abroad and is a strong supporter of foreign study, said in a recent interview, "Internationalism has been, in various guises, at the core of the College's mission for a very long time. Now as we enter a century in which fluency in other languages and first-hand experience of other cultures will be essential, it is important that Mount Holyoke continue to press ahead in this area."
Typically, one hundred to 125 juniors, or between 20 and 25 percent of the junior class, study abroad. However, this year the College saw a 50 percent increase in applications by students for financial support for study abroad. Increased student interest, increasingly large percentages of students who request financial aid for study abroad, and a finite College budget for these programs combine as three factors that will challenge Rivers in his new post.
Rivers also noted that he will explore, among many other things, a set of options that has been advanced to the Educational Priorities Committee in a February report by the Committee for International Students. That committee, chaired by Donna Van Handle, suggested measures including expanding exchange programs and attracting more foreign visiting students.
Typically, about 12 percent of Mount Holyoke students come from abroad. Rivers's responsibilities will also include continuing the wide array of services that the Office of International Affairs provides to this sector of the Mount Holyoke community.
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