When international students and researchers come to Rice, the Office of International Students and Scholars helps them with everything from visas and academic advising to getting a driver’s license and forging relationships in the community.
Beginning April 1, Kelia Hubbard will be at the helm of Rice’s OISS as associate vice provost for international education and director. With more than 20 years of experience in international education, Hubbard succeeds Adria Baker, who retired as associate vice provost for international education and executive director of OISS in June.
“This is an incredibly important role that leads the university’s support for international students, faculty, staff and other scholars,” said Amy Dittmar, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “OISS is essential to supporting them and their families so that they can succeed at Rice and beyond.”
“I strongly believe in empowering international students, faculty and staff to understand the complexities of immigration regulations so that they can achieve their academic and professional goals,” Hubbard said. “I’m delighted to join Rice and support the international population as they get settled in Houston and contribute to a diverse campus culture.”
Hubbard comes to Rice from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where she is the executive director of and senior immigration compliance officer in the Center for Immigration Services and Support.
“Kelia Hubbard has been a consummate professional dedicated to the holistic support of all international students, faculty, and staff at Wake Forest University,” said Michele Gillespie, provost and presidential endowed chair of Southern history at Wake Forest and a Rice University alumna. “We will miss her tremendous commitment and advocacy as well as the impressive knowledge she brought to this role. We are excited that she has this new leadership opportunity at Rice and know she will be a tremendous asset to her new community.”
Hubbard, who has won and been nominated for Wake Forest awards in leadership and organizational achievement, has presented at regional, state and national levels and provided core training programs to new and experienced professionals. She was selected from a national pool of experts as a committee member for the NAFSA: Association of International Educators’ International Education Professional Competencies Committee to redevelop the competencies needed for success as an international education professional.
“The Office of International Students and Scholars plays an important role in helping students and scholars fulfill the requirements of their visa and in developing strong social supports so that they can thrive at Rice,” said C. Fred Higgs III, vice provost for academic affairs and the John and Ann Doerr Professor of Mechanical Engineering. “As one of the only offices that cuts across students, staff and scholars on Rice’s campus, it was important that we find a leader who is nationally known in international education and is able to help continue to bring state of art best practices and efficiency to the great work going on in OISS. We look forward to learning from Kelia’s expertise and experience to continue to make our processes as seamless as possible.”
International students represent 12.5% of Rice’s undergraduate degree-seeking population, with most coming from China, Canada, India, South Korea and the United Kingdom. Among Rice’s graduate student degree-seeking population, a little more than 42% are international, with most coming from China, India, Taiwan, South Korea and Mexico. Seventy-one percent of postdoctoral scholars are international. OISS also supports Rice’s international faculty and staff.
Hubbard’s prior experience includes working at the University of North Carolina’s School of the Arts, where she enhanced the support for the international student population by creating standard procedures such as Curricular Practical Training, student orientation, tax preparation seminars and programming activities. She also worked at North Carolina State University for 13 years, where she was twice promoted from international student adviser to assistant director.
“Kelia has always been an outstanding advocate for international students and scholars and is one of the most compassionate and committed people I have known,” said Amanda Mills, associate director of student services and operations for International Student and Scholar Services for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “I have learned so much from her as a colleague and in serving on the board of the North Carolina Association of International Educators, and I truly value her mentorship.”
At North Carolina State, Hubbard also led the growth of the immigration support services to match the quickly growing international student population by developing standard operating procedures, raising the visibility of the Office of International Services, and working with technology experts to modernize immigration processing and reporting. During her time there, she was selected to participate in a Fulbright Seminar for International Education Administrators in Germany.
“Kelia has been a shining star in the field of international education in North Carolina. She is a valued mentor, colleague and source of support for individuals not only at Wake Forest but across the state,” said Dylan Sugiyama, associate director for visa service at Duke University. “Her dedication, compassion and commitment to providing exceptional service to international students, scholars and staff is an inspiration.”
Most recently, Hubbard authored a mini-chapter on international student mobility in the forthcoming book, “Litigation, Policy, and Standards: Building the Informed Practitioner in Education Abroad Risk Management,” under contract for publication by The Forum on Education Abroad.