Although no one expects to face academic probation and be subject to dismissal, it can happen to even the most prepared students. A partnership between Services for International Students and Scholars (SISS) within Global Affairs and the Strategic Asian and Pacific Islander Retention Initiative (SAandPIRI) is sharing resources and addressing cultural stigmas with a new series of quarterly webinars to support international students who are navigating academic probation and dismissal. The activities will continue quarterly in person during the 2023-24 academic year.  

A student-focused task force, including Katherine Parpana, director of SAandPIRI, and Sharon Ericsson, Robert Nagel and Lena Zadorozhna, international student advisors in SISS, provides anonymous students a balance of academic and emotional support.  

Academic Probation Isn’t Always About Academics 

Transitioning to a university can be challenging for many students, and often isn’t limited to academics. The fast pace and high expectations in the classroom are compounded by students’ new adult responsibilities and social life. Familial pressure, health, financial challenges and more can negatively impact a student’s academic success. Additionally, for international students, the United States provides a new culture to adapt to, and students’ supporters, such as family and friends, are often many miles away.  

“During our workshop, we discuss the variety of reasons why students may find themselves in academic difficulty, which may include but is not limited to struggling with coursework,” said Parpana. “For Asian and Pacific Islander students, this may also have to do with cultural and familial expectations related to how success is defined, pursuing academic programs related to this definition of success, that mental health and wellness may not have been normalized for them and how to navigate this process at the university, and the importance of creating a support network.” 

To ease these concerns and help normalize accessing several campus services, SISS and SAandPIRI invite guest speakers to the webinars to share how they collectively partner to support student success. Guests include the Student Health and Counseling Services Community Advising Network and the Office of Student Support and Judicial Affairs.  

“I think students may feel they are alone, but this is not the case,” assured Parpana. “This may be further compounded if a student feels they cannot or should not reach out to anyone for help. This is why it was important to discuss cultural and familial expectations in these sessions, which is a very critical piece of how Asian and Pacific Islander students may or may not navigate resources.”   

Surveys Show Anxiety Around Struggling 

“Webinars are a combination of sharing UC Davis resources for students on academic probation or facing dismissal and providing an opportunity for students to be seen and heard—anonymously but with empowerment,” said Ericsson. “Case studies offer students practice in addressing scenarios they may face and reinforce the importance of help-seeking behavior. All of this combines to help students feel more in control of their situation.”  

To assess the effectiveness of the workshop and plan for future engagements, the task force employs pre- and post-webinar surveys. 

“Pre-survey results indicated participants were feeling nervous about their academic standing,” said Parpana. “Post-survey results showed participants felt better about what resources were available to them and who they could reach out to.”  

“Following the webinar, 75% said they strongly agreed, and 25% somewhat agreed with the statement that they now know of at least three resources to help them. Additionally, 100% of attendees either strongly or somewhat agreed that participating in the webinar was a valuable use of their time,” shared Ericsson. 

An Award-Winning Partnership 

“The partnership between SISS and SAandPIRI was a natural collaboration due to the large number of Asian-identifying international students at UC Davis who are served by both teams,” Ericsson said. “We connected virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 to share information and partner on strategies to support international students facing probation and dismissal by developing a curriculum to educate, motivate and encourage students.” 

Last year, after offering webinars to international students and collecting data, they started sharing their collaboration and findings with industry colleagues at conferences. In October 2022, they teamed up to present to attendees at the NAFSA: Association of International Educators regional conference in Sacramento. In May, they again shared the collaboration by submitting a poster that won the award for Best Poster: Model Practices in International Student and Scholar Services at the NAFSA Annual Conference and Expo in Washington, D.C., in June.  

Following the launch of this series during the 2022-23 academic year, SISS and the SAandPIRI continue to work together to review data and feedback from the webinars as they find additional methods to support UC Davis students.   

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About Services for International Students and Scholars

Services for International Students and Scholars (SISS), within Global Affairs, is helping to build a campus community that includes students and scholars from well over 100 countries and six continents. SISS serves more than 10,000 international students, faculty, and researchers and their accompanying family members who come to UC Davis each year.  We welcome the world to UC Davis.

As a part of Global Affairs, Services for International Students and Scholars aims to inspire global curiosity, understanding, and engagement.