Globe-hopping students at home in International Centre

Kimberley Wright

When the door chime tinkles at U of T Mississauga's International Centre, Stacey Platt steps from her office with a huge smile.

As the campus' international student development officer, Platt's mission is to make UTM's 1,700 international students feel at home on campus, in Mississauga and in Canada. And she's succeeding. Although the International Centre (IC) has only been open for a year, Platt has already built ties that reach around the globe. Most days, a steady stream of students hailing from countries like South Korea, India, the United States, Nigeria and China drop by the centre to complete documents or to ask Platt's advice about adjusting to life in Canada.

Platt spends a big chunk of her day counseling students about Canadian citizenship and immigration. She also matches students with English conversation partners, plugs students into key resources on campus and in the community, and invents tours and scavenger hunts to help students explore the greater Toronto area's landmarks. Growing awareness of the centre's services, and word-of-mouth referrals among the international crowd, keeps the IC buzzing. In her first seven months on campus, the energetic Platt handled 600 individual advising appointments and over 500 email inquiries. 

UTM lured Platt from the Scarborough campus—where she coordinated international programs for over two years-to pilot the IC in July 2010. Before the IC opened, peer volunteers organized cultural events and offered basic immigration advising to international students. "It wasn't ideal," Platt says. "Some students felt awkward sharing their parents' financial statements with other students, and those with more complicated cases had to commute downtown to meet with a St. George staff advisor."

For UTM—which saw its international intake jump from 380 students in 2008 to 520 in 2010—there are benefits to welcoming pupils from abroad, Platt says. Most foreign-born students arrive on a four-year study permit and are considered to be the cream of the crop in their home countries. They bring fresh ideas, global perspectives and cross-cultural flavours to campus classrooms. "Imagine a discussion in a political science class filled with only Canadian students, then compare that to a class with students from ten different countries," Platt says. "International students enrich everyone's learning, whether it be a group project for commerce class or a seminar heavy on small-group discussions."

Although the competition to attract these globe-hopping students is brisk, UTM's appeal lies in the pedigree of a University of Toronto diploma combined with smaller classes and an opportunity to work side-by-side with professors on cutting-edge research. According to Platt, 14 per cent of UTM students are from other countries, compared to 12 per cent at other U of T campuses.

Platt graduated from Guelph-Humber with a degree in public relations and took her first job at U of T ten years ago, as residence life coordinator at Woodsworth College. "Woodsworth didn't have a residence, so we leased rooms at the Best Western Primrose Hotel at the corner of Jarvis and Carlton," Platt says. "I don't think many other people wanted my job, living in a hotel with 400 undergraduates, but I was naïve enough, and young enough, to think that it was exciting!"

After several years at Woodsworth, the Faculty of Arts and Science tapped Platt to become an international student recruitment officer. She flew to China, South Korea, Mexico and the U.S. to pitch U of T to prospective students, professors and partner institutions. "Visiting the high-schools and recruitment fairs was when I first realized that I wanted to work with international students," Platt says.

Now, as head of the IC, Platt helps students to flourish in academics and part-time jobs, and she keeps a sharp eye out for students in trouble. Recently, when a student slipped onto academic probation, Platt recognized the signs of culture shock: the student struggled with English, had no close friends and couldn't adjust to the Canadian university grading system, which is cumulative. "We booked an English conversation partner, connected with a same-culture group on campus and got academic counseling, which all helped to turn things around for the student," Platt says.

Platt has big plans for the centre's second year. She wants to boost the mobility and internationalization of UTM's domestic students by making study-abroad opportunities easier and more streamlined. The IC will help UTM partner with top universities around the world to link courses and curriculum for UTM students and Platt aims to have all the credits pre-approved for transfer to a U of T degree. 

Platt's door remains open to all international students, inbound or outbound. She envisions the IC as home to any student or staff member wanting to enhance their global fluency. "Like many people who work in student affairs, I stumbled upon this career," Platt says. "Working with these students has opened my eyes to other cultures and different ways to view the world. This job has changed me wholeheartedly."