How soccer can serve as a conceptual model for structuring an international student support office

The innovation of programming to support international students today builds on the shoulders of some enduring and hopeful principles of international exchange. The ideals of what can be achieved through positive cross-cultural contact face the brutal realities of a paradigm that international students can pose a threat to national security. The massive increase of government regulations over the past thirty years have, of course, greatly impacted how international student offices serve and achieve their mission. The authors hold the optimism that international education brings hope to a world that faces many fears. This chapter proposes a five-part practical programming model built on the foundations of international engagement. Soccer, more commonly known as football, serves as a guiding metaphor for how offices can be structured to tackle the competing challenges of regulatory compliance and risk management and, at the same time, support the academic, social, and cultural needs of international students.