Director of Global Engagement Center

About the role

The Director of the Global Engagement Center provides strategic leadership for Sam Houston State University's international student recruitment, enrollment, immigration services, and global engagement initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Develops and executes strategies to significantly increase international student enrollment, including building and managing international recruitment pipelines, developing relationships with recruitment agencies and international representatives, identifying and cultivating institutional partnerships, coordinating international recruitment activities, and improving the conversion of international prospects and applicants to enrolled students.
• Oversees the international student enrollment process from recruitment through matriculation and ensures timely and effective processing of immigration documentation, including Forms I-20 and other required documentation for international students.
• Led institutional compliance and provides expertise and leadership to staff responsible for international student services.
• Leads the continued development of onboarding, support, and engagement structures that promote international student retention, success, and integration into the university community.
• Oversees the processing of international student documentation required for issuance of Forms I-20 and other immigration-related documents.
• Maintains university compliance with federal and state regulations governing institutions approved to host international students, including the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) and Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).
• Provides leadership and accountability as the institutions Principal Designated School Official (PDSO) and Responsible Officer (RO), directing SEVIS operations, immigration compliance, institutional certification and recertification, and the management of required student and exchange visitor records.
• Works with faculty and administrators to identify international institutional partnerships, articulation arrangements, memoranda of understanding (MOUs), and other agreements that support student recruitment, mobility, academic collaboration, and global engagement.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in a related field.
• Masters Degree preferred.
• Five years of progressively responsible experience in international education, international student recruitment and enrollment, international admissions, and immigration services.
• Demonstrated experience developing or managing strategies to recruit and enroll international students is required.
• Experience working with international recruitment agencies, educational representatives, sponsoring organizations, institutional partners, or other international recruitment channels is strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of F-1 student regulations, SEVIS processes, and Form I-20 processing is required.
• Experience as a Principal Designated School Official (PDSO, F-1) and Responsible Officer (RO, J-1) is highly preferred.
• Works collaboratively with Human Resources, hiring departments, university counsel, and external immigration counsel, as applicable, to facilitate timely and compliant processing of H-1B petitions and other university-sponsored employment-based immigration matters.
• Knowledge of federal immigration regulations and procedures related to F-1 students, J-1 exchange visitors, and employment-based immigration is highly desired.
• Experience coordinating or processing H-1B petitions and other employment-based immigration matters in a higher education environment is preferred.

Qualifications

• Additional education may be considered in lieu of experience.