Crisis Management in a Cross-Cultural Setting: International Student and Scholar Services Checklists

The international student and scholar services office is often one of the busiest places on campus, and if an emergency situation arises involving international students and/or scholars, having a plan of action is the best way to ensure that you and your staff are equipped to handle it. Whether the issue affects large groups of students and scholars or a single individual, the campus community or a whole country, Crisis Management in a Cross-Cultural Setting: International Student and Scholar Services will help you prepare for the worst.

Experienced international educators draw on case studies in each chapter and share guidance on how to resolve crises ranging from arrests to natural disasters to mental health emergencies and everything in between.

Checklists included in each chapter are designed to assist the reader in developing a response plan for prevalent crisis events. These checklists identify key considerations and action items specific to the parameters of the crisis. NAFSA has made all of the checklists available free of charge on the NAFSA website. Download the checklists below and keep them in a safe, convenient location in preparation for a crisis situation.

All links are to PDFs.

Section I: Responding to Crisis Situations that Affect Groups of Students and Scholars

• Responding to a Natural Disaster in an International Student or Scholar's Home Country
• Responding to a Disaster in the University Community
• Responding to an On-Campus Event
• An All-Encompassing Crisis

Section II: Responding to Individual Crisis Situations

• Serious Injury of an International Student or Scholar
• Mental Health Crisis of an International Student or Scholar
• Missing International Student or Scholar
• Death of an International Student or Scholar
• Responding to Relationship Violence
• Arrest of an International Student or Scholar
• International Student or Scholar Committing a Crime in the Campus Community
• Bias-Related Incident Toward an International Student or Scholar

Section III: Responding to a Crisis that Affects the ISSS Office

• Responding to Aggressive Behavior Affecting the ISSS Office
• Handling a Federal Agency Campus Visit
• Mitigating Organizational Liability

For additional guidance and resources on ways to prepare the international student or scholar service office for an emergency crisis, read Crisis Management in a Cross-Cultural Setting: International Student and Scholar Services, which can be purchased online from the NAFSA bookstore.