Internationalizing Brooklyn and Washington Square (IBWS)

Originally formed in 2012, the charge of this committee is to assemble a cross section of administrators, faculty, and students to establish a set of draft guiding principles for how NYU should welcome students from different backgrounds and cultures while simultaneously educating domestic students on the importance of engagement with students from abroad. The committee also reviews our current strategies of internationalizing the physical campus to reflect the richness and diversity of cultures in New York and provide any additional ideas and suggestions. Last, the committee suggests a framework for a co-curricular experience at NYU in New York that is designed to better engage students across all cultural and national dimensions. For further context, view this document on the history of Internationalizing Brooklyn and Washington Square.

Current working subcommittees include:

  • Communications: to act as a resource for other IWS subcommittees that need communications support (including building web pages, print, and other promotional materials)
  • Faculty Mentoring/Engagement: to create a mentoring program that connects faculty members with international students with shared backgrounds (academic, cultural, or otherwise)
  • First-Year Transition Program: to create and expand a program allowing first-year students to more gradually acclimate to a US university environment and to New York City prior to the start of Welcome Week
  • Graduate Student Needs: to identify which graduate student needs are not being met through schools
  • Off-Campus Housing for Graduate Students: to provide short-term housing for graduate international students prior to the start of classes while they secure more permanent housing
  • Student Experience Research: to review the literature on international student experiences and apply relevant findings to NYU to improve the international student NYU experience
  • Training for Staff/Faculty: to consolidate the already existing resources on international students for faculty and staff to more easily access them
  • Wellness: to assess what needs are not being met with respect to physical and mental health, specifically from the Student Health Center
Get Involved

Immigrant Defense Initiative

The NYU Immigrant Defense Initiative (NYU-IDI) is a project of the NYU School of Law’s Immigrant Rights Clinic, under Washington Square Legal Services, Inc. They provide free, confidential advice and representation to NYU students, employees, and their immediate family members in their immigration cases.