Northeastern’s global presence continues to grow with experiential learning programs in 134 countries and on all continents, students hailing from more than 140 countries, and a new regional campus in Toronto. The span of the university’s footprint through its programs and student population brings increasing demand for a wide range of resources available to international students.

Earlier this fall, the International Student and Scholar Institute changed its name to the Office of Global Services to better align with Northeastern’s efforts to embrace and celebrate the global cultures ingrained in the university community.

“With the kind of growth Northeastern has experienced, we now have the critical mass to address students’ needs at the global level,” said Sundar Kumarasamy, vice president for enrollment management. “That includes our domestic students as well as the knowledge diversity that students bring into the classroom from global experiences.”

The Office of Global Services oversees student service and compliance as well as cultural support and programming for students and scholars. Before international students arrive on campus, OGS provides them all the necessary paperwork and information to ensure their visas are in place. In the fall and spring, the office leads orientation sessions for students and their families, covering everything from studying to living in Boston.

OGS also sponsors events throughout the academic year that celebrate cultural diversity international students represent in the university community.

With the kind of growth Northeastern has experienced, we now have the critical mass to address students’ needs at the global level.”
— Sundar Kumarasamy

Tapped to lead OGS’s forward-thinking endeavors is Luchen Li, whose experiences in faculty and administrative positions give him a unique perspective on how cross-cultural collaboration between domestic students, international students, faculty, and staff can serve as a catalyst for global agility.

“When you look at the excellence and track record of Luchen’s whole journey of service in the past couple of decades, he has been consistently connecting all the dots that make a university truly global,” Kumarasamy said.

Li previously worked at the University of New Hampshire, where he served as associate provost for international programs, a role that afforded him the opportunity to oversee all of the university’s international initiatives.

“I am really excited about being at Northeastern,” said Li, who has also held faculty positions at UNH and the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. “Northeastern is already engaged in so many global initiatives and we will develop programs to continue that momentum.”

The Office of Global Services is located at 405 Ell Hall. It is open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays. Daily walk-in advising hours are from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can email ogs@northeastern.edu or call 617.373.2310 for more information.