World-savvy director to bring stength, ideas to international students
Growing up in three different countries before moving to the United States has given the new International Students and Scholars director an advantage in understanding the need for strong programs and ideas at Utah State University.
Negar C. Davis has seen much of the world, and not as a tourist. She was born in Iran and moved with her family to Austria. From there, her family moved to Germany where she finished her schooling.
“I contribute everything I have or am to my dad,” Davis said.
It was her father who decided to keep her family moving while she was growing up.
“My father had the vision to want his children to be multilingual and multicultural,” she said. “That [moving] was a huge learning experience.”
While in Europe, she said her classes took trips to other countries which allowed her to see many different places and ideas.
“It’s good to meet different people; it’s good to learn different languages,” she said.
After finishing her standard schooling, Davis decided to move to the United States to attend college. She settled in San Francisco- a city she felt had the “European” feel to it and provided a wide variety of different people.
“I went to college and I liked the people – the American way of life,” she said.
Davis earned her doctorate in international and multicultural education.
“As a graduate, one of the challenges is to bring diversity to places that need diversity,” she said. “The Midwest is still an area that is monocultural, and we should look at places that need diversity.”
Before coming to USU, Davis worked at Northwest Missouri State University as the director of the intercultural and international center. There she worked with 6,500 students to raise the awareness of multicultural students and programs.
“My responsibility is to provide services to international students and oversee international exchange/study abroad programs,” she said.
While there, her work focused with many of the international student organizations as well as the celebration of many of the traditional celebrations which come throughout the year.
Davis said she was able to see the mindset of the faculty and students change during her time at the university. They became more accepting and began to adopt an attitude that allowed them to consider international students and their needs automatically.
Davis and her family then moved to Utah where she took on the role of director for the international office at USU.
Patricia Terrell, vice president for Student Services, said Davis was selected from three finalists to come to USU after a national search to fill the position. The concern Davis has for international students was one of the reasons she was selected for the job, Terrell said.
She moved with her husband and two sons, who love the snow and mountains, Davis said. When her family discussed the possibility of moving, her sons wanted to move near the snow so they could ski.
“I adore the wilderness. When I saw the wilderness here, it gave me a serge of peace,” she said.
Once she took the job at USU, she began to think about what the university needed in order to help the programs offered to students develop.
“Here at Utah State University – being a research university – we need to increase our numbers and the programs that we offer,” she said.
But helping people see the need for greater understanding is not always an easy task.
“There is only one human race, and I believe we should all get along. I want to think above and beyond the borders – we are all here on one globe,” she said. “My passion is the promotion of global citizenship.”
Though USU has a strong start, Davis feels there is still much that can be done.
“I want, number one, for our international population to grow. That’s my number one goal,” she said. “I would like to be able to provide the types of services that will retain our students.”
Terrell said, “She has a number of ideas she will be putting in place to enhance the environment and climate for international students.”
Davis hopes to provide more services for international students in hopes the university will be able to retain those who come to Logan. She also wants to provide more programs to offer more diversity and help people understand diversity.
“I would like to see more interaction between our international and domestic students,” Davis said. “We all have a voice.
“I think life is so short and the world has so much to offer and I want to meet as many people as I can,” she said.
Davis doesn’t know how long her and her family will stay at USU.
“I came here with the idea we would like to make this our home for a long while,” she said. “Right now, I see so many things that can and need to be done here.”
Davis said it is hard to decide on how long anyone will stay in one place.
“As long as you are seeing yourself as a contributor and an agent of change and you are still in a position, you can make contributions to the betterment of student life. This is something you can tell,” she said. “There really is no time limit one can set. You know when it is time to find new adventure.”
Terrell said she has many traits that will help her in her position.
“She comes across as a very warm, sincere person. She is a good listener and I think these are important qualities for someone who works with international students,” Terrell said.