Contact ISSS

Advising

International Student and Scholar Services is happy to announce that we can now conduct our virtual walk-in appointments using the University of Iowa’s Swipe system! Appointments will still be conducted virtually via Zoom, but this change will make it even easier for students and scholars to sign in and connect with an ISSS advisor to get quick answers to immigration and other questions.

Zoom and In-Person Walk-in Hours

9:30-11:30 a.m. (U.S. Central Time) Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday
1:30-3:30 p.m. (U.S. Central Time) Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday

Students and scholars can virtually sign in no more than 30 minutes before the start of walk-ins. Swipe will not let you sign in more than 30 minutes before walk-ins begin or after they end.

In person walk-ins are in 1111 University Capitol Centre (UCC). To sign in for Zoom Walk-ins, visit https://apps.its.uiowa.edu/swipe2/site/isss/signin/virtual/walkin (you should bookmark that link!) and click on the button with the arrow. After entering your HawkID and password, select the reason for the appointment. If you do not have a HawkID, please call us at 319-335-0335.

After you sign in, just wait! Once an advisor has been assigned to you, Swipe will show a green button so that you can launch Zoom and ask your questions. Please remember not to close your browser tab until Zoom launches.

General Hours and Contact Information

The ISSS reception desk is open Monday through Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

1111 University Capitol Centre
The University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa 52242-5500
USA

Phone: 319-335-0335
Fax: 319-335-0280
E-mail: isss@uiowa.edu

ISSS Staff

Pauline Beazer James

Senior Advisor

International Student & Scholar Services

pauline-beazerjames@uiowa.edu

319-335-0335

Pauline is a native of the Caribbean who grew up in St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands. She completed the B.A. in Sociology at the University of South Florida in Tampa and also holds two master’s degrees. The first is the M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA. During her most recent studies at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio Texas, she completed the M.A. in Education with dual emphases: International Education and International Entrepreneurship. Pauline is a veteran of the United States Military and has proudly served in the U.S. Army Active Duty, U.S. Air Force Reserve, and U.S. Army Reserve. In addition to personal and military travel in Europe, North America, and the Caribbean, Pauline completed a six-month graduate internship in South America at the U.S. Embassy in Santiago, Chile where her Spanish language skills played a significant role. The first internship segment was with the U.S. Department of State, Economic and Political Affairs and the second segment with the U.S. Department of Commerce, Foreign Commercial Service. In addition to standard ISSS advising duties, Pauline shares responsibility for the office email account, processes Social Security employment verification letters, and produces new I-20s when changes of majors occur.

Michael Bortscheller

Associate Director

International Student & Scholar Services

michael-bortscheller@uiowa.edu

319-335-0335

Michael oversees the iHawk database program, developing the online Pre-Arrival Checklist for incoming students and E-Form applications, and monitoring daily immigration record alerts. He serves as Responsible Officer for J-1 programs, specializing in scholar regulations and processes. He works closely with ITS, the Registrar, Admissions, and other offices to ensure student and scholar data flows smoothly and accurately, and is responsible for training and overseeing staff use of iHawk. He is responsible for international student enrollment data and statistical reports including Open Doors, and assessment of the international student fee and undergraduate orientation fee. Michael has Bachelor’s degrees in Linguistics and Spanish and a Master’s in Linguistics with an emphasis on Teaching English as a Second Language, has studied Spanish in Spain, and has spent time in Canada, England, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, and Nebraska.

Shuhui Lin

Coordinator

International Student Support & Engagement

shuhui-lin@uiowa.edu

319-335-0335

Splitting her time between ISSS and the Multicultural & International Student Support and Engagement (MISSE), Lin focuses on the support and retention of international students who encounter academic difficulty and supports international student engagement across campus. Lin provides assistance in following up with potentially at-risk students identified in the Excelling@Iowa survey or who are flagged for academic probation or poor progress at midterms and conducts assessments for international students. She also work with international student organizations, and with the MISSE to promote international student inclusion in student organization and activities. Lin earned her Bachelor's degree in Communication Studies, and Master's degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of Iowa. She is from Guangzhou, China, speaks Cantonese and Mandarin, and is now learning Korean.

Dongwang Liu

Incoming Student Support Associate

International Student & Scholar Services

Associate Director, Center for Asian & Pacific Studies

dongwang-liu@uiowa.edu

319-335-1305

Dongwang Liu serves as Associate Director of the Center for Asian and Pacific Studies (CAPS) as well as an Adjunct Associate Professor with the Department of Anthropology. He is assisting ISSS as a liaison for newly admitted students, helping support our pre-arrival webinars and taking on some orientation coordination duties. Dongwang earned his doctorate degree in human development and family studies at Iowa State University. He taught English as second language in China for seven years before his graduate study in the U. S. He is an all-weather bike rider and table tennis player.

Taivna Mills

International Services Associate

International Student & Scholar Services

taivna-mills@uiowa.edu

319-335-0335

Taivna serves as International Services Associate and her main responsibility is to process DS-2019 immigration documents for J-1 scholars and J-2 dependents and issue initial I-20/DS-2019 documents for newly admitted students. She also helps coordinate international student orientation events, the scholar housing program, provides workshops, and serves as ISSS liaison to the University of Iowa Anti-Violence Coalition. She coordinates the one-to-one domestic and international student matching program, Friends Without Borders as well as the exchange student program Global Buddies. Taivna earned her Bachelor’s degree in Russian Studies at ONOL Foreign Language University in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and Master’s degree in International Development Studies at Iowa State University. She is originally from Mongolia and speaks Mongolian and Russian.

Brandon Paulson

Assistant Director

International Student & Scholar Services

brandon-paulson@uiowa.edu

319-335-0335

Besides advising duties, Brandon's area of specialization includes intercultural training, where he oversees the Building Our Global Community certificate series, the Bridging Domestic and Global Diversity program, and special requests for individualized workshops. Brandon serves as orientation coordinator, arranging content and schedules for orientation programs. He is also instructor for the Global@Iowa course where international and domestic students learn and increase intercultural skills together. Brandon holds a B.S. in Business Administration and Economics from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, and a Master's in Education with an emphasis on Student Affairs Administration from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He has studied in the United Kingdom, has studied Spanish, and has spent time in Costa Rica, Canada, Ireland, Spain, England and Scotland.

Kevin Roiseland

Senior Advisor

International Student & Scholar Services

kevin-roiseland@uiowa.edu

319-335-0335

In addition to standard student and scholar advising duties, Kevin coordinates the non-resident tax program each spring, overseeing the workshops providing tax assistance and the online Windstar tax program. He also oversees some SEVIS reporting duties including OPT employment reports and I-20s for students returning after an absence. He serves as the ISSS liaison to the organizations Friends of International Students, the International Women's Club, and the Iowa City Area Development group. Kevin holds a B.A. in Spanish from Luther College and an M.A. in Social Foundations of Education from the University of Iowa. Kevin has a passion for travel and for learning about the cultures of the students he works with. He has traveled broadly throughout Latin America, Europe, and Asia.