About OIS

• Message from the Director
• About Our Services
• Location and Hours of Operation
• OIS Staff
• Contact Us

Message from the Director

The Office of International Services (OIS) supports and complements the academic mission of the University by providing the services and programs necessary to facilitate international education in its broadest sense.

As you interface with OIS, I trust you will find that we exceed your highest expectations and go the extra mile to serve you. As international education professionals, it is our goal to live up to the high calling of this field, which Josef A. Mestenhauser, Professor Emeritus of Educational Policy & Administration at the University of Minnesota,described so eloquently:

More than fixers of problems, international education professionals are developers of people. More than adjustment specialists, they are builders of respectful, trustful, cooperative, and reasonable citizens. More than orientation providers, they are knowledge brokers. More than helpers of the helpless, they are guardians of the mental health of nations at a time when such guardians are urgently needed. More than functionaries in a bureaucracy, they are educators.

 

David Bryan Clubb
Director

About Our Services

The Office of International Services (OIS) provides a variety of services to international students, international faculty and international staff throughout the University, as well as their researchers and departments. Following is a list of some of the many services the OIS provides:

Administration

• OIS ensures that the University maintains compliance with all applicable laws and regulations set forth by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the U.S. Department of State (DOS), the U.S. Department of Labor, and other government agencies related to international students, international faculty, international staff, other international visitors, and their accompanying dependents (i.e., spouse and children).
• OIS staff members function as liaisons to local, state, and federal government agencies including but not limited to the following: Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Labor, and U.S. Department of State.
• OIS staff members function as liaisons to sponsoring and programming agencies such as the Institute of International Education, the Fulbright Commission, Ford Foundation, etc.
• OIS supports and engages in advocacy efforts at the local, national, and international level promoting the value of international educational and cultural exchange.

Immigration Services

• OIS provides competent and professional services to international students, international faculty, international staff, other international visitors, and their accompanying dependents (i.e., spouse and children) concerning U.S. immigration laws governing and/or regulating their stay in the United States. OIS assists these individuals in meeting obligations and requirements of federal regulations governing their status and period of authorized stay within the United States.
• OIS determines eligibility for issuance of U.S. government documents for international students, international faculty, international staff, other international visitors, and their accompanying dependents (i.e., spouse and children) to facilitate the acquisition of the appropriate visa for entry to the U.S. or change of visa classification within the United States.
• OIS advises international students, international faculty, international staff, other international visitors, and their accompanying dependents (i.e., spouse and children) on personal, financial, academic or cultural adjustment concerns including but not limited to the following: orientation for new students; international tax information sessions; cultural adjustment sessions; information sessions on regulatory issues and application processes (e.g., Optional Practical Training employment authorization for international students, the H-1B1 petition process, etc.).
• OIS assists academic and administrative departments regarding employment-based immigration processes for international faculty, researchers and staff members.

 

International Programming & Public Relations

• OIS overseas all International Orientation Programs.
• OIS coordinates with the international programming efforts of the Office of Cross-Cultural and Leadership Development to provide additional programming designed to promote international good will; providing for cultural, social, and educational exchange; and bring together international students/scholars and US students/scholars.
• OIS staff members support and serve as advisors to various international student organizations.
  

Location and Hours of Operation

The OIS is located on the 7th floor of the William Pitt Union on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh:

Office of International Services
University of Pittsburgh
708 William Pitt Union
Pittsburgh, PA 15260

• Office Hours
  Monday-Friday: 8:30am to 5:00pm

• Appointments
  Monday-Friday, 9 am – 4 pm

  Call 412.624.7120 (press 0 to speak to the receptionist).

• Walk-Ins
  Monday-Friday: 1-4 pm

  No appointment necessary.  
  SPECIAL NOTE: Walk-ins are for general questions and basic procedures (e.g., travel signatures, driver’s license letters, SSN letters, general questions, etc.) that can be
  addressed in approximately 5-10 minutes or less. All other issues or questions require an appointment with an Immigration Specialist.

• New International STUDENT Check-In

  Check-In sessions for new international students are conducted during designated times for OIS Fall and Spring Orientation (pre-registration required). 
  
  Visit the Orientation and Arrival section for more information.

• New International SCHOLAR Check-In & Orientation
  Every Friday: 11 am – 12:30 pm
   (pre-registration required)

• Notary Services
  Monday-Friday: 1-4 pm

  Notary services are only available to Pitt affiliates and only if related to an OIS request or if they are otherwise a requirement of immigration casework being processed by OIS.
  All other notary requests will be referred elsewhere.

  
  

OIS Staff

The Director of the Office of International Services is personally and professionally committed to the office being a "more than" kind of office where those whom we serve throughout the University and the wider community experience an exceptional level of customer service and efficiency in every interaction with the office. To that end, OIS is staffed by the following "more than" staff members:

Administration

David Bryan Clubb
Director

Juliann Mehall
Administrative Assistant to the Director

Erin Acampora
Receptionist

Charles L. Nieman, PhD
Associate Director

Genevieve Cook
Assistant Director

Amanda Bougades
Immigration Specialist

Sara E. Jones
Immigration Specialist

VACANT
Immigration Specialist

Elizabeth (Betta) Risa
Immigration Specialist

Dariusz (Derek) Baran
Immigration Specialist

Mary Lou Glover
Compliance Coordinator

Constance Rankin
Administrative Assistant

Marina Sciulli
Administrative Assistant

The work of the OIS Immigration Services unit is divided by school/department. For a single chart listing the assignments for all staff, see our "OIS Immigration Services School/Department Assignments" chart (in .pdf). 

If you have any questions, please contact the appropriate staff member

Contact Us

412.624.7120 or 412.624.7853 (Immigration Services)

412.624.7123 (Office of the Director)

Fax: 412.624.7105

 

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