Assistant Dean of International Student Services Christina Khan will leave Colgate in December after first taking the position in 2012.

Khan was chosen to develop the Office of International Student Services (OISS) when she first came to Colgate, with the purpose of working to devote more resources to international students.

“While international students have been at Colgate for around 150 years, there was never an office dedicated to support the community,” Khan said. “Together with my staff, we have built a robust program to address international

student needs.”

Khan’s position had her serving as the Administrative Dean to all international students, as well as some domestic students, while still directing OISS. Her involvement with students extends beyond administrative advising, as she also works with programs on campus such as the Sophomore Residential Seminars (SRS) and Yes Means Yes.

“Students are at the center of my work,” Khan said. “I try to go to as many events as possible to get to know students and be a visible resource.”

Khan has accepted a position at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) in the Office of International Programs. Her work there will be similar to her position at Colgate, including involvement with international students and diversity initiatives. She will also launch UTEP’s Global Scholars Program.

“UTEP is located on the U.S./Mexico border, has a population of 2,000 international students and is on the cutting edge of programs that support first-generation students,” Khan said.

Her husband, Alamgir Khan, who works with Buildings and Grounds, will relocate with her to El Paso in mid-December.

Khan works alongside Program Coordinator of International Student Services Makiko Filler and Fellow Tom Carter, and she said that plans are in place to ensure that the programs and services she manages at Colgate continue during the transition without her.

Khan said her work at Colgate has allowed her to witness a dramatic shift in culture in the international student community here.

“I’ve been intentional about creating OISS programs that build understanding and help develop a sense of collective care,” she said. “There is definitely a family feel in the international student community now as a result of these efforts.”

Khan said she is proud of her work outside of OISS programs as well, citing her role in co-teaching an Intergroup Dialogue course in the SRS Program with Professor of Sociology and Professor and Director of Women’s Studies Meika Loe.

“I will definitely miss many of the students I have gotten to know well in my time at Colgate, and I will dearly miss my colleagues, many of whom have become lifelong friends,” Khan said.