About the Office of International Affairs

About the Office of International Affairs

The Yale Office of International Affairs (OIA) is a university-wide resource that serves as the global liaison for all students, faculty, staff, and organizations involved in international activities and initiatives. Combining regional expertise with administrative capabilities, OIA fosters connections within the Yale community and abroad, while further strengthening Yale’s position as a leading global university that is is committed to improving the world today and for future generations. 

Key Functions

Every aspect of OIA’s work entails collaboration with others – numerous Yale programs, faculty, staff, and students, as well as a variety of external constituents. Our key functions include:

  • Regional specialists support international programs and initiatives and advance Yale’s reputation in their assigned regions, maintains comprehensive profiles of Yale in each target country, and maintains contacts with universities, governments, and other institution in priority countries, including regular overseas visits.
  • OIA plans, supports and often participates in international trips by officers, deans, and others.
  • OIA organizes visits to Yale by foreign guests including VIPs, university officials, and others.  Visits can include private meetings, public addresses, or large events in venues such as Woolsey or Sprague Halls and academic symposia.  
  • OIA works with other Yale offices to facilitate the international efforts of individual faculty, academic units, and administrative offices.  OIA collaborates with other offices at Yale on efforts to ensure compliance with Yale policies and US and foreign laws. 
  • OIA promotes Yale working with OPAC, foreign press, and media relations consultants. 
  • OIA communicates information about international programs to constituents at Yale. 
  • OIA organizes leadership training programs involving Yale faculty. 
  • OIA manages the President’s Council on International Activities.
  • OIA manages the University response to international crises.  These have included evacuating students, faculty, and staff from Lebanon, Egypt, Japan, and elsewhere in the wake of civil unrest or natural disaster.  These also include working with other offices to manage reputational crisis.  

Key Constituencies and Partners

Our internal partners are: MacMillan Center (and its councils), Jackson School of Global Affairs, deans of G&P schools, undergraduate admissions and career services, OPAC, general counsel, YAA, and Office of Development.

External constituents include:  universities in target countries, government representatives (typically education and foreign ministries, president’s or prime minister’s offices, trade, commerce, health, technology ministries), international press, US embassies abroad, ambassadors and their staffs in Washington and New York, families of Yale students abroad, donors and prospective donors, prospective students, and feeder schools.  

Vist the OIA staff contact page to learn more