Texas Tech University

Joan Goodman-Williamson

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Distinguished Staff Awards 2020: Joan Goodman-Williamson - Office of International AffairsJoan Goodman-Williamson
Executive Director
Office of International Affairs

Joan brings to her work a commitment to excellence and organization. Within the Office International Affairs, she took on a role as a leader within only a few months of her arrival amongst the other directors by organizing, scheduling, creating agendas and reports for weekly meetings of the Visioning meetings. This year-long process resulted in several new initiatives. In addition, she has willingly taken on the leadership for activities of the OIA that existed, but needed dedicated leadership and direction including taking on the oversight for events and outreach (including International Week, the Ambassadors Forum, the Global Vision Awards, Scholarships, and overseeing the concerns and social integration of the University's International Scholars) as well as the Arts and Culture exhibits and outreach. She has brought new ideas and organizational strategies to these areas to enhance the impact with students, collaborations with other units across the campus, and outreach to the community. For instance, when asked to take over the Global Vision Awards she implemented the plan successfully, developed the idea of a dinner in conjunction with the Awards ceremony, adding a new award that allowed us to bring a distinguished speaker to be a part of the overall activity, and instituted the idea of certificates to international scholars and other participants in OIA activities such as faculty who have led international Study Abroad trips. These new ideas have been part of the success of the Global Vision Awards and our ability to raise more than $70K in new scholarship funds for international students. Joan's creative ideas are paying off in big dividends for Texas Tech as a whole and for international students as well.