Group honors Baker with Advocate of the Year award

Group honors Baker with Advocate of the Year award

BY ARIE WILSON
Rice News staff

In her 10 years leading Rice University’s Office of International Scholars and Students, Adria Baker has helped countless international students and scholars secure education visas, procure funding and adjust to life in the U.S.

Adria Baker

As director, her accolades include the 2005 Elizabeth Gillis Award for Exemplary Service, which she received in part for navigation of government requirements to bring the university into compliance with post-Sept. 11 regulations on international students and scholars.

Most recently, Baker was honored by the Association of International Educators (NAFSA) with the first Advocate of the Year award for her work raising awareness within the state and federal governments on international education.

Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, international students and scholars have faced strict regulations and endured an extensive process for coming to the U.S. to study, Baker said. As a result, some potential students were lost to other countries — such as Canada, New Zealand and Australia — with less-severe requirements.

As NAFSA’s Texas state whip, Baker was charged with keeping state and national representatives abreast of the needs of international students and the universities they would be attending in an effort to keep students from going to other countries to study.

Mariam Assefa, president of NAFSA, an organization of more than 9,000 international educators, said Baker has “consistently ‘whipped’ her colleagues to write letters in response to NAFSA action alerts and, as a result, her state has consistently generated significant numbers of letters to congress.”

Last year, Baker successfully spearheaded Texas’ effort to pass an international education policy resolution through the Texas Senate, as well as one in the Texas House of Representatives in 2004. Baker also encourages and assists her colleagues to do the same in their respective states.

The award was presented during NAFSA’s Advocacy Day in Washington in March.

“I remember sitting [at the meeting] as they were describing the recipient and thinking how wonderful it was that they were honoring one of my colleagues,” Baker said. “When they started talking about Texas and mentioned my name, I was totally shocked.”

As the chair of the NAFSA Region III Advocacy Committee, Baker has been engaged in creative advocacy awareness campaigns and fundraisers to help the region send participants to Advocacy Day. She also works with NAFSA to recruit new members to participate in the whip network and frequently serves as a presenter on grassroots advocacy at various conferences.

As a result of her continued efforts on behalf of international education, Baker was recently invited by the director of Texas Homeland Security to join the Critical Infrastructure Protection Council as it addresses the Real ID Act, which directly affects all foreign visitors in Texas and throughout the U.S.

“I really enjoy helping the students and sharing the knowledge I have with others,” Baker said. “Just when I think I’ve seen or heard it all, I find out something new and am faced with new challenges. That’s part of the reason I love my job.”

Baker came to Rice 10 years ago after 11 years at the University of Houston.