The primary function of the Office for International Visitors is to facilitate the requests for meetings and short-term visits to Stanford University by international scholars, scientists, journalists, university and public delegations, and other official visitors. In providing this service to the university, we relieve the individual departments of the responsibility. We are very pleased with our relationship with various offices and departments on campus, and are happy to provide this service.

The Office for International Visitors welcomes many international visitors through the International Visitor Leadership Program. It is part of the NCIV network and is one of about 93 similar organizations throughout the U.S. that host and coordinate visits of International Visitors sponsored by the Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program.

International Visitor Leadership Program

The International Visitor Leadership Program is administered by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and its Office of International Visitors. It operates under the authority of the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 (Fulbright-Hays Act). The program seeks to build understanding between the U.S. and people of other countries through carefully designed visits that reflect the visitor's professional interests and support the foreign policy goals of the U.S. Department of State.

Participants are established or potential foreign leaders in government, politics, media, education, the arts, NGOs, business, labor relations, public policy and other key fields. They are selected by U.S. embassy officials in over 120 countries to visit the U.S. to meet and confer with their professional counterparts, and to experience U.S. politics, society and culture firsthand.

Over the years, hundreds of former participants under the International Visitor Leadership Program have risen to important positions in their countries. Among the alumni are over two hundred current and former Heads of Government or Chiefs of State. In fiscal year 2003, 4615 visitors from abroad participated in the program.