How U.S. Universities Can Catch Up in Global Rankings, Karalina Kastsiuchenka’s Perspective

Internationalization is rapidly becoming a central measure of university competitiveness. Rankings by Times Higher Education show institutions from the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Hong Kong leading globally, while the highest-ranked U.S. university holds only 33rd position. The shift reveals a critical imbalance between international presence and the systems that support student integration.

To understand how U.S. universities can move beyond enrollment toward building effective systems for international student success, we turned to Karalina Kastsiuchenka, a Belarus-born and raised talented Program Coordinator at Mississippi State University. At this leading research US institution, Karalina has redefined student support by turning initial orientation into an ongoing system of engagement that helps international students become active participants in campus life. She also leads the organization of large-scale cultural festivals, strengthening campus integration and elevating the university's visibility at the institutional and national levels. Kastsiuchenka holds a Master of Science in Educational Leadership and is a PhD candidate. She is a recipient of the NASPA NOW Professional Award in the Impact category, a national recognition presented to professionals whose work has produced measurable, institution-level change. Karalina also serves as an evaluator for professional awards and student scholarship programs and is an active member of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.

Where Internationalization Falls Short

The Joint Statement of Principles in Support of International Education recognizes international students as a strategic asset for innovation and workforce development. Yet institutional systems remain focused on enrollment rather than sustained support. As a result, students navigate complex academic and social environments without structured pathways for engagement.

"In many universities, international student adaptation is compressed into a single day of orientation, where students receive an overwhelming amount of information at once. In practice, this format does not allow them to fully absorb or apply what they need to navigate the system," says Karalina Kastsiuchenka.

Kastsiuchenka speaks from direct experience. Her academic milestones in linguistics and educational leadership, spanning Minsk State Linguistic University and Mississippi State University, inform her work at the intersection of student affairs and international education in America.

Moreover, Karalina's current doctoral research centers on a striking contradiction in U.S. higher education. International students continue to perform strongly in academic settings, yet their presence rarely extends into leadership roles or into campus decision-making. By examining this question at a national level, Kastsiuchenka connects student experience with institutional systems, showing how international enrollment can translate into long-term educational, social, and leadership outcomes.

What emerges is a clearer understanding of a process that unfolds after enrollment. Internationalization is often defined through access, while long-term engagement and participation depend on how universities structure student experience beyond entry. The effectiveness of these systems ultimately shapes how global campuses function in practice.

"Students begin to feel more connected when engagement happens consistently."

What happens after enrollment defines how internationalization is experienced in practice. At Mississippi State University, the first U.S. institution represented in the Times Higher Education ranking, this work takes form through a wide range of campus initiatives that connect students to the academic and social life of the institution.

One of the most visible examples is International Fiesta, a large-scale university event that brings together thousands of students, faculty, local residents, and visitors from across the region. Under Kastsiuchenka's coordination, the event expanded significantly in scale and reach, drawing record attendance and establishing itself as one of the university's signature campus-wide initiatives.

Karalina explains: "What stands out to me is how quickly students begin to feel more connected when engagement happens consistently. They begin to explore opportunities and gradually see themselves as part of the campus community. With time, that change becomes visible in everyday campus life and in the way the university is experienced beyond it."

Kastsiuchenka's work also extends into the national professional landscape. She represents the university within the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and the Southern Association for College Student Affairs (SACSA), participating in professional exchange and presenting at conferences as part of the institution's engagement with the broader higher education community.

What begins as student programming extends outward, shaping campus culture, strengthening institutional ties, and influencing how universities present themselves within the wider academic community.

The Role of Educators in Building Global Campuses

Before Kastsiuchenka joined Mississippi State University, international student support at the institution followed a format common across U.S. higher education: a single orientation day, dense with information, after which students were largely left to navigate campus life on their own. The structural gap between arrival and integration was visible, but unaddressed.

Kastsiuchenka changed that by designing and implementing two original programs that did not previously exist at the institution. The first, Global Dawg Talks, is a semester-long orientation and success series that connects international students to academic resources, campus services, and peer networks in structured, recurring sessions throughout their first year—replacing the one-day information overload with a system built around consistent engagement. The second, the International Student Checkpoint System, introduced a proactive monitoring model in which student well-being and academic progress are assessed at defined points each semester, enabling staff to identify and respond to challenges before they escalate into crises.

"I wanted students to discover the university step by step, to understand how it works in practice, and to feel confident using its resources and opportunities throughout their first year. What stands out to me is how quickly students begin to feel more connected when engagement happens consistently," Kastsiuchenka reflects.

The results were measurable. Under her coordination, International Fiesta, MSU's annual multicultural campus event, grew into the largest international cultural festival in the state of Mississippi, drawing over 5,000 attendees, 60+ vendors, and 25+ cultural performances. That scale had not been achieved under any prior coordinator at the institution.

The approach drew recognition beyond campus. In 2026, Kastsiuchenka presented her international student engagement model at a national NASPA conference, an invitation extended to practitioners whose work is considered replicable and relevant across institutions. She was also selected for the New Professional Institute, a competitive leadership program offered to approximately 90 emerging professionals across the Southeast Region of NASPA.T

"In my experience, educators shape how students experience the university every day. Even small interactions can determine whether students feel included and willing to engage," adds Kastsiuchenka.

Her work is also reflected in the professional field. Karalina is invited to serve as a reviewer of conference submissions for NASPA and SACSA, organizations that bring together higher education professionals across the United States at the national and regional levels.

Karalina's experiences illustrate how day-to-day work in student engagement connects with broader academic practice. Internationalization takes shape through locally developed systems and collective discussion, shaping how universities support students over time.

Thus, global rankings highlight international presence, while the experience behind that presence remains less visible. Karalina Kastsiuchenka's experience draws attention to how students navigate, engage with, and take part in campus life once they arrive. For U.S. universities, the path forward lies in ensuring international students become active participants in the academic and campus environment.