Interview with John Pearson : In Transit: An Oral History Project about Crossing Borders
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- John Pearson, who was the director of the Bechtel International Center at Stanford from 1988 to 2016, speaks about the circumstances that brought him from England to the United States as a graduate student and eventually led him to Stanford in 1985. He describes some of the center’s efforts to build community among international students and highlights important changes in Bechtel’s role, especially its increased bureaucratic responsibilities for providing students with information related to visas and documenting international students via the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) in compliance with federal regulations.
Description
| Type of resource | sound recording-nonmusical, text, still image |
|---|---|
| Extent | 1 audio file; 1 text file; 1 photograph |
| Place | Stanford (Calif.) |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
| Date created | January 28, 2021 |
| Language | English |
| Digital origin | born digital |
Creators/Contributors
| Interviewee | Pearson, John, 1948- | |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Pearson, John, 1948- | |
| Interviewer | Jayasinghe, D. Lakmali | |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
| Subject | Pearson, John, 1948- |
|---|---|
| Subject | Bechtel International Center |
| Subject | International education |
| Subject | Visas > United States |
| Genre | Interview |
Bibliographic information
| Biographical Profile | John Pearson was born near Manchester in the north of England. He was an undergraduate at the University of Wales, Swansea, and completed a Masters degree at the University of London. His focus was American Studies, History and US History. After further graduate study at the University of Tennessee, he moved into administrative work, focusing on study abroad and scholarship advising, while also volunteering as the university’s men’s soccer coach. Pearson moved to Stanford in 1985 and became Director of Bechtel International Center in 1988. Bechtel offers a number of internationally related services, including immigration administration and advising, scholarship administration and advising, and a wide variety of programmatic offerings to the large international community, including students, scholars, and family members. He retired from Stanford in 2016 and was recognized by the Kenneth M. Cuthbertson Award and the Margaret Ann Fidler Student Affairs Award. He was active in his professional association, NAFSA: Association of International Educators, and was awarded the Homer Highbee Award and Life Membership. John’s interests are Manchester City Football Club, reading, and listening to Jerry Lee Lewis and other great Southern musicians. |
|---|---|
| Transcript |
|
| Finding Aid | |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/sr009rb3464 |
| Location | SC0932 |
| Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Collection
Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program interviews, 1999-2022
View other items in this collection in SearchWorksAlso listed in
Loading usage metrics...