The Center provides and works in collaboration with other university programs to provide students, faculty, and administrators in the MU campus and Columbia community. All services are supervised by the Center and/or the university agency. The list below describes the current settings where services are provided in the MU community.

The American Sign Language (ASL) Course and The Deaf Studies program is in its fourth year of development. This project has been spearheaded by Stephanie Logan, a doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at MU and the Director of The L. E. A. D. Institute (Leadership through Education and Advocacy for the Deaf) since 2001. Students from multiple programs and departments enroll in the ASL courses each semester.  Currently, the University offers American Sign Language I, II, and III. Each course provides didactic instruction as well as weekly laboratory experiences in the College of Education Reflector.

As a result of legislation that was passed in 2005, students at MU may take ASL courses to fulfill their foreign language requirement for their program of study if desired. Students learning ASL develop the knowledge-base to be culturally and linguistically more sensitive to the deaf and hard of hearing population which totals more than 32 million people in the U.S.

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Inspirational Pioneers
The International Students Career Services (ISCS) was first conceptualized and initiated in 2001 by five pioneering women (Dr. Mary J. Heppner, Mae-hyang Hwang, Maki Obana, Sing Chee Wong, & Eunjoo Yang). Though small, this service provided invaluable information for internationals on the MU campus. In addition, they published an article in a journal (Yang, Wong, Hwang, & Heppner, 2002) detailing their model of career services However, due to problems with continuation of volunteer staffing, the original programmed was ended within one year.

Individuals Involved in Program Revitalization and Expansion
Even though the program was ended at 2002, the spirit and passion of providing culturally appropriate career services to international students did not fade away. The program was revitalized in 2005 under the guidance and support of Drs. Puncky Heppner, Mary Heppner, Joe Johnston, as well as three graduate students, Hillary Fuhrman, Sharon Lee, and Yi-Jiun Lin, all of the Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology. With the instrumental support from the Vice Provost, Dr. Handy Williamson, and Interim Vice Provost, Dr. Michael Prewitt, ISCS was able to initially obtain three quarter-time graduate assistantships, and a semester later, expanded to a campus office staffed with one full-time coordinator (Sharon Lee) and five graduate assistants.

ISCS Establishment, Implement, and Maintenance
ISCS is an example of innovative programming that addresses culturally-specific needs of underserved populations on college campus. From its establishment, implementation, and maintenance stages, many steps were taken to ensure its stability and quality. First, to tailor our services to our international clientele, two focus groups were conducted in 2004. Information pertaining to international students' perceived barriers from utilizing pre-existing career services as well as students' desired topics and formats of services were collected. This information not only validated the needs for culturally sensitive career services for international students but also was extremely instrumental in shaping the mission and services of ISCS. Second, to ensure the longevity of the program, efforts were devoted to seeking long-term financial support and collaboration with other offices such as International Student Center, MU Career Center, Asian Affairs Center, etc. Third, to address both the unique career needs of international students and diverse needs within various international groups, various topics (e.g., how to write American style resume, interviewing skills, etiquette dinner norms) and venues (e.g, walk-in consultation, individual counseling, job search group, international alumni panel,) were made available for the international clientele. Fourth, to ensure the service quality, all of the ISCS staff members received weekly supervision from Dr. Puncky Heppner, the co-director of the Center for the CMRTC. Through critical self-examination and constant evaluation, the provision of culturally appropriate services was monitored.

In fall of 2006, the evaluative data indicated that over one third of MU international students had utilized ISCS services in that particular semester alone. The mean score of the total evaluation scale was 8.24 on a 10-point Likert Scale (1= strongly disagree; 10= strongly agree). This remarkable number appeared to reflect both the career needs of international students on campus and the quality of ISCS services. Currently, ISCS has grown into a model program serving the unique needs of both international students and Americans seeking to work abroad (http://career.missouri.edu/ISCS/work_abroad/index.php).

The International Student Discussion Group (ISDG), starting in 2001, provides MU international students with an opportunity to discuss their culture, adjustment, and academic issues in a safe and supportive environment. Two discussion groups are offered each semester and the group meets for one and half hours for 10-12 weeks. The group members are recruited at the beginning of the semester at the International Student Orientation and through advertisements at the International Center and departments. Each group consists of two facilitators and approximately 8 members.