Helen Stevens
A celebration of life for Dr. Helen Stevens, the former director of International Programs and Services at San Jose State University will be held July 28, from 2 to 4 p.m., at SJSU’s International House, 360 S. 11th Street. Helen passed away June 22 in San Jose.
Those who knew Helen will recall her unwavering commitment to international programs, for both those coming from other countries to SJSU and for local students to study abroad.
Helen served SJSU as the director of the Office of International Programs and Services from 1998 until her retirement in 2012, though she remained engaged in supporting global citizenship on our campus even after her retirement. She sponsored the Helen L. Stevens Outstanding International Educator Award as a way to acknowledge outstanding faculty and lecturers who have incorporated global citizenship into their curriculum in meaningful ways. She also helped to create an annual banquet that celebrates international and American students who have demonstrated a commitment to international understanding.
Helen’s commitment to international student affairs spanned most of her career in education; she taught French at a high school before being appointed as Assistant Director of International Programs at the University of Kentucky, her home state. She served as the director of International Student Services and Programs at Florida State University, as an international scholar advisor, assistant director and director of Student and Scholar Services at the State University of New York in Buffalo, before taking on her role at SJSU. She was a recipient of a Fulbright grant and served as an educational specialist to West Germany in 1979 and was actively involved in NAFSA, the Association of International Educators.
At the suggestion of her family, friends who wish to honor her memory may make a donation to the Helen Stevens International House Student Resident Scholarship Fund (checks payable to Tower Foundation) or to the AAUW Scholarship Fund for Women.