As a transfer student from South India, all I had in hand was a piece of paper with my credits. I knew that these must be somehow ratified by the university before I would be allowed to take classes. Spending time alone in my dorm room with a map in hand, I did not have very much to go by. So I took the map, found the biological sciences building, stopped by the office, and asked my questions of an uncertain administrative assistant who promptly called the assistant dean.
The assistant dean took about an hour and a half or more from her busy schedule and walked me through the whole transfer process. She made calls on my behalf to make sure I had everything I needed (names of people, addresses, and phone numbers) and gave me tips on how to navigate the university. I remember feeling a deep sense of peace in her office and having a strong suspicion that she was a believer.
A year or so later, this was confirmed when I saw her at a Christian gathering. We stayed in touch over the years. I worked for her department as a graduate assistant, and she advocated for my funding and role within the same department. The more I got involved with university administration, the more I began to realize what an hour and a half might have meant to a very busy dean during the beginning of fall quarter.
Over the years when I recount or talk about my initial experience at Ohio State and how I saw God providing for me, her patient time with me remains indelible in my mind. It is a sign of God’s deep care for me in a large university. I am grateful for InterVarsity’s ministry to faculty which positions them to redeem ideas for Jesus while caring deeply for every scholar with whom they come in contact.
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Ram Sridharan is InterVarsity’s team leader at Ohio State University. His account of his arrival as a new student in the U.S. highlights not only the significant role of InterVarsity’s faculty ministry, but also our International Students Ministry.
