Staff

The U.S.-based Executive Director is responsible for overall program operations, manages the admission and pre-departure process, and oversees staff and faculty in India.

In India, the Resident Director is a U.S. faculty member whose scholarly interest and research focus is South India. The Resident Director manages program operations in India, teaches the Ethnographic Methods seminar and supervises students’ Directed Field Research projects. The Resident Director also advises students on cultural adjustment and assists students in integrating their personal experiences into an academic framework.

Recently-graduated SITA alumni serve as Program Assistants, imparting pre-departure cultural information and advice, helping students deal with cultural issues in India, and facilitating the well-being of the students throughout the program. Assistants’ personal experiences on the SITA Program make them particularly conscious of and well-suited to address the sorts of issues and challenges that SITA students face.

Two Indian staff members coordinate program operations in India: the Program Coordinator is responsible for all travel and logistical arrangements, and the Host Family Coordinator is responsible for host family placements and acts as a liaison between families and students during the program.

In addition, the SITA Center has a wonderful support staff who students become quite fond of over the course of the semester, and local Indian college students serve as guides and translators for field research projects.