This page is under construction. It will be updated with 2023-24 events and programs throughout the school year.

Family Friendship Program 2023-24

Family Friendship Meet and Greet

Centre College's Family Friendship Program connects international students with local families and individuals to increase and enhance global community and cultural exchange.

In August through the first week of Fall classes, international students and local family-friends are invited to sign up via a survey link to get to know each other through informal, casual experiences based on their shared interests in art, music, sports, cultural events, outdoor activities, etc. The Family Friendship Program does NOT involve homestays, but regular get-togethers at times that work for the students and the family-friends. Most family-friends will meet with students once or twice a month for coffee or a meal, for a shopping trip to Lexington, to go trick-or-treating for Halloween, or to watch the Super Bowl. 

Family-friends are NOT responsible for: 
(1) providing regular housing or transportation to the student(s) [an occasional ride to the airport or mall or a 2am viewing of the World Cup is ok, but family-friends should NOT host students for an entire school break as students can remain on-campus with permission from the College]; 
(2) lending money or assisting students with finding jobs, especially since students must comply with the rules and regulations of their F-1 student visas and family-friends may not be aware of or able to help students appropriately; 
(3) addressing health or serious adjustment problems [Students should seek resources on-campus]. 

Winter Break Programming 2023

ISS Winter Break 2023

Some students, including about 30~40% of international students, at Centre College are not able to go home for the winter break. For all winter break residents, ISS offers some light programming on or slightly off-campus so the students can participate in winter outings together. We hope to foster a sense of belonging and community at Centre. 

Student Organization Events

Current students: if you would like your event featured on our site, please contact ISS Assistant Director Jessica.Leonard@centre.edu 

AAPIC-CCC-VSA Lunar New Year 2024 Feb Japanese Club Movie and Snacks 2024 Jan ISA Study Break 2023 Dec
SACA Friendsgiving 2023 Nov ISA Tea Gala 2023 Nov ISA Poke & Karaoke 2023 Oct
ISA Welcome 2023 Sept    

Jessica Leonard

Photo of Jessica Leonard
Associate Director, Centre Global
International Student Services (ISS)


Office Location: Old Carnegie
Office Phone: +1 859.238.6106
Office Email: jessica.leonard@centre.edu
Schedule an Appointment on Navigate (for Current Students only): Click Here
Biography

BS: Physics, University of Maryland

M.Ed (pursuing): Higher Education – Student Affairs, Liberty University

Jessica Leonard joined Centre College in August 2018. She previously taught English as a Second Language (ESL) in South Korea for almost 8 years.

Jessica is a member of the College's CARE team and Enrollment Management & Retention Advisory Committee in addition to serving on the College's Staff Congress as Secretary. She currently advises the International Student Association (ISA), the Asian American and Pacific Islander Coalition (AAPIC), and the Centre South Asian Cultural Association (SACA) and previously advised the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA).

In her free time, Jessica enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter at home in Versailles, KY.

Adam Chen-Dedman

Photo of Adam Chen-Dedman
Executive Director, Centre Global

Office Location: Old Carnegie
Office Phone: +1 859.238.5268
Office Email: adam.chen-dedman@centre.edu
Schedule an Appointment on Navigate (for Current Students only): Click Here
Biography

BA: Comparative Culture (Humanities), Sophia University (Japan)

MTS: Asian Religion & Gender, Harvard University

Adam Chen-Dedman is a native of Kentucky and joined Centre College in 2023 as Executive Director of Centre Global. He spent 25 years studying and working abroad in Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, and Australia. From 2005 to 2012 Adam served as head of International Student Services, Director of the Study Abroad program, and then Assistant to the President of International Affairs at Payap University in Thailand. From 2013 to 2019 he served as Executive Director of the Institute of South East Asian Affairs, a regional study abroad program, that was based at Chiang Mai University in Thailand. In these roles, Adam forged relationships with US colleges and universities and oversaw students from the US and other countries who were studying abroad in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

Adam is completing his PhD in Cultural Studies of Asia at The University of Melbourne (Australia) where he researches responses to Chinese nationalism, geopolitics in Taiwan's LGBTQ+ social movement, and Japanese and Thai queer cultural interactions with Taiwan. He has taught courses on LGBTQ+ activism and human rights in Asia, Sex and Politics, and Global Media Cultures. His publications can be found in Nations and Nationalism, International Journal of Taiwan Studies, Feminist Media Studies, Contention: The Multidisciplinary Journal of Social Protest, and Feminist Encounters: A Journal of Critical Studies in Culture and Politics. Adam speaks Japanese, Thai, Mandarin, and conversational Spanish.;

Vivienne Main


Assistant Director, Centre Global
Study Abroad and Away


Office Location: Old Carnegie
Office Phone: +1 859.238.5285
Office Email: vivienne.main@centre.edu
Schedule an Appointment on Navigate (for Current Students only): Click Here
Biography

MSci: Marine and Freshwater Biology, University of Glasgow

Vivienne Main is a Scotland native who graduated from the University of Glasgow in 2015 with an MSci in Marine and Freshwater Biology. She studied abroad in Egypt and focused on tropical ecology with a strong emphasis on citizen science engagement and science communication.

Vivienne spent 4 years working abroad in Egypt and The Bahamas coordinating STEM and sustainability-focused programs for visiting international students. Upon moving to the USA in 2019 she served as Program Coordinator for International Field Studies, an educational and scientific non-profit organization established to promote and assist educators with field study programs. In these roles, Vivienne coordinated international travel, and on-site logistics, and advised students from the US and other countries who were studying abroad.

Margaret Meadows

Photo of Margaret Meadows
Office Coordinator, Centre Global

Office Location: Old Carnegie
Office Phone: +1 859.238.5295
Office Email: margaret.meadows@centre.edu
Schedule an Appointment on Navigate (for Current Students only): Click Here
Biography

BA: Spanish and International Relations, University of Kentucky

Margaret Meadows joined Centre Global in 2022. She graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2015 where she studied abroad in Costa Rica and earned a BA in Spanish and International Relations.


 

Current Students

Newly Admitted Students

Obtaining a Student Visa Planning Your Arrival INTL Student Orientation