Plaza Building closed due to a water main break.

Students Talking Around a Table

We're ready to help at OIS

Looking for a way to get in contact with the Office of International Studies? The best general portal is our email address, or if you’re looking for a specific person, we can help with that too in our Staff Directory.

About Us

The Office of International Studies (OIS) is is moving to a new home in Central Classroom 105 [CN 105]. We expect to be in CN 105 starting Tuesday 11/12.

Campus/Physical Location:
Central Classroom [CN] 105, 1055 10th St Denver 80204, Auraria Campus

Mailing Address:
Office of International Studies CN 105, Campus Box 41B, PO BOX 173362, Denver, CO 80217-3362

Shipping Address [for all deliveries including UPS, USPS, FedEx…]:
Office of International Studies CN 105, MSU Denver, 1201 5th Street, Denver, CO 80204

Staff Directory

Akbarali [Ali] Thobhani, Ph.D

Executive Director

Dr. Akbarali Thobhani is the Executive Director of the Office of International Studies. Dr. Thobhani has served on the faculty of MSU Denver for more than thirty years and has developed and taught numerous courses on Africa, the Middle East and Islam. He is the author of numerous articles and three books – Islam’s Quiet Revolutionary: The Story of Aga Khan IV; Mansa Musa: The Golden King of Ancient Mali; and Western Sahara Since 1975: Social, Political, and Economic Transformation Under Moroccan Administration. He is a recipient of six Fulbright grants to conduct curriculum enrichment seminars for teachers and faculty in Egypt, Kenya and Ghana. Dr. Thobhani is a recipient of numerous awards including the Golden Key Excellence in Teaching Award, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Award, and the United Nations Peace Medal.

Kelly [Yue] Huang

Program Manager & Events Coordinator

Kelly (Yue) Huang, a native of China, fell in love with exploring different cultures and arts via communicating with people from different cultural backgrounds during her 8-year tenure working at Shanghai International Airport in China. Kelly came to the United States in 2000 and graduated from CU Denver with a major in Communications. Kelly then worked for Western Union, a global financial service company on the APAC training and marketing team. Her global perspective and extensive experience in communicating with diverse groups of people contributed greatly to the team. Kelly joined the Office of International Studies at MSU Denver in 2009.  She manages the faculty professional development program, faculty exchange program, J-1 visiting scholars and exchange students’ program, and the MSU Denver partnership program.  Kelly organizes OIS events, hosts overseas delegations, coordinates MSU Denver high profile delegation’s visits to partner universities, assists with grant funded study abroad programs and co-leads the China study abroad course.

Jennifer Provizer

Study Abroad Advisor & Program Coordinator

Jennifer’s love of travel began at age 7 with an extensive family trip to Asia, Europe, and Africa. Since then she has been a travel addict. Jennifer’s travels have a variety of foci, from academic study to volunteering to outdoor adventure. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in History from The Colorado College, where she studied abroad in Costa Rica, and conducted senior research in Northern India. Before continuing on to her graduate studies, Jennifer ventured to Spain for a few months to focus on her language skills, travel the country, and eat lots of delicious foods. She then completed her Master’s Degree in History from the University of Colorado, Denver. Jennifer believes that international education enriches student development, and hopes to encourage as many MSU Denver students as possible to leave the country [for a bit at least].

Schedule an advising appointment

Catherine Break

Study Abroad Advisor

Catherine graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in Humanities and a Certificate in Italian Studies. She has participated in 3 study abroad programs in Italy (twice) and Spain. She also lived in Turin, Italy with a host family for several months. She has traveled to France, the Netherlands, Costa Rica and Australia (two of her absolute favorites). Catherine has a passion for exploring other cultures and chose a profession in Study Abroad in order to assist students with their international endeavors.  She thoroughly believes that a study abroad experience enriches every plan of study and is eager to help MSU Denver students discover their next adventures.

Schedule an advising appointment