Marija Telbis-Forster joined Virginia Tech in 2003. As director of Graduate Student Services in the National Capital Region, her responsibilities include working with administrative offices and academic departments regarding recruitment, application, orientation, enrollment, retention, and graduation of students. As primary contact for international students and scholars in the National Capital Region, Telbis-Forster is also responsible for interpreting immigration regulations, staying abreast of changes in the law, processing immigration-related paperwork and monitoring compliance with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of State (DOS), in order to comply with regulations under SEVIS.

Telbis-Forster earned her baccalaureate in Political Science, at Seton Hill and an M.A. in Japanese Studies from the University of Essex ,United Kingdom. She also holds a certificate in Japanese Language from Momoyama Gakuin Daigaku (St. Andrew's University), Osaka, Japan.

Upon completion of her undergraduate degree, she joined Interac Corp., Ltd, Yokohama, Japan, as language consultant and was there for two years before earning her graduate degree.

Her professional experience also includes vice president for training at Science Technology Management Corporation, where she was responsible for preparing required paperwork for SEVIS school certification, assisting international students on cross-cultural adaptation, and issuing required documentation for student visa approval. She has also served as an Educational Liaison to Middle Eastern embassies in DC, written educational proposals for Middle Eastern embassies, and designed Human Resource & Management curricula for Saudi Navy

Her memberships in professional organizations include Phi Beta Delta International Honor Society and the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors (NAFSA).

Contact Information

E-mail: mtelbisf@vt.edu

Office: (703) 538-3743