MCC is proud to host a variety of exchange visitors throughout the year. Most of these visitors come to our college under a J-1 Visa.
The J visa is a nonimmigrant visa, and participants in the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program are expected to return to their home countries when they complete their programs. Entry into the United States as a participant in the Exchange Visitor Program is granted with the understanding that participants will complete the objectives of a single program category.
The minimum duration of any exchange program is three weeks, except for participants in the Short Term Scholar category or those sponsored by the Federal Government. The maximum duration varies by category. The Form DS-2019 identifies the participant and the sponsor (e.g., MCC or Maricopa County Community College District), provides a brief description of the program activity to be completed by the participant, indicates the begin and end dates of the program and the program category, and provides a breakout of the total estimated financial support to be provided to the participant during his or her program.
The program participant is in current J visa status and may complete objectives relative to the program category indicated only during the time period defined unless the participant withdraws or is terminated from the program. The time period defined on the Form DS-2019 may not reflect the the maximum program duration permitted for a specific category; in such cases, the participant's program may be extended, as allowed by program regulations and at the discretion of the responsible officer. Program extensions beyond the maximum duration, if allowed for a program category, must be requested by the responsible officer and approved by the Department of State.
Program regulations of some categories permit the entry of the participant's dependents under the J-2 visa at the sponsor's discretion. Dependents are defined as the participant's spouse and minor unmarried children -- unmarried children under the age 21. Participants should contact their sponsors for additional information and to determine if their dependents may accompany them to the United States for the duration of their programs.
During the 2006-07 Academic Year, the Maricopa County Community College District received its first ever Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Dr. Zahra Tamouh. Dr. Tamouh is
associate professor of history at the University of Mohamed V in Rabat, Morocco, and split her time as a visiting scholar between MCC and CGCC in the Fall of 2006 and between
PVCC and Estrella Mountain College
in the Spring of 2007 co-lecturing and presenting on topics related to Muslim civilization, Moroccan history, and the status of women in North Africa.
Professor Tamouh has also been a board member for the Moroccan Association on History Research, a member of the African Historical Association, and in March 2006 was appointed as a member of the Scientific Committee of the Royal Institute on Research in Moroccan History.
There is an article and additional information here.
The International Education Office offers a variety
of support services for students and scholars. If you need assistance at anytime,
please contact the International Education Office at (480) 461-7758 or email at ie@mcmail.maricopa.edu.
