Paul Sargent, a seasoned admissions professional who has helped thousands of international students Go West, has been named the University of West Georgia’s new director of International Student Admissions and Programs (ISAP).

Sargent first became interested in international admissions when he joined an international student club as an undergraduate student and studied abroad in the Czech Republic. After completing his bachelor's degree, Sargent moved to Prague and spent more than five years as an expatriate abroad.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to continue the good work we have done in ISAP to share the transformative educational experience that UWG provides with students from around the world,” Sargent said. “International admissions is the passion of my career, and I look forward to impacting the lives of more students who attend UWG – both international and domestic.”

Having served as interim director of ISAP since 2021, Sargent has been primarily responsible for the international admissions of undergraduate and graduate applicants to UWG, from initial inquiry to orientation and enrollment. As interim director, he updated and improved the ISAP administrative processes to eliminate barriers that prevent international student enrollment and helped develop and maintain UWG partnerships with other institutions around the world to establish pathway programs.

Kimberly Scranage, UWG’s vice president for strategic enrollment management, said Sargent brings a wealth of experience and insightful perspective to the role.

“Paul brings the perfect combination of experience, collaborative leadership, global perspective and innovation to his role,” Scranage said. “He has demonstrated his ability to curate international operations, even in the most difficult circumstances, to position UWG for success.”

Sargent explained how he would love for more UWG students to experience studying abroad as he did as an undergraduate student, but since that might not be a viable option for all students, he will work to bring the world to UWG.

“I hope my work not only impacts the lives of the students we bring to UWG,” said Sargent, “but also the lives of some of our domestic students through new friendships and cross-cultural opportunities and events on campus.”