Doina Jikich

After 30 years of service to WVU, Jikich retired in 2019. Prior to her retirement she served as the executive director for international students and scholars services in the Office of Global Affairs.

Her law degree, combined with her experience as an immigrant, equipped her to help international students navigate cultural adjustments and thrive in a new environment. Successfully networking with congressional and senatorial offices in West Virginia to secure support for international student immigration cases, Jikich also worked to ensure University compliance with immigration regulations.

During her time at WVU, she also served as a co-instructor at the College of Law School Immigration Clinic and immigration director of what is now the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute.

Jikich earned a law degree from the University of Bucharest in 1972 and immigrated to the United States after fleeing Communist Romania with her husband in 1983.

Fulfilling her dream of investing in the power of cultural diversity to enrich the University’s academic community, she established the Doina Jikich Scholarship in 2023.