Nita Levison, the former director of international student services within the IU School of Education, died Saturday in her home in Bloomington due to respiratory complications.
Levison worked in various capacities at the School of Education from the 1970s ?onward.
Before coming to Bloomington in 1972, Levison managed the Roanoke College Bookstore and one of the departments of the Stanford University Bookstore. Between 1965 and 1972, she taught English and studied Spanish in Venezuela and Colombia, and from 1967 to 1968 wrote a monthly column, “Last Month in Cumana,” for the Venezuelan English-language ?newspaper.
She also served as a research assistant to IU psychology professor John Gottman on his national study of how successful couples ?communicate.
“She was a tireless advocate for a welcoming environment for international students and a passionate and articulate spokesperson for a more diverse and inclusive campus and community,” her son, Anthony Arnove, said in an email.
In 1983, Levison was a co-leader of the IU-Hangzhou University exchange program with the People’s Republic of China. The partnership eventually led to a relationship between the Indiana and Zhejiang Province, Arnove said.
“She learned a very commendable beginner’s grasp of the Chinese language, as well as a more masterful level of spoken Spanish,” he said.
Arnove said Levison was a globally-minded person.
“She loved her job, including especially the chance to work with international students, who she welcomed to IU and supported in many capacities,” he said. “She loved learning about new cultures, cuisines and languages.”
Levison also worked in the IU Student Advocates Office from 2003 to 2014.
“Nita Levison contributed significantly to the IU School of Education informally as an advocate of student welfare and professional achievement throughout the 1990s,” Donald Warren, the dean emeritus of the IU School of Education, said in an email to Levison’s family. “Formally, she served as director of international student services, an assignment she expanded to include programs designed for international visiting scholars.
“Wanting to welcome these distinguished researchers to the school, university and Bloomington, she organized multiple orientation sessions, introductions to IU libraries and the computer network and even frequent social events for faculty, students, staff and international visitors,” Warren said. “Not surprisingly, after retirement she volunteered these skills and sensibilities to the campus Student Advocates Office, where her insights and commitments benefited students generally. Far beyond the School of Education, Nita was widely admired for her determination to enrich the IU culture and elevate service as a necessary high priority for a great university.”
Outside of work, she was politically engaged in the community, Arnove said.
“She was a longtime supporter of the Democratic Party with a strong commitment to working on behalf of various social justice causes,” he said. “She often worked alongside students at IU on voter registration drives.”
Levison was also a fan of the arts, he said.
“She taught cooking classes and was a regular at IU Opera, Theater and School of Music events,” Arnove said. “Even after completing her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at IU in the 1990s as a continuing education student, she audited classes at IU. Her favorite, which she took many times, was a course on the music of the Beatles.”
Arnove said he believes Levison will be best remembered for her influence on the global community.
“I am sure she’d most want to be remembered for the many students from around the globe who she supported, many of whom continued to correspond with her and visit her for years after they left the University,” he said.
