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Ten Things Every International Educator Needs to Know Immigration Attorneys Jim and Amany Hacking want to help you be the best International Educator that you can be and to fulfill your role as an awesome facilitators of your international students' success. We have worked with international educators around the country for years and we will bring that experience, as well as our knowledge of the complexities and nuances of federal immigration law, to this session. We identified 10 things that every International Educator needs to know and we can't wait to share them with you during this fun and interactive session. Presenter: James Hacking & Amany Hacking
Advising Students with Disabilities in Education Abroad This session is to help provide advisors with resources for advising students with disabilities in successfully navigating Education Abroad Resources. Presenter: Katherine Haan
Verification Resources for Credential Evaluation Advances in technology, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, have changed the way credential evaluators and university admissions staff work and process documents. Electronic submission of academic credentials reduces processing time, mailing cost, risk of loss or damage and is better for the environment. However, it can also come with security concerns and an important part of our job is to ensure that the credentials we evaluate are authentic. This session will share some new and exciting verification resources, as well as tried-and-true methods, to help you evaluate credentials more confidently and ensure the integrity of your admission process. Presenter: Karin Christoph Brown
Interviewing Like a Boss: Tips for Interviewing with Confidence in the Field Whether you’re undergoing an intensive job search or open to a new role within international education, this session will provide you with strategies to excel in the interview stage. Learn how to prepare for the big day, explore tactics for skillfully answering questions, and take advantage of an opportunity to practice your new or refined techniques in a safe space. Presenters: Amy Nusser
SEVP Field Representative Session Please meet with the Illinois SEVP Field Representatives for information and updates on USCIS/DHS. Presenters: Saskia Hofman & Katherine Haan
How the Sausage is Made: Building Faculty-Led Programs from the Ground Up This session will explore the development of faculty-led and customized programs from ideation to completion. We will touch on the proposal and budgeting processes, establishing partnerships both on campus and with outside organizations, programming trends, pitfalls to avoid, lessons learned to consider, and more. Engagement with attendees will result in a robust, informal discussion for further sharing of best practices. Presenters: Kate Simmons & Sherene Awong
DEIJ in Action: Breaking Down Your Biases Join us for an informative session that expands on common biases everyone has in their life and work and how to address those. We will be evaluating four common biases, identifying how they show up for you, addressing some tangible actions you can do to fight against these, and putting counteractive measures to work! Presenters: Lily Andrules & Sara McGuinn
Leading an ISS(S) Office Many ISS(S) professionals dream of the day when they’ll be in charge of their own office and team. However, when that day arrives it’s often with little training or transition time. While the foundational skills of understanding and advising on regulations, plus experience with various office roles and projects can help and give some confidence, heavy is the head that wears the crown and each decision feels a little weightier. This session hopes to demystify the prospect of leading an ISS(S) office with helpful tips and tricks as you lead the charge for your institution. Presenters: Tony Marotta & Rachel Krein
Careers, Internships, and Fellowships with the U.S. Department of State 24-year veteran of the U.S. Department of State and current Diplomat in Residence for the Midwest Susan Falatko will speak about careers, internships, and fellowships with the U.S. Department of State. She will discuss both Foreign Service (overseas positions) and Civil Service (domestic positions) and how students and alumni can prepare themselves for State Department careers. Presenter: Susan Falatko
Associate's or Incomplete Bachelor's Degree? A Look at Three-year Postsecondary Programs from Around the World The topic of three-year degrees is discussed often in the field of International Enrollment Management. But what about three-year postsecondary non-degree programs? These types of credentials might get submitted for undergraduate or graduate enrollment and determining a US equivalency for them might not be so straightforward. This presentation would focus primary on some of the more common (and less common) foreign three-year postsecondary credentials. Examples include Indian nursing diplomas, Ukrainian junior specialist diplomas, and Chinese zhuanke certificates. The goal of this session is to closely examine these credentials—and more examples from around the world—to analyze them and provide professional insight based on the recommendations of Scholaro and other organizations, such as AACRAO. We would also include samples of three-year non-degree credentials that attendees could review and ask questions about and discuss toward the end of the session. Presenter: Brock Goldflies
Interdisciplinary team and its impact on the holistic health of communities This session dialogues on the importance of building an interdisciplinary team approach to meet the needs of communities and pioneering sustainable holistic health initiatives that created two-way ripple effects on both host and sending communities. The presentation is based on life-changing short-term service learnings on communities in a remote community in Africa and the reciprocal effect of the trips on sending communities and individual participants. The values and practical implications of building a team that embraces the diversity of education, age, cultural backgrounds, ethnolinguistic composition, and professional backgrounds will be discussed. Presenter: Talargie Tafesse
Navigating I-17 Recertification Process The purpose of this session is to help DSOs in how to complete the re-certification progress with the I-17. Presenter: Katherine Haan
The Visa View: Understanding Visas from Multiple Perspectives Post-Pandemic At IES Abroad, The Global Enrollment Management team works with consulates, universities, and students to provide a streamlined visa application process. The pandemic created many barriers for students and study abroad organizations alike, but as the world begins to reopen, we have identified new insights and strategies to better assist our students. Students traveling post pandemic have new concerns and a different outlook on study abroad, and this has important implications for how we can best assist them as they apply for visas. In this presentation we will take a holistic approach in our analysis of the visa process, looking at visas from our perspective as visa advisors, from students’ perspective, and from universities' perspective. Presenters: Jadon Sokoll-Ward, Macy Miller, & Nykki Hutchinson
Evaluating Credentials from Countries in Conflict - Afghanistan and Ukraine The goal of this session will be to familiarize attendees with the education systems of Afghanistan and Ukraine, including any updates related to recent changes in the current affairs of each country. We will review strategies for reviewing documents for authenticity and share tips on verifying documents. Presenter: Catherine Eccher
Introduction to the IEI Mentorship Program Learn about IEI's Mentorship Program! In this session, you will hear how the Mentorship Program provides valuable and personalized networking and professional development opportunities! Meet the program coordinators and a panel of current mentors/mentees from this year's cohort. Presenters: Andie Ingram Eccles & Amy Nusser
See Yourself Abroad: How to use Student Generated Content to Market to Prospective Students A student’s identity is integral to how they engage in new experiences like study abroad. Before embarking on the journey, they want to see themselves in study abroad. That’s why the student voice is crucial to study abroad marketing: student generated content amplifies the student perspective. It is the most effective and authentic way to communicate with prospective students and the variety of identities they hold. This session will discuss what prospective students look for in study abroad marketing, how to gather student generated content, and how to use it effectively on web, social media, and more. Presenters: Jason Schroeder, Kevin Reyes, & Chelsea Kuchik
I can, I will, End of Story. Conquering Impostor Syndrome Impostor Syndrome doesn't have to keep us from succeeding! We will discuss the common obstacles of Impostor Syndrome, how to overcome them, and how to reshape your thinking into "I can, I will, end of story." Presenter: Michaela Kendall
Current Trends in IEM Roundtable Join seasoned IEM professionals for a round table discussion about current trends in IEM. Round table participants represent both 2-year and 4-year institutions to provide trends from across the landscape of higher education. Currently practicing IEM staff are encouraged to join and share the trends they're encountering so all attendees can leave with a better understanding of the current IEM landscape. Presenters: Tony Marotta, Kara Johnson, Michelle Vale, Tahani Zughayer, & Robert Morley
H-1B Management: Policy Design, Best Practices, and More! Do you currently handle the H-1B population at your institution? Is that a role you aspire to have? Are you a DSO who gets questions from your F-1 OPT or STEM OPT students about the H-1B Cap Lottery that you have no idea how to answer? If you feel seen by any of these descriptions, then this session is for you! As a former university immigration coordinator who "defected" to the corporate immigration side, I'll provide an overview of the H-1B filing process in the university/nonprofit world as well as in the corporate world (namely the annual USCIS H-1B Cap Lottery). I'll also run through the I-129 petition process, file management, policy decisions, and areas of overlap with institutional partners such as HR and Payroll. This session is appropriate for all levels of experience. Presenter: Eliza Plous