8:30 AM - 9:30 AM SESSION BLOCK A Diversity in Study Abroad: Working with Ambassadors to Connect with Studentsby Lisa DeMilio & Lily Andrules As we look into connecting with students of all backgrounds and experiences in our campuses and organizations, we commonly forget the power of past participants. This session will look into returned student ambassador programs and how giving students the power to talk about their time abroad from the perspective of their unique identity can increase participation and inclusion from students who may not have previously "seen" themselves as the face of study abroad.
Keeping international students engaged… no, we’re not talking about Tik Tokby Ally Mangia & Nereida Encina The current COVID-19 pandemic has increased the feelings of isolation for many international students. Learn how the ISA office at Moraine Valley has kept students connected and engaged through a variety of programs, as well as how the communication format to prospective and new students has had a positive twist of change amidst uncertain times.
Building a community of advocates: supporting international student career development within non-STEM disciplinesby Samantha Nissen, Sarah Tolman, Qiran Li, & Chiara Montanari In this session, we will discuss career services tailored for international students within non-STEM disciplines. The presenters include an international student adviser working across disciplines and career service advisers focused on journalism and marketing communications industries, in which international students have unique concerns about language proficiency, cultural differences and visa requirements. This session welcomes practitioners who work with international students across any functional area and are interested in building stronger collaboration networks to support international students and their career development within these disciplines. We will discuss the following questions from both a research and applied perspective:
How to understand international students’ cultural adjustment and language acquisition when supporting their career development?
How to support international students’ career exploration with considerations of their needs and concerns?
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM SESSION BLOCK B Education Abroad Visa Updates & the Impact of COVID-19by Alyssa Byrne & Jason Schroeder Two of IES Abroad's Global Enrollment Management Specialists will share country-specific visa and immigration updates and how COVID-19 has affected them. They will provide detailed resources and research methodologies during COVID-19 and for the future.
Student & Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) Updates and Illinois Enrollment Figuresby Saskia Hofman, Kelly Pilleux-Petronia, & Manda Walters Your Illinois Field Representatives will present the latest updates available from SEVP and provide an overview of the most recent published enrollment data for our great state. Your Midwest-based U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Community Relations Officer (CRO) will join the presentation to introduce her role.
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM SESSION BLOCK C Beyond the Pandemic: Sustaining Disability Inclusion in Virtual Exchangeby Monica Malhotra & Lily Andrules We have seen the world pivot to virtual events in lightning speed due to the global pandemic. From simple team meetings, to large conferences and international exchange programs, the world has gone virtual in order to stay connected and to continue moving forward. Many people discovered exciting opportunities of creating greater access and outreach in this new virtual space, while for others the transition remained a challenging adjustment. In this session, we will learn about some considerations to make your next virtual event accessible for people with diverse disabilities as well as hear from attendees about questions on how to implement successful and inclusive virtual exchange programs beyond the pandemic.
Informed Decisions through Data Analysis in Admissions, Recruitment, and Retentionby Rayann Ibasco, Kate Tamm, & Maria Blanca Data continues to be an integral part of Enrollment Management. This session focuses on using historical data sets to inform future strategies and identify microdetails that a lot of institutions are missing out in terms of ensuring higher yield rate and retention. In this session, we will introduce a very important report that some institutions started using which is called leading indicators, specifically being used in admissions and recruitment. You will also learn more about student retention by analyzing data sets in terms of student involvement as well as career outcomes, these outcomes becomes also a tool to recruit international students by showcasing real numbers.
Immigration Trivia Challengeby Clare Lake & Anna Adamson Test your knowledge of current immigration rules and regulations that govern international students and scholars. Sign-up for our Immigration Trivia Challenge and compete against your colleagues as we go through a series of questions that address all areas of immigration compliance. Prizes for the top contestants. Join us for this educational and fun session. New to the field? This is a great way to test your current knowledge! A smart phone is required to play. Thank you to Bob White who originally conceived this session idea to present at 2 NAFSA V Regional Conferences.
In their shoes – Understanding international students’ social, academic, and cultural transition to the U.S./Host countries’ campusesby Akiko Ota While international students are still sought as great assets to institutions for financial revenues as well as cultural and racial diversity, international students’ transitions to campuses are often fraught with social, cultural, and academic challenges. “Sink or swim”, or assimilation, model of higher education is not effective, nor should it be applied to international students, whose native language, culture, social, and academic expectations are different from those of the U.S. To help international students’ social, cultural, and academic transitions, we need to create a campus and welcoming pedagogy and services that go beyond the superficial level among student peers, staff, and faculty. One way to achieve this goal is to put ourselves “in their shoes”. In doing so, the presenter – IEI Teaching, Learning & Scholarship Rep. plans to provide:
Theoretical understandings of the experiences of their international students on campus.
Uncover unspoken academic assumptions that can divide classmates for one another and open the (sometimes closed) doors made by the assumptions that instructors [and other classmates] make in their everyday behavior.
Academic topics that will include the unspoken [behavioral and academic] assumptions in a classroom; the coded language of a course syllabus and assignments; and the colliding pedagogy of learning
Explore ideas to deepen the understanding of strengths-based pedagogical perspective, by looking at specific academic challenges international students face.
Honest discussion we hope to facilitate an insightful and immediately useful discovery of how and where many international students can feel over-looked though the unarticulated assumptions in American Higher Learning.
Resources (films, tests, and simulations) that can be used in trainings.
The ultimate goal of this session is to provide a place to open talk about and resources to offer sessions at their institutions so that participants can start a dialogue toward deeper understandings of how to teach, communicate, serve, and become friends with international students, and consequently work toward creating more inclusive and diverse campus culture.
12:45 PM - 1:45 PM LUNCH BREAK & IEI ORGANIZATION 2021 UPDATES Join IEI leadership team members to hear about last year's accomplishments as well as where the organization is headed moving forward. Open positions on the leadership team will be announced. And don't miss the raffle for a FREE registration to next year's IEI conference - must be present to win!
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM SESSION BLOCK D Utilizing International Alumni Volunteersby Nikia Brown & Mike Nelson International education professionals can partner with advancement and alumni relations staff to better incorporate international alumni into events and other programming. Alumni can provide practical advice to current students about the job market and the value of higher education. In this session, specific examples will be provided to show how international alumni added value to study abroad, international student programming, and a global podcast series. Session participants are encouraged to share their own successes and ideas, as well.
Virtual Study Abroad Fairs: Lessons Learned and Future Benefitsby Libby Thornton & Josefina Vega The landscape of the field and how we promote study abroad has really changed this year. With study abroad fairs going virtual, this session will discuss the successes and lessons learned from these virtual fairs. We will explore this topic from both the university and provider side and discuss what role virtual fairs and promotion will play in a post-covid future. Speakers will discuss the challenges of different platforms used, the traction received from students, and effects on enrollment numbers.
Creating a Diverse & Equitable Hiring Processby Amima Diagne & Nick Seamons Share evidence-based approaches to diversifying your applicant pool and strengthening your process for fair and equitable hiring that includes diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and ideas.
IEI Mentorship Programby Emma Howes & Sarah Tolman Come to learn more about IEI's Mentorship Program and the networking and professional development opportunities it provides! Meet the program coordinators as well as hear from a panel of current mentors/mentees from this year's cohort.
3:00 PM - 3:30 PM COFFEE BREAK NETWORKING EVENT
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM SESSION BLOCK E International Enrollment Management (IEM) During & After COVID-19: Throw The Baby Out With The Bathwater?by Robert Morley, Kara Johnson, & Elisabet Miramontes COVID-19 transformed the face of international enrollment management (IEM) and professionals in the field were forced to adapt. As international enrollment representatives think towards the future, processes and procedures will need to change again in order to address a litany of potential events. This session focuses on changes implemented by three different educational institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic – both positive and negative – and a discussion of strategies for the future. Strategies reflect enrollment-related decisions regarding what was previously effective and what is now necessary in a world changed by pandemic.
Bringing the Whole Fam: Supporting International Students and Scholars with Familiesby Tessa Zanoni & Eliza Plous International students and scholars who have dependents with them in the U.S. face unique challenges. This session will discuss how to support your F-1 and J-1 students and scholars who are navigating life and academics in the U.S. with family along for the ride. We will review the federal guidance on F-2 and J-2 dependents, as well as provide resources that we have used to help our international families navigate insurance, employment options, daycare, and more. We’ll conclude by offering unique programming ideas for students, scholars, and their families.
Fostering Faculty and Staff Intercultural Awarenessby Amy Nusser & Asha Kansal As the biggest advocates for international students at institutions large and small, international student services professionals can help members of the campus community gain insight into international students’ journeys, needs and strengths. In this talk, presenters will share previously delivered presentations developed to equip student affairs professionals with strategies for working effectively with students from a range of cultural backgrounds, and help faculty build a more inclusive classroom by supporting their English language learners. These models and other suggestions will be shared and discussed with the aim of empowering attendees to explore intercultural awareness with faculty and staff at their own institutions.
DEIJ Roundtable IEI has a new committee dedicated to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) work in international education. In this interactive roundtable meeting, we will introduce our mission and goals as a committee, learn from IEI members who are already engaged in DEIJ work, brainstorm ideas for future initiatives and resources, and discuss all of the important work that lies ahead for us as international educators. It is our hope that this roundtable will act as a jumping-off point for future events, collaborations, and conversations related to DEIJ in IE. 4:45 PM - 5:45 PM HAPPY HOUR NETWORKING EVENT Join us for our Friday networking event, located on a virtual lake-side pier, to network, check out sponsor booths, and celebrate the end of a successful IEI conference! We'll be utilizing the platform called Gather, a pixelated virtual event space where users or participants can walk around and engage in video conversations based on their proximity to one another. The platform will open 15 minutes before the event; no registration or special log in is needed. There will be a short tutorial when you enter the platform for the first time that will help you learn how to navigate. In the meantime, we encourage you to check out the demos on the Gather site to test things out and get comfortable with the platform before the event: https://gather.town/. There is also a FAQ site in case there are any questions: https://gather.town/docs.