International Education
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The International Education Knowledge Community is a place for higher education professionals and students who are interested in or engaged in providing support for students studying outside of their home countries and/or building intercultural or global competence among student populations.
Best Practices in International Education Award
The Application for the 2025 Best Practices Awards is Open!
*Nominations due by October 9, 2024*
The NASPA International Education Knowledge Community recognizes student affairs involvement and collaboration in international education related programs and services around the world through the annual awarding of our Best Practices awards.
The goals of these awards are as follows:
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To encourage recognition of innovative ideas and practices that will help create and sustain new opportunities for international and domestic students.
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To generate conversation among student affairs professionals regarding internationalization and intercultural initiatives.
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To inspire awareness and appreciation related to the benefits of international education in the higher education field.
Award winning programs relate to one of the four below categories. Recipients are honored each spring during the International Symposium prior to the NASPA Annual Conference. If you have any questions about your nomination please reach out to one of our co-chairs today!
| Intercultural Awareness and Programming | Programs that encourage the development of intercultural competence and globalized/globalizing perspectives through exposure to various cultures and perspectives, and engagement in active self-reflection to develop awareness and understanding of the diverse experiences of others. |
| Student Mobility Programing | Recognizes strengths and/or achievements of non-degree seeking short or long-term credit-bearing programs that promote and facilitate understanding in an international context, including semester break, semester abroad, exchange, service-learning programs, and more. |
| Global Partnership | Recognizes educational programs that encourage international engagement, cooperation, and collaboration with and between professionals/partners in two or more countries. |
| International Research and Scholarship | Recognizes new and innovative research in international education, research projects contextualized in international settings, and/or international research collaborations. |
Our Best Practices Awards committee meets each year to review our nominees and assess them using this rubric: https://tinyurl.com/IEKCrubric. We have opted to share it here in the hopes it will enable our constituents to build the strongest possible nomination packets.
Welcome to the International Education KC, from your Co-Chairs!
Our names are Vickie Unferth and Jayme Scally, and we are your International Education Knowledge Community Co-Chairs for the 2024-2026 term.
As a quick introduction, Vickie is the Coordinator of International Students and Programs at Marshalltown Community College in Iowa and has experience in residence life, U.S. student admissions, financial aid, and international student services. While Jayme is a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Multidisciplinary Studies Program at West Virginia University and has experience in international student advising, housing, careers services, and has led study abroad programs in Spain, Morocco, and the United Kingdom. We are both passionate about the role of international learning in higher education and are excited to see how this continues to evolve.
As Co-Chairs we are excited to be leading the KC at an interesting time. During our tenure we will continue to connect with colleagues around the world to discuss issues and share best practices. One of our priorities over these two years will be strengthening the KC’s position as a hub within international higher education to source and share research and other relevant scholarship, as well as other associated media. Through our global connections, including our strong relationship with the NASPA Global Division, we hope to bring greater awareness to the general NASPA membership regarding the impact of global issues on higher education.
Our inboxes are always open, so if you have any thoughts you’d like to share, requests for content you think we should be highlighting, or anything else you think is relevant to our community, please reach out!
Vickie Unferth, PhD, Vickie.Unferth@iavalley.edu
Jayme Scally, PhD, Jayme.Scally@mail.wvu.edu
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About
The International Education Knowledge Community is a place for higher education professionals and students who are interested in or engaged in providing support for students studying outside of their home countries and/or building intercultural or global competence among student populations.
Some of the key work our Knowledge Community undertakes includes:
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Stimulating increased awareness of global perspectives in higher education.
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Providing a platform through which to disseminate relevant research and best practices recommendations with regard to international and intercultural education.
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Working collaboratively with the Global Division to amplify voices from student affairs around the world.
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IEKC Best Practices Awards that honor outstanding work in the field, including research contributions, international partnerships, and study abroad programing.
Recommended Events
One of the best resources available to you is the wide range of professional development opportunities NASPA offers. The IEKC supports a number of different initiatives and also encourages you to seek out the quality events offered by some of our partners throughout NASPA as listed below. To see a full listing of NASPA events, please see the Events page.
INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM
For over 25 years, the NASPA International Symposium has been organized before the NASPA Annual Conference as a key venue for professional collaboration and exchange in the field of student affairs between international and American colleagues. A dynamic program features prominent speakers, panels of distinguished professionals from around the world, interactive roundtables, and an excellent opportunity to develop global networks and friendships. As we gather to discuss how we can best prepare our students for meaningful and fruitful lives, Symposium participants are invited to consider global perspectives in our field.
The IEKC partners with the Global Division and the NASPA International Symposium Chairs to organize this event. Please contact Janelle Rahyns (jrahyns@naspa.org) for more information.
MENASA
The Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA) area is a vibrant community established in 2015 which continues to be a source of knowledge, development and opportunities offering growth prospects for numerous practitioners from three main areas: The Middle East (including GCC institutions); North Africa and South Asia.
MENASA offers monthly multaqa webinars to share best practices and also sponsors an annual area conference. The 19th Annual MENASA Area Conference will take place April 27-30, 2025 at New York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The theme is:
Beyond Borders: Exploring Global & Local Perspectives on Student Experience in the MENASA Area
Student affairs play a vital role in shaping the students experiences in higher education institutions. The 19th MENASA conference organizing committee invites you to participate and submit a proposal to highlight the uniqueness of the MENASA by highlighting and understanding the interplay between global trends and local realities.
Signature Initiatives
BEST PRACTICE AWARDS
The Best Practices in International Education Award seeks to recognize domestic and international colleagues and institutions for exceptional work related to international higher education. International and US programs will be honored for their commitment to advancing the dialogue and practice around international higher education in 4 different categories: Intercultural Awareness and Programming, Student Mobility Programming, Global Partnership, and International Research and Scholarship.
This year’s award timeline is as follows:
Application Deadline: October 9
Winners receive their awards at the International Symposium. Winners are encouraged to attend the International Symposium.
Submit applications here: https://www.naspa.org/about/awards/knowledge-communities/best-practices-in-international-education-award
Resources
The NASPA IEKC Resources page strives to collect articles, blogs, and other resources helpful to those interested in International Education and experiences.
