We were very busy this April with the Minority-Serving Institutions Global Education Summit, Diversity Abroad Conference, and Forum on Education Abroad Conference in Atlanta. After a flurry of activity, we wanted to share a few highlights from each conference:
Minority-Serving Institutions (MSI) Global Education Summit
Co-sponsored with Diversity Abroad, the inaugural Summit was a success with more than 70 administrators and faculty from 30 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) joining us for a full day of informational sessions (faculty-led programs, funding, campus internationalization strategies, etc.), discussions, and networking. It was also inspiring to hear UNCF CEO (and HBCU alumnus) Dr. Michael Lomax’s keynote address.
Reflecting back on the Summit, Gretchen Cook-Anderson, our Director of Diversity Recruiting & Advising shared, “International educators have the privilege of cultivating global citizens who increasingly reflect the world’s diversity, and the Minority-Serving Institutions Global Education Summit gave colleges and universities that are educating many of the nation’s students of color a rare opportunity to collectively discuss globalization efforts and improved access to study abroad that will enable more of their students to join the ranks of those global citizens making change.”
As a culmination to the day’s events, Cook-Anderson announced an aid “gift” of $3,000 to each of the schools represented at the Summit to support their efforts to expand study abroad access at their schools. We were excited to be able to gift $90,000 in aid to these MSI attendees.
IES Abroad and Diversity Abroad plan to host the Summit again in 2017.
Diversity Abroad Conference
We were honored to be this year’s organizational recipient of the Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion in International Education (EDIE) Award from Diversity Abroad.
For several years running, Gretchen Cook-Anderson has presented at the Diversity Abroad annual conference. This year, she co-facilitated a preconference workshop on Strategic Marketing and Outreach to Diverse Student Populations, as well as co-presented US Diversity 101: What Every Onsite Team Member Should Know, which was directed at Onsite Advisors, Program Managers, and Faculty Leaders. The session presented “a broad overview of diversity in the United States, with focus on specific aspects of identity to be considered when students from diverse backgrounds are abroad.”
As a Platinum Sponsor, we were proud to partner with Diversity Abroad, and as a Platinum Sponsor this year we congratulate them on another successful conference!
Forum on Education Abroad Conference
It was great to connect with colleagues at the Forum’s 12th Annual Conference! This year we had a wide range of Executive, Academic, College Relations, Customized Program, Diversity, Marketing, and IES Internships staff in attendance. International staff from IES Abroad Cape Town, IES Abroad London, and IES Abroad Vienna presented at the conference, as well.
We thank the guests who were able to join us at our dinner event at The Carter Center. We had a great time touring the museum with you and were inspired by former Ambassador and IES Abroad Paris alumna (1970-71) Mary Ann Peters’ words about study abroad's impact on individuals and the world.
We look forward to seeing many colleagues again at the NAFSA Annual Conference & Expo in Denver!
