At the Annual Conference in Chicago, IES Abroad presented leadership awards to three study abroad professionals and welcomed three new members to its academic consortium.
Susan Popko, Associate Provost for International Programs at Santa Clara University, received the Professional Development Award, which recognizes an educator who has made significant contributions to the field by facilitating study abroad on campus and creatively using resources to promote and support study abroad. Popko was the director of study abroad at Occidental College and has served on numerous IES Abroad committees. Popko was also recently appointed to the Board of Directors of the Forum on Education Abroad.
Karyn Jones, Director of Study Abroad Programs at Yale University, received the Volunteer of the Year Award, which recognizes an individual who has strengthened the mission of the study abroad field though volunteer efforts. Jones has worked in international education since 1987 and has contributed to multiple IES Abroad committees. She served at the University of Michigan, Syracuse University, and Amherst College before joining Yale University in 2000 where she established one of the best-attended study abroad and international fairs in New England.
Lynn Anderson, Director of the International Center and Dean of International Education at the University of California at San Diego, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. The annual award recognizes an individual who has served the study abroad field through significant professional and volunteer work. A national leader in the field, Anderson is best known for heading up the ground-breaking curriculum integration initiative at the University of Minnesota where she spent 30 years. At UC San Diego, Anderson has successfully moved the school toward its goal of having 50% of its students studying abroad.
In addition, three prestigious U.S. higher education institutions were elected to join the IES Abroad Academic Consortium as full members. They include Barnard College in New York City; The Catholic University of America in Washington D.C.; and The University of Tulsa in Oklahoma. The IES Abroad Consortium comprises 200 top-tier American public and private colleges and universities; schools are either associate or full members, with full membership requiring the election process.
