We're back! This episode of the International Educator podcast is the first in a mini series about innovation and technology. We spoke with Ben Nelson, founder and CEO of Minerva Project and a founder of Minerva University. In a time when many people and institutions claim to be innovators, Ben is a true disruptor and innovator in the higher education space, challenging the existing paradigm.

In this interview, Ben talks about what the term “innovation” means to him; the inspiration behind creating Minerva; how AI and other technology can support and enhance education; why global education in particular can benefit from emerging technologies; the biggest challenges facing higher education and how to move the needle; and how his own thinking about these ideas has evolved.

Agree? Disagree? We want to hear from you. Email us at editor@nafsa.org.

This month, longtime member and previous NAFSA president Fanta Aw assumes the role of NAFSA’s CEO and Executive Director. Originally from Mali, Aw came to the United States as an international student at American University, where she spent both her academic and professional careers to this point. Most recently, she was vice president of undergraduate enrollment, student life, and inclusive excellence. (Read more about Aw in NAFSA’s press release announcing her appointment as CEO.)

In this interview, Aw shares memories and pivotal moments from her time as an engaged NAFSA member and member-leader, what excites her about her new position, and her vision and priorities for both the association and the field of international education.

Read the interview in the March issue of International Educator.

This episode of the IE  podcast brings you insight from four professionals in the field who are working to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in international education. You'll hear from:

• Jewell Winn, Tennessee State University
• Lysette Davi, Arizona State University
• Marcus King, Prairie View A&M University
• Adriana Smith, AIFS Abroad

They share their motivations, how they support students from diverse backgrounds, and how they create inclusive international experience for all students—particularly those who have been historically marginalized in higher education.

Read these interview—plus on additional interview—in the February issue of International Educator.

NAFSA liaises with many different government agencies on behalf of, and in the interest of, its members and the students they serve. In addition, NAFSA advocates and works with Congress and the White House on a number of policy priorities.
 
At the midpoint of the Biden administration, how are those government agencies and policymakers faring?

In this episode of the IE Podcast, NAFSA's Steve Springer and Erica Stewart give a progress report—complete with letter grades—on these agencies, Congress, and the White House. Who gets an A+ and who needs improvement?

NAFSA Resources and Links:

• NAFSA’s priorities for the Biden administration
• NAFSA regulatory news and announcements
• Recorded session featuring USCIS
• NAFSA Advocacy Day
• “What the White House National Security Strategy Gets Right—and Leaves Out” blog post
• NAFSA’s advocacy campaigns and updates
• Interview with Bertha Anderson, Chief of Public Engagement for the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman

To mark Hispanic Heritage Month, this episode of the IE podcast is a conversation with Lysette Davi at University of Arizona and Frances Santiago of University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez.

They share their career journeys in international education, perspectives on diversifying the profession, challenges and successes in serving the Hispanic student population on their campuses, what international educators on all campuses can do to better serve these students, and more.

In this episode of the IE Podcast, we're going behind the scenes of the newly refreshed International Education Competencies 2.0 (IE Competencies 2.0) with Holly Hudson and Marcel Bolintiam.

Holly and Marcel are two members of the Competencies Commission, the group of NAFSA members and leaders who were nominated by their peers to create the new edition of the IE Competencies. They give a glimpse into what's changed since 2015, when the original IE Competencies was published, why certain changes were made, how the commission approached this work, the value the IE Competencies 2.0 brings to the field, and how international educators in all knowledge communities can use the document in their everyday work.

Find the IE Competencies 2.0 in the NAFSA Shop.

Conversations around sustainability in international education have increased in recent years, and there is a growing contingent of international educators who are mobilizing for action to address the climate crisis.

One key voice is Ailsa Lamont, who is the director of Pomegranate Global, an international education consulting group that offers a range of climate action services. Based in Australia, Ailsa currently serves as president of CANIE, the Climate Action Network for International Educators, which she co-founded in 2020. She is also one of NAFSA’s 2020-2021 Senior Fellows, a group that wrote the white paper titled Sustainability in International Education.

In this episode of the IE Podcast, we spoke with Ailsa about: 

• her background in international education and interest in climate change, and how they intersect; 
• the biggest misconceptions and assumptions people in international education have about the climate crisis; 
• the challenges when it comes to sustainability in international education, as well as the opportunities to address those challenges; and 
• practical ways international educators can make a difference in addressing the climate crisis on their campuses.

More information and resources:

• CANIE
• Pomegranate Global
• Sustainability in International Education
• “Environmental Sustainability and Internationalization: Challenges and Opportunities”
• “Creating a Path Forward: International Education, Climate Change, and Sustainability”

• the difference between transformational philanthropy and traditional philanthropy;
• why institutions should involved international alumni in philanthropy efforts;
• examples of success in this area;
• how the pandemic changed the way institutions leverage their international alumni networks; and
• their personal experiences that contributed to their expertise in this area.

• Engaging International Alumni as Strategic Partners
• Keep in Touch Education
• The Alumni Way: Building Lifelong Value from Your University Investment 
• Prosper Nonprofit Advisors
• “The Pots of Water Framework for Alumni Engagement”