2025 Annual State Conference Recap

Join this interactive session and explore innovative strategies that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in education abroad. Through facilitated discussions, participants will identify systemic barriers, share bold approaches to dismantling them, and redefine success in education abroad with a focus on equity and accessibility. This session provides a collaborative space to brainstorm unconventional partnerships, leverage technology for inclusion, and propose actionable solutions to foster belonging for diverse students, staff, and faculty.

NCAIE Focus Area: Education Abroad (EA)

Presenters:

• Christina Thompson, Compear Global Education Network
• Kyle Keith, Barcelona Study Abroad Experience

Are you looking to build a student alumni ambassador program? Interested in finding ways to deepen student alumni involvement in your program operations and marketing? In this session, you’ll learn how to create opportunities and structured programming for students to transition their experiences abroad as participants into meaningful contributions to your program or office as program alumni. Using ACE’s Ambassador program as a model, learn strategies to engage student alumni, enhance their impact on your program and goals, and develop their leadership skills along the way. Learn from other conference attendees about their successes and challenges in student alumni leadership and ambassador programming. Drawing on a decade of experimentation and the success of the ACE Ambassador program at Duke, this session will explore how to develop, enhance, and sustain your student alumni engagement leadership efforts and programming.

NCAIE Focus Area: Education Abroad (EA)

Presenters:

• Sean Tate, Duke University
• Emily Durham, Duke University

Collaborating with faculty can be extremely rewarding. Together, we can create engaging learning experiences for students, provide a framework for their success, and expand meaningful opportunities. They can also be extremely difficult when it’s not going quite right. In this session, we’ll discuss how we set expectations, support, document issues, collect evaluations, follow up with faculty when there is a concern, and – when needed – end a program.

NCAIE Focus Area: Education Abroad (EA)

Presenters:

• Julia Law, North Carolina State University
• Liz Torres Melendez, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Delve deep into the ever-changing visa processes for Italy and Spain from the university and provider perspective, focusing on individual student applications and batch processing. The session will include pros and cons of each, solutions to common issues, the importance of provider connections for batch processing, and general best practices. Join us to become your study abroad office’s new visa expert.

NCAIE Focus Area: Education Abroad (EA)

Presenters:

• Lindsay Hughes, North Carolina State University
• Ashton Croft, North Carolina State University
• Jalan Gunning, Barcelona Study Abroad Experience

In recent years, seemingly every dimension of education abroad has changed – from the evolving interests and needs of students post-pandemic to the influx of newer professionals entering offices and shaping institutions. Despite these and many other changes, student interest in Italy and Spain has remained steadfast; in the top three of the annual Open Doors Report of destinations for U.S. students abroad for more than a decade. Given these realities, how must our approach to program design, promotion, and student advising for these locations evolve? How can we ensure stronger alignment between our goals for learning abroad and the unique opportunities afforded by very, very popular locations? There’s nobody wiser than this team of seasoned international educators to answer these wickedly important questions. So let’s start – join our session – cause we’ve got an awfully long way to go!

NCAIE Focus Area: Education Abroad (EA)

Presenters:

• Kyle Keith, Barcelona Study Abroad Experience
• María José Angel Mex, Istituto Lorenzo de’ Medici
• Christine Trinidad, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

This session will discuss the unique challenges and rewards of working at an International Office at an HBCU. The session will present the growing demands of serving international students, as well as working with native students who travel abroad. Particularly, the session will provide insights on how to recruit and retain students, and how to build the global community presence.

NCAIE Focus Area: Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)

Presenters:

• Dr. Tyrette Carter, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
• LaShawn Harvey, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
• Dr. Matthew B. A. Mccullough, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

This panel discussion will explore how Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) can serve to enhance the study abroad experience for students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Grounded in Gloria Ladson-Billings’ (1995) framework of CRP, this session will focus on strategies to tailor study abroad programming and advising to affirm the cultural identities, histories, and lived experiences of many HBCU students. Featured panelists will include HBCU undergraduate students who have studied abroad or are preparing for international education experiences. A study abroad provider representative will facilitate the discussion, leading dialogue on innovative practices and real-world applications to ensure equitable and impactful study abroad opportunities.

NCAIE Focus Area: Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)

Moderator: Keyana Pugh, Barcelona Study Abroad Experience

Panelists:

• Dr. Andre Stevenson, Elizabeth City State University
• Dominique Rolle, South Carolina State University
• Jasmine Jackson, Elizabeth City State University
• Josiah Stroman, South Carolina State University
• Jaharah Yahaya, Elizabeth City State University

This session explores the strategies, experiences, and examples of growing global programming at an HBCU and shares approaches to increase access to global education and improve on-boarding for Black students. In this session, attendees will learn about successful strategies that have encouraged Black students to participate in global experiences, methods that galvanize faculty and staff to participate in international professional development, and ways to partner with faculty to innovatively add global perspectives to their courses. Presenters will also discuss ideas for how to capitalize on and promote faculty’s experiences abroad to increase excitement for global journeys abroad.

NCAIE Focus Area: Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)

Presenters:

• Sarah Akiwumi, Bennett College
• Dr. Anne C. Hayes, Bennett College
• Dr. Shenna Shearin, Bennett College

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping learning, and international education has revolutionized because of AI influence. This interactive session blends real-world examples, hands-on workshops, and practical takeaways to empower participants to integrate AI into their own institutions’ global education strategies. Participants will leave with knowledge of cutting-edge AI applications and strategies to drive international engagement and equity.

NCAIE Focus Area: Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)

Presenter: Dr. Sujayalakshmi Devarayasamudram, North Carolina Central University

The Global Training Initiative (GTI) at NC State University supports several long-term international student cohorts for the duration of their studies on campus. To prepare these scholars for academic success and well-being, GTI uses a three-pronged approach to focus its programming throughout each semester: Campus and Higher Education Culture, General U.S. Culture, and Cross-Cultural Competence. While all conference attendees are welcome to join this session, we expect this session will be most relevant for colleagues in Education Abroad, ISSS and Campus and Community Programming. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn specific ways that GTI implements these support structures as well as discuss transferable ideas to their unique contexts.

NCAIE Focus Area: International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS)

Presenters:

• Adrienne Shank, North Carolina State University
• Megan Williams, North Carolina State University

J-1 (Research Scholar/Professor categories) and H-1B are the most two commonly used visa sponsorship options for International Scholars in academia. This session will compare the similarities and differences between these two visa categories and address key issues that scholar advisors need to concern or take into consideration when advising internal stakeholders (departments, campus partners, and scholars). We hope the session will equip international scholar advisors with more tools and understanding of each visa sponsorship alternatives.

NCAIE Focus Area: International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS)

Presenters:

• Polly Chien, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Blair Bocook Thomas, Wake Forest University

This session will provide essential updates on immigration and employment trends affecting international students on F-1 and J-1 visas. The presenters will share insights on recent regulatory changes, the current political climate, and strategies for enhancing programming and institutional partnerships. Attendees will gain practical knowledge on topics such as OPT/CPT advising, employer engagement, and building networks with legal experts and community organizations and institutions to better support international students in achieving their academic and career goals.

NCAIE Focus Area: International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS)

Presenters:

• Kristin Tokic, Queens University of Charlotte
• William Hummel, Garfinkel Immigration Law Firm

This session will feature an open discussion regarding current hot topics in the realm of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS), such as recent immigration policy news, new executive orders and their potential implications for international students and scholars, managing possible impacts of geopolitical issues on student and scholar mobility, and how to best help our populations navigate this time of uncertainty. Note: SEVP Field Representative Jill Cargile had a last-minute change of plans and is no longer able to join us at NCAIE this year and facilitate this session.  The NCAIE Board felt it important to still provide a space for this conversation.

NCAIE Focus Area: International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS)

Presenter:

• Amanda Mills, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Denise Medeiros, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
• Beth James, North Carolina State University
• Greta Smith, Wake Forest University

Join us for an overview of Study North Carolina (StudyNC), a consortium of higher education institutions across the state who work collaboratively with the U.S. Commercial Service to promote North Carolina’s educational offerings abroad and recruit international students to the state. Join us to learn how we can assist with your international enrollment efforts and the benefits of collaborative recruitment, followed by an open discussion surrounding the trends, wants, needs, and ideas for recruitment initiatives and professional support. Members and non-members are invited to learn more and share their input.

NCAIE Focus Area: International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS); Recruitment, Admissions, and Preparation (RAP)

Presenters:

• Hayley Hardenbrook, North Carolina State University
• Stephanie Bethel, U.S. Commercial Service
• Nicole Ianieri, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Fostering strong, cohesive teams is crucial for doing our important work. The field of international education experienced significant staffing disruptions due to the pandemic and continues to struggle with staffing shortages. We need environments where team members feel empowered to speak openly, share ideas, and challenge one another respectfully. Through a combination of theoretical insights, case studies, and interactive exercises, attendees will explore practical, actionable strategies for building psychological safety and group cohesion among diverse team members.

NCAIE Focus Area: PAN-NCAIE (PAN)

Presenters:

• Carmen Boggs-Parker, Elon University
• Kalin Bradley, Appalachian State University
• Hunter Bass, Appalachian State University

This session will focus on defining the role of a Senior International Officer (SIO). While some SIO responsibilities may vary slightly from campus to campus based on institutional needs, there is often consistency regarding specific critical elements of the position portfolio at most colleges and universities. We will define this role in detail in addition to discussing various career pathways to become an SIO as well as some strategies for utilizing your SIO to better support your international education efforts.

NCAIE Focus Area: PAN-NCAIE (PAN)

Presenters:

• Joël Gallegos, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
• Dr. Maria Anastasiou, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

In times of uncertainty, fostering meaningful connections becomes more essential than ever. Our voices, shaped by accents, carry personal stories, cultural backgrounds, and lived experiences that make each of us unique. This session invites participants to rethink accents; not just as differences in speech but as reflections of individual and collective identities. Through real-world examples, engaging discussions, and personal reflections, participants will explore how every voice has an accent, whether we notice it or not. By recognizing and appreciating these differences, we can challenge stereotypes, cultivate empathy, and bridge cultural divides. In this session, participants will gain insights into how the diversity in speech patterns can serve as a tool for connection. Together, we will embrace the richness in every voice and learn how celebrating linguistic diversity strengthens our sense of community.

NCAIE Focus Area: PAN-NCAIE (PAN)

Presenter: Enny Ogunyemi, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

This session will highlight student engagement success stories at three different institutions across North Carolina. Queens University of Charlotte, East Carolina University, and Appalachian State University all have internationally focused student organizations that have demonstrated high levels of engagement, each with unique structures, missions, and approaches to fostering student involvement. Participants will gain insights into how these groups are organized and supported, the variety of activities they host, and the impacts they have on their campuses and local communities; with the goal of sharing ideas about fostering student engagement and involvement in different contexts. This session will allow for discussion time for session attendees to share their own examples of student engagement on their campuses.

NCAIE Focus Area: PAN-NCAIE (PAN)

Presenters:

• Karen Marshall, Appalachian State University
• Kristin Tokic, Queens University of Charlotte
• Victor Ihuka, East Carolina University
• Grace Knapp, Appalachian State University

As international education practitioners in North Carolina, we know that global engagement is a cornerstone to the university experience for our students across the state. While study abroad remains one of the most popular pathways to accruing global experience, we know that many of our students will not leave their home country, or even North Carolina, while in school. Given these parameters, our session aims to make participants aware of existing highly accessible global opportunities, and discuss best practices for engaging local students with the global. We will discuss some federal and private partnerships which make free and public impactful, international exposure possible.

NCAIE Focus Area: PAN-NCAIE (PAN)

Presenters:

• Allison Haskins, North Carolina State University
• Sarah Hutchison, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The purpose of this session is to help attendees to develop their strategies for engaging in intercultural communication in a competent, and inclusive manner. This session will involve engaging with the problems of perceiving international students as being either irreconcilably different or fundamentally the same; and how to move towards recognizing the different dimensions of culture so as to find areas of common ground and identify points of cultural divergence. Ultimately, attendees should leave the session with a toolkit of theories, concepts, and approaches to enhance their intercultural communication competence.

NCAIE Focus Area: PAN-NCAIE (PAN)

Presenter: Dr. Gabriel Cruz, North Carolina Central University