Tuesday, April 25, 2017, 2-3 PM ET
The new political climate in the U.S. has required international higher education professionals to rise above the rhetoric to assuage the concerns of their international student populations, both on campus and in their prospect pool. A recent inter-association survey indicated that international student recruitment professionals report hearing a great deal of concern from students and families all over the globe; 77% of institutions reported concerns about their Fall 2017 yield. This webinar will share data on regional patterns of areas of concern as well as leading practices for international education professionals to address concerns and maximize yield.
Additional resources:
A coalition of five higher education associations, led by AACRAO, launched an inter-association member survey in February 2017. Full report: International Applicants for Fall 2017- Institutional & Applicant Perceptions
IIE White Paper: Advising International Students in an Age of Anxiety: U.S. Campus Responses to the Needs and Concerns of Current and Prospective Students from the MENA Region and Beyond
AACRAO Trending Topics: Immigration/DACA
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Presenter: Dr. Matthew Beatty, Director of International Recruitment & Admissions, Concordia College
Dr. Matthew Beatty directs international recruitment and admissions at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. He provides strategic leadership to the campus’s enrollment and internationalization efforts. Matthew has a decade of practical experience in international recruitment, admissions and student services. He’s an active NAFSA member and has held several state, regional and national volunteer leadership positions including chair-elect for the IEM Knowledge Community. He also serves as incoming chair for Study Minnesota. Matthew completed his doctorate degree in educational policy and administration from the University of Minnesota while focusing on faculty engagement in comprehensive internationalization.
Presenter: Matthew Beck, High School Counselor, Department Chair, American School of Dubai
Matthew Beck is an Adult Third Culture Kid (ATCK), and the son of two educators. After toying with the idea of working in the public health sector, Matthew decided to return to school to earn a M.Ed. in School Counseling. Since then, he has worked as a comprehensive High School Counselor in Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia Public Schools, and now resides and works in the United Arab Emirates. Matthew is in his fifth year as a High School School Counselor at the American School of Dubai (ASD), and in his third year serving as High School Counseling Department Chair.
Presenter: Peggy Blumenthal, Senior Counselor to the President, Institute of International Education (IIE)
With 30 years of service at the IIE, Ms. Blumenthal currently serves as the Senior Counselor to IIE President and is the Institute’s former Chief Operating Officer. She chairs the Board of JCIE-USA (Japan Center for International Exchange) and serves on the Boards of the Hong Kong–America Center and the Global Engineering Education Exchange. A Harvard alumna, Ms. Blumenthal served as Assistant Director of Stanford University's Overseas Studies and then as Coordinator of Graduate Services/Fellowships for the University of Hawaii's Center for Asian and Pacific Studies before joining IIE. Her earlier work focused on the development of U.S. China exchanges as a staff member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and the Asia Society's China Council.
Presenter: Patrick Desbarats, Head of Counseling & College Placement, American School of Doha
Patrick Desbarats has been the Head of Counseling and College Placement at the American School of Doha for the past seven years. He is originally from Canada and was a counselor at a large public school north of Toronto before moving to Doha. Due to “alpha” assignments for counselors at ASD his caseload is largely made up Qatari National students who attend the school. Next year Patrick will be moving to Singapore to join the University Advising Team at the United World College.
Presenter: Jennifer Dewar, Senior Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Washington University in St. Louis
With fifteen years of experience as a college admissions professional, Jennifer Dewar is the Senior Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Washington University in St. Louis (MO). Jennifer is currently serving as the Vice President for Admissions Practices of the International Association for College Admission Counseling. She has also worked in the admissions offices at Duke University (NC) and Connecticut College (CT). Jennifer has recruited extensively in Asia, Europe and India. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Dickinson College (PA) and Master’s degree from Duke University (NC).
Presenter: Patience Fanella-Koch, Director of College and Career Counselling, Aiglon College, Switzerland
With over 14 years of experience in the admission and college counselling world, Patience is committed to offering personalised guidance to Aiglon students as they search for the best university match for their undergraduate studies and future career goals.
Presenter: Amy Rader Kice, Director of International Admissions, St. Edward's University
Amy Rader Kice has worked in higher education for over 19 years. A native of Oklahoma, she earned a B.A. in Spanish and an M. A. in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma.. Her admission career began at OU in the office of National Scholars, before moving to international recruitment at SMU in Dallas, TX.
While at SMU, she volunteered with the Council of International Schools Latin America committee and in this position has led groups of university representatives on two separate tours--one to Central and South America and one to Colombia. She is now the Dean of International admission at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas. During her tenure at St. Edward's University, she has been fortunate to lead CIS tours to Eastern Europe and Africa.
She has presented at several conferences including OACAC, CIS FORUM, NAFSA, TACAC and NOEL LEVITZ annual conferences.
Presenter: Ffiona Rees, Senior Associate Director of Admission, UCLA
Ffiona Rees has served in the college admission profession for 19 years and is currently the Senior Associate Director of Admission at UCLA. Her primary responsibilities include managing the undergraduate international admission process, as well as the transfer evaluation process. Additionally, she serves on the UCLA Student-Athlete Admission Committee. Prior to moving to California and UCLA in 2012, she worked at The George Washington University in Washington, DC for fifteen years where her primary responsibilities included managing the alumni and parent program, supervising all domestic travel, as well as processing of applications.
Presenter: Jen Simons, Director of Admissions Recruitment, Northeastern University
Jen Simons graduated from Wellesley College in 1992 as a womens studies major with a concentration in sociology. She lived in Israel immediately after graduation where she did service for about six months. Her first admissions job was at Barnard College, followed by graduate school the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she earned her Masters of Education with a focus on higher education in 1998. Jen served as Associate Director and Director of Transfer Admissions at Connecticut College for five years and then left to become a college counselor for two years at the Ramaz School in New York City. Her last job before starting at Northeastern was at Tufts University where she served as an Associate Director and Director of International Recruitment for ten years.
Moderator: Melanie Gottlieb, Deputy Director, AACRAO
Melanie Gottlieb joined the staff as Deputy Director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) in 2015. She came to the national office with 18 years as an AACRAO member, with experience in Records & Registration, Enrollment Management and International Recruitment and Credential Evaluation in a variety of colleges and universities across the U.S. She has served the association and her profession in a variety of local and national leadership roles throughout her career, given numerous presentations and workshops in both small and large settings, participated in a variety of publications, and most recently served as Vice President for International Education on the AACRAO Board of Directors. In her current role at AACRAO, Melanie leads international initiatives and marketing and communications for the association. She earned an MA in Information Science from the University of Missouri - Columbia and a BA in History /American Studies from Marlboro College in Vermont.