Knowledge Community Spotlight - International Education Knowledge Community (IEKC)

We live in an increasingly connected world and the vast majority of us are employed at institutions diligently working to extend global outreach efforts. The international impact on institutions in NASPA Region IV-W states is immense. Table 1 below identifies some key components of global efforts within our Region in terms of international students, the economic impact of international students, and US students studying abroad as detailed in the Institute for International Education’s Open Doors 2015 report.

Table 1: International Measures of NASPA Region IV-W States  

Note: Adapted from Open doors 2015: Report on international educational exchange, pgs. 62-62, 71, 92-93, & 107, by C.A. Farrugia & R. Bhandari, 2015, New York, NY: Institute of International Education.

As Open Doors reports only on US institutions, data for Manitoba and Saskatchewan are presented in Table 2 to ensure all members of our Region IV-W family are represented.

Table 2: International Measure of NASPA Region IV-W Provinces

Note: Adapted from Canada’s performance and potential in international education, 2015, Retrieved from http://cbie.ca/about-ie/facts-and-figures/#_ednref3

The Canadian Bureau for International Education (2015) also reports that Canada’s 336,000 international students contribute over 8 billion dollars to Canada’s provinces and territories.

As reflected by these tables and reports, Region IV-W is largely land-locked (thank you for having that Hudson Bay boundary, Manitoba), but our outreach and impact is definitely global. As student affairs professionals, we strive to create welcoming environments for all students. We endeavor to create intentional opportunities to expose members of our community to different viewpoints to prepare campus learners for success in studying abroad or entering the global workplace. Membership in the IEKC can prove invaluable to these campus pursuits.

The IEKC’s signature event is the International Symposium held as a preconference to the NASPA annual conference. The International Symposium provides a unique forum to collaborate and exchange ideas on best practices with colleagues from around the country and across the globe. For example, during the 2015 International Symposium in Indianapolis, a concurrent session on “University Student Activism Around the World” provided the platform to discuss campus protests with colleagues from the United States, Chile, South Africa, Lebanon, Canada, Germany, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Singapore. International symposium sessions such as these provide the opportunity to not only hear global perspectives, but to truly engage, dialogue, and learn with international peers.

The IEKC also recognizes exceptional work that promotes international higher education through best practice awards. Applications for these awards are available in early November. Furthermore, the IEKC works to promote international exchanges with NASPA. Annually the NASPA Exchange Program sends administrators abroad and hosts international delegations. For more information on these international exchanges, please visit: www.naspa.org/events/IEP

To learn more about the IEKC, please follow us on social media:

Facebook: NASPAIEKC
Twitter: @NASPA_IEKC

You may also learn more about the IEKC on NASPA’s website: www.naspa.org/constituent-groups/kcs/international-education

We welcome you to join the IEKC – NASPA’s Knowledge Community with a global reach.

John Howe is the Knowledge Community Representative for the International Education KC.  For more information about this KC please contact John at [email protected].   

Resources:

Canadian Bureau for International Education. (2015). Canada’s performance and potential in international education. Retrieved from http://cbie.ca/about-ie/facts-and-figures/#_ednref3

Farrugia, C.A., & Bhandari, R. (2015). Open doors 2015: Report on international educational exchange. New York, NY: Institute of International Education.