Advancing Resilience, Renewal and Community in International Education
I was once again delighted to join thousands of my fellow international education professionals from around the world at NAFSA’s 2024 conference in New Orleans. This year’s theme of Resilience, Renewal and Community resonated with me, as I look ahead to the coming months and years at how we can best serve our partners and our learners.
The value of NAFSA for its professionals is profound. We gained new perspectives, learned about current trends in our field and explored solutions for increasing the internationalization of our campuses. During the conference, I reflected on the importance of ongoing professional development—beyond understanding laws, policies and recruitment of students—for those who work with international scholars and partners.
International educators often serve as cultural interpreters and therefore benefit from deep cultural understanding to assist students and partners. We are uniquely positioned to advance global issues, such as social justice and access, by promoting inclusiveness and understanding and by being thoughtful advocates of the power of international education. As leaders we need to embrace innovative ideas from around the world and include multigenerational perspectives.
We benefit from being mindful of how rapidly changing technology impacts the work we do and the importance of developing competencies for professional growth, advocacy for leadership and mentoring younger international educators for stimulating careers that make this world a more inclusive and better place for all.
Anneli Adams
Associate Dean, International and Access Programs