Webster Staff Members To Participate In 2020 NAFSA Conference

The NAFSA:  Association of International Educators' annual conference is coming to St. Louis in May 2020, and Webster will be participating in many ways. NAFSA's Annual Conference and Expo is a premier global professional learning and networking event, which draws more than 10,000 participants from around the world. 

Webster leadership will welcome attendees at two signature NAFSA events: the Global Learning Lab on May 27, and the President and Provost Forum on May 28. These and other events will be held at Webster's Gateway campus, a vital conference destination that will showcase Webster's local presence and diverse global community.

Multiple Webster staff members have important leadership roles at this year's conference on the Local Arrangements Teams (LAT).

• Hannah Verity, director of Global Program Development, is co-chair of the Local Arrangements Team (LAT). In this capacity, Verity sits on the Annual Conference Committee and is responsible for directing the activities of the LAT. The LAT is charged with some pre-planning and onsite operations of the conference and is comprised of six volunteer committees, including Conference Information and Hospitality, Communications, Pre-registration, Special Events, Volunteers and Pre-Conference Workshops.
• Anne Browning, director of Academic Program Administration in the Walker School of Business and Technology, and Kelly Heath, director of Study Abroad, will be serving as Co-Chairs for the Conference Information and Hospitality Center Committee.
• Samrat Ray Chaudhuri, director of Global Enrollment, and Janka Ribando, International Admission Coordinator, are serving as Co-Chairs of the Special Events Committee. 
• Adriana Arango-Arterburn, adjunct faculty in the Walker School of Business and Technology, and Ola Ugobo, Webster University Alumnus, will be serving as Co-Chairs for the Volunteers Committee.

NAFSA Programs

Webster faculty and staff will be presenting at conference sessions, workshops and posters fairs on the following topics:

Risk Assessment and Crisis Management in Study Abroad
Tuesday, May 26,  8 a.m.- noon
Pre-Conference Workshop 
Kelly Heath, director of Study Abroad

Embedding Learning Strategies in Coursework to Increase International Student Autonomy
Wednesday, May 27, 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Innovative and Sustainable Practices in Intensive English Programming fair
Carolyn Trachtova, ESL Director

Culture Chat: Connecting students on campus through facilitated intercultural conversation
Intercultural Initiatives for Campus and Community fair
Bethany Keller, assistant director MCISA
Carolyn Trachtova, ESL Director

Faculty Mobility as a Driver of Internationalization: Challenges and Opportunities
Wednesday, May 27, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Conference Session
Hannah Verity, director of Global Program Development
Danielle MacCartney, associate professor of Sociology

Allies and Alliances in the Women's Leadership
Thursday, May 28, 1- 2 p.m.
Conference Session
Kim McGrath, director Webster International Network of Schools (WINS)

A Divide and Conquer Internationalization Strategy
Poster Session for Internationalizing the Campus
Kim McGrath, director Webster International Network of Schools (WINS)

Technology Resources that Help Foster Academic Success for International Students
Poster Session for Uses of Technology and Social Media in International Education Fair
Erica Ellard, director of the Academic Resource Center

Webster WINS

Webster WINS (Webster International Network of Schools) will exhibit at booth 2922 at the conference Expo from May 26-May 29; and will be represented during the U.S. Higher Education Partnership Fair on Tuesday, May 26. In addition to the annual WINS NAFSA reception on May 27, there will be a WINS workshop on Saturday, May 30, at the Gateway campus. The WINS program creates partnerships between Webster University and U.S. universities to provide access to our global campus network.

This year's NAFSA conference and Expo is taking place in downtown St. Louis America's Center Convention Complex. This conference theme will be "Innovate, Influence, Impact." It will feature innovations in international education and highlight the role that the field plays in creating welcoming communities, supporting human rights, and advocating for social justice.

As an event host and sponsor, Webster will be prominently featured at NAFSA's conference signage and highlighted in a video presentation before Plenary speakers each day. Speakers include Nicholas Kristof, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of "Tightrope, Americans Reaching for Hope," Michele Norris, founder of The Race Card Project and Executive Director of The Bridge, and St. Louis's own Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

More about NAFSA's Annual Conference can be found at nafsa.org/conferences.

For information on Webster's involvement in the NAFSA Conference, please contact Kim McGrath, Director of Webster International Network of Schools (WINS).