Attention College Faculty and Administrators, especially from rural and/or tribal colleges:

I was recently contacted by Tammen Nicholson, Global Programs Portfolio Officer from IIE, Institute of International Education. Tammen asked me to let the Region know that the Fulbright Scholar in Residence program just opened its competition for the 2019-2020 academic calendar. This year, the Department of State has asked that IIE focus specifically on rural institutions and tribal colleges. Our outreach team is drafting up some specific materials to promote the program to these audiences, including a webinar geared at rural institutions later in the spring.

The Fulbright Scholar-in Residence (S-I-R) Program enables U.S. colleges and universities to bring a visiting scholar from abroad to campus for a semester or academic year. Scholars lecture and interact with students, colleagues, and members of the campus and local community in a wide variety of ways. Scholars can be requested by name or recruited for you by U.S. Embassies and Fulbright Commissions in 150 countries around the world in a host of subject fields. This is an excellent way to internationalize your curriculum, campus, and community and preference in this program is given to rural colleges and universities. To learn how to apply to host a Fulbright-Scholar-in Residence and what makes a successful application, a special webinar is being offered for Rural Colleges and Universities. It will feature program administrators and college representatives who have been successful S-I-R hosts.  Date and time: May 2, 2018, 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm EDT. Register here.

The Fulbright Scholar-in Residence Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars/Institute of International Education. Please contact sir@iie.org with any questions about this program.

Best,

Mike Nelson

Connect with Region IV on the newly launched Network NAFSA site. Network NAFSA has many features for easy communications for members, including:

• Discussion board for members
• Regional event calendar
• Create peer networks and connections; and
• Expanded Member Profile that can link with your LinkedIn account

Get the latest news from Region IV by joining the Region IV community today!

Registration is open for the NAFSA Annual Conference, May 27 - June 1 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Register by April 13 to receive the Early-Bird discount!

Regional Update Meeting:

We invite you to the Region IV meeting which will be held on Wednesday, May 30 at 5:30pm during the annual conference. See the conference schedule for location details.

Preparing for the Conference:

Discover Philadelphia
Getting Around Philly
A Guide for Dining in Philly

October 15 - 18, 2018

Join us in the port city of Duluth, Minnesota for the 2018 Regional Conference. With three amazing hotels and a conference center on the shores of Lake Superior, this will be an event to remember! 

We will have informative workshops, enlightening sessions and spectacular special events in a beautiful setting. More added perks: 

• With discounted exhibitor pricing (the lowest priced of all eleven NAFSA regions!), we are looking to host the largest Region IV exhibit hall ever;
• Three hour shuttle service is available from Minneapolis St. Paul (MSP) Airport for under $60 for those who prefer to fly into MSP Airport; and
• Uber service is available from Duluth International Airport.

We start our pre-conference workshops on Monday, October 15th and conference sessions end on Thursday afternoon, October 18th. We will have some of our old favorites such as the restaurant and bar hops and a fabulous opening reception at the historic Glensheen Mansion.

Have a pre-conference workshop you would love to see at the Regional Conference in Duluth? Region IV is committed to providing valuable Core Education Programming (CEP) at our regional conference this fall. In order to help us select which workshops are most needed by our members, please help us by completing this survey. 

Consider submitting a session proposal. We welcome proposals in all areas of international education. Submissions will be accepted starting April 30th - June 30th, 2018. 

We look forward to seeing you on the beautiful shores of Lake Superior this fall. 

NAFSA is divided into five Knowledge Communities, each with its own team member representative.

ISSS

Connector Program:

The KC ISSS Connector Program matches professionals who are new to NAFSA’s Annual Conference with seasoned professionals (“Connectors”) who have previously attended and are familiar with the annual conference. "Connectors" can answer questions and provide guidance on working and succeeding as a professional. The KCISSS Connector Program is accepting applications through April 13, 2018. You can find more information and details here.

Pairs will be notified and introduced by email no later than April 25, 2018, allowing time to connect by email or phone prior to the Annual Conference in Philadelphia. 

NAFSA Region IV is comprised of five states (IA, MN, MO, SD, ND), each with its own team member representative.

IOWA

Iowa International Education Conference will be held on Friday, April 20 in Ottumwa, IA at Indian Hills Community College. Registration is now open! Cost is $25 and open to anyone in the field of international education. Student participants are free. We can’t wait to see you all in Ottumwa next month!

MISSOURI

International Education Day at the Missouri State Capitol is set for April 4, 2018. 

International Education Day at the Capitol is hosted annually by the Study Missouri Consortium. The event offers students an opportunity to watch the Missouri General Assembly in session, meet international and study abroad students from around the state, and enjoy a luncheon at the Capitol Plaza Hotel. Itinerary will be posted soon. Look for lively activities hosted by each institution.

International Education Day 2018 will be April 4, 2018.  Cost of registration is $30 per person. Don't miss out - Register today! 

For more information, please contact Britta Wright at blwright@ccis.edu.

Region IV is thrilled to announce a new group of members joining the Region IV team. Check out the complete team list is available on the Region IV website and help us welcome the new members! 

How long have you been involved with NAFSA? I attended my first NAFSA conference in 1985, but since it took awhile to get into the field and I held a couple positions outside the field, I’ve been advising international student and scholars for “only” 25 years. 
How did you become interested in international education? Perhaps it my childhood friend whose family had immigrated from Taiwan to the U.S., or maybe taking a year of French in junior high school and a couple years of German in high school, or very likely my international travels. 
What are some of your goals with your new position? I hope to be of assistance with scholar cases languishing at one of the USCIS Service Centers and to work with the Student RegBud to develop informative immigration sessions for the regional conferences.  
What is your most memorable travel experience? That’s not a fair question! I’ve had some really awesome experiences travelling both in the U.S. and around the world, but here’s one special experience: climbing Mt. Kinabalu with members of the Malaysian armed forces.
Where do you hope to travel to next? Next year is a big one for me and I hope to get to the final two U.S. states I’ve never visited—Alaska and Hawaii—as a way of celebrating a big birthday and a big wedding anniversary. Or maybe to Denmark to visit the two Danish students, who are in the picture, who stayed in our home last fall.

How long have you been involved with NAFSA?  10 years
How did you become interested in international education?  My own Study Abroad experiences.
What are some of your goals with your new position?  Better connect with Missouri international educators, and better connect them! I really want to make NAFSA Region IV resources available to all in our state working in the field.
What is something on your bucket list? Take my children overseas, anywhere
If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? Turkey

Personal Branding and Career Strategies for International Educators
April 4, 2018
Going to #NAFSA18 or another conference this spring?  Follow these 5 steps to boost your personal brand. 
1. Take inventory of your social media accounts and messaging.
2. Define your goals and identify concrete strategies to reach them.
3. Practice your elevator speech before you go.
4. Develop a conversation strategy - ice breakers, maximize time, build future connections.
5. Plan sessions to attend and choose a couple that are out of your league

Learn more tips for breaking into international education and advancing your career. Register Now.

Presenters: 
• Rachel Webb – Region Three
• Seth Riker -  Region Six
• Grace Pfisterer – Region Twelve

Effective Data Sourcing and Strategy for International Educators
April 25, 2018

Does your office have a data strategy?  Are you struggling HIto link your strategic goals, research questions and data collection?  In this seminar, expert presenters will walk through the process of developing a research question, collecting and analyzing data  and presenting results at their institutions. Register Now.

Presenters:
• Ling LeBeau – Region Seven
• Emily Gorlewski – Region Eleven
• Sara Kurtz Allaei – Region Six

• Join the Region IV Network NAFSA community
• Remember to update your NAFSA member profile contact information if you change jobs
• Connect with Region IV on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn