Annual International Education Summit

The Illinois Consortium for International Studies and Programs (ICISP) is a network of higher education institutions committed to expanding access to global education through shared resources, partnerships, and programs. By working collectively, member institutions are able to offer a wide range of international opportunities that may not be feasible independently, including semester and short-term study abroad programs, faculty-led experiences, and professional exchanges.

This session is designed for faculty, staff, and administrators from both current and prospective member institutions and aims to broaden awareness of ICISP beyond the international education offices. Participants will gain insight into how ICISP can support campus-wide internationalization efforts by providing accessible pathways for students to study abroad, opportunities for faculty to teach or lead programs overseas, and reciprocal professional development exchanges that foster global collaboration.

Through an overview of ICISP offerings and institutional examples, this session will highlight how participants can actively engage with the consortium to enhance curriculum, expand experiential learning, and build global competencies across disciplines. 

• Marie Lapidus is an Assistant Professor and Business Department Coordinator at Harper College, where she brings more than 25 years of experience in business, marketing, and entrepreneurship education. Her professional background spans entrepreneurial ventures, including running her own retail business, as well as corporate roles in technology implementation, training, and advertising. She holds dual bachelor's degrees in Political Science and Economics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an MBA in Management Information Systems from DePaul University. She also earned a Master Online Teaching Certificate from the University of Illinois Springfield and a Graduate Certificate in Teaching Economics from the University of Illinois Chicago. As an immigrant and former study abroad participant at the Sorbonne, Lapidus brings a global lens to her work. Her recent initiatives include community-focused maker projects and advancing internationalization at home through curriculum design, virtual exchanges, and interdisciplinary collaborations.

• Virtual exchanges offer powerful pathways for global learning, yet many educators struggle to move beyond broad aspirations toward models that are practical, scalable, and sustainable. This session showcases a series of fully online, asynchronous, four-week virtual exchanges implemented in management courses. These exchanges connected Harper College students with international partners in Mexico to explore global sustainability, entrepreneurship, and intercultural collaboration through structured, outcomes-based projects. 

  The presentation will highlight the essential tools, platforms, and design frameworks that made the exchanges successful-including project templates, communication structures, assessment rubrics, and strategies for fostering authentic engagement in asynchronous environments. Participants will gain insight into how short-duration exchanges can meaningfully expand access, deliver measurable learning outcomes, and integrate global perspectives into existing curricula without adding complexity or cost. 

  Attendees will leave with concrete, adaptable resources to begin planning or enhancing their own virtual exchange initiatives, regardless of discipline, class format, or prior international partnerships.

• Camila Fernandez is a Program Specialist at the Field Studies/Study Abroad/Global Education Office at College of DuPage. She has more than 8 years of experience in the higher education and non-profit sector, coordinating students' educational programs and planning and executing community and fundraiser events. Skilled in project management and logistics, Camila has successfully led the implementation of campus-wide in-person and online tutoring programs, student training workshops, and Global Education programming on campus.

• As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, global education has become a vital component of modern higher education, equipping students and our community with the skills, perspectives, and knowledge needed to thrive in a global society. While field studies courses and study abroad remain transformative high-impact practices, many students face financial, professional, or personal barriers that prevent participation. For these students, institutions must intentionally design accessible and inclusive global learning opportunities that bring international perspectives into local spaces and ensure that global engagement is not limited to travel. 

  This presentation explores practical strategies for advancing global education across campus through initiatives implemented at College of DuPage. Central to this approach is aligning curriculum and programming with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals), a shared blueprint of 17 goals and 169 targets aimed at advancing human and planetary well-being. Through an annual series of events and interdisciplinary collaborations organized around these goals, we demonstrate global thinking and intentionally connect the individual to society and the local to the global. 

  The session also examines initiatives that promote global access to information and critical thinking, including the celebration of Global Media and Information Literacy Week to address misinformation and strengthen media literacy competencies. 

  A key component of campus internationalization includes providing logistical support and funding for regional global education committees, Africa and African Diaspora, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Native America, as well as developing partnerships with disciplines not traditionally represented in global education programming. These efforts enhance an inclusive educational environment by fostering culturally grounded programming and meaningful dialogue that prepares students to engage effectively in a multicultural society. Finally, the presentation outlines operational practices that sustain long-term internationalization efforts through intentional planning, cross-campus collaboration, and strategic resource allocation.

• Alexandra Swanson teaches in the English departments at the College of Lake County and the College of DuPage. She earned a Ph.D. in English literature from Washington University in St. Louis in 2023 and a CELTA certificate (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), accredited remotely by the University of Cambridge, in 2025.
• A core component of internationalizing education at home is supporting multi-lingual learners in the classroom. Therefore, this session will equip attendees to adapt fundamental English as a second language pedagogy to any college-level discipline. We will consider how best to support student growth in the four skills of language learning: reading, listening, writing, and speaking. More specifically, we will identify best practices for instructors to follow at the beginning of each semester, including collecting learner data, researching language interference patterns, and providing fair content knowledge assessments. And then we will discuss how to adapt curriculum throughout the remainder of the semester using metacognitive reading and writing strategies, reducing textbook reliance, increasing sensory learning, and incorporating dual-language techniques. Finally, we will examine how instructors might alter the way they communicate with their students by grading instructor language and employing concept and instruction checking questions.

• Kim Jaeger (she/her) is a professor in the Departments of World Languages and ESL/ Linguistics at Harper College, where she teaches German, English to Speakers of Other Languages, First Year Seminar, and culture courses. She works on internationalization, study abroad, virtual exchange, and social transformation projects at Harper and serves as a campus coordinator for the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange program. Prior to starting at Harper in 2008, Kim worked at Georgetown University’s BMW Center for German and European Studies and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. She holds a BSLA and MA in German from Georgetown University, a Graduate Certificate in TESOL from Northeastern Illinois University, and a Social Justice Leadership Certificate from Harper College.
• Anita Vaughan has been with Harper College since April 2022. She was a Program Coordinator and Advisor for the One Million Degrees program and is currently an Academic Advisor focusing on health career students. Anita recently served as co-lead for a study abroad trip in Munich (summer 2025).

• Katye Speer is a Lead Academic Advisor in the Advising Services Department, with a specialty in transfer advising, and serves as adjunct faculty teaching First Year Seminar. She supports Distinguished Trustees Scholars as well as students focused on social science and education majors. She holds a master’s in management in Higher Education Administration from Robert Morris University. Katye recently served as co-lead for a study abroad trip in Munich (summer 2025).

• Dr. Nataliya Marchenko serves as the International Education Coordinator at Joliet Junior College, where she has led international education initiatives since 2019. With professional experience in the field dating back to 2012, she brings extensive expertise in study abroad program development, student advising, faculty collaboration, and institutional partnerships. Under her leadership, Joliet Junior College has expanded access to global learning opportunities through consortial and faculty-led programs. At the IE Summit, she will share insights from institutional practice on developing education abroad programs in Career and Technical Education.
• As interest in workforce readiness increases, enrollment in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs is climbing at a significant rate (according to CTE Policy Watch, 2025 enrollment at public two-year schools that strongly focus on CTE program areas increased by 19.4% compared to 2020). While students in CTE programs can benefit greatly from participating in study abroad opportunities, they face timing, financial, and administrative barriers. During this session, you will hear an overview of 3 CTE study abroad programs at Joliet Junior College, tips to develop study abroad champions among faculty, and available grants to support study abroad.

• Ilknur Ozgur (she/her) is the Founder and Director of Artstillery, a nonprofit immersive performance company that partners with communities to create artistic experiences rooted in lived narratives. Ilknur began her writing journey collaborating with artists developing original solo works. In 2000, she co-created Jaspora: Imitation Haitian with writer and performer Nancy Moricette, which toured the New York International Fringe Festival. She continued developing new works with playwright Suzan-Lori Parks through workshops embedded in Chicago's Puerto Rican communities with Urban Theatre Co. One of her formative creative experiences was collaborating with Miguel Piñero (Nuyorican Poets Café) to transform his texts into immersive performances staged in intimate, street-facing urban spaces. Today, Artstillery operates on a national scale, and Ilknur serves as full-time faculty in Speech and Theatre at Harper College. She proudly served as an Arts & Culture Commissioner for Dallas District 6 and currently sits on the TACDC Creative Placemaking Task Force under the NEA. She is a graduate of the year-long Intercultural Leadership Institute, an Arts Matter New York grant recipient for immersive performance writing, and leads creative placemaking initiatives at 723, Artstillery's West Dallas warehouse space. Her work has been featured at the Dallas Museum of Art as part of the My|Gration experience, and Artstillery's Family Dollar became the first Nasher Public installation in the organization's history. She has been a featured panelist at the TACA Perforum Stage: REimagine: The Future of the Arts (2021), and continues to develop innovative, community-centered immersive work across the country.
• As Executive Director of Artstillery, a nationally recognized immersive performance organization, I lead interdisciplinary teams in creating large-scale, site-specific works built from the lived stories of immigrant, refugee, and historically marginalized communities. In this presentation, I share Artstillery's documentary-based creative methodology as a model for Internationalization at Home, a way for students to encounter global identities, transnational histories, and intercultural dialogue without leaving campus. 
  Our approach integrates film, projection technology, ethnographic interviewing, performance, and community partnerships to center voices that traditionally remain outside the classroom. This session demonstrates how immersive artmaking can activate global learning outcomes, deepen cultural empathy, and build sustained community relationships while providing measurable student impact. Attendees will walk away with adaptable tools, curricular strategies, and production models that translate global education into lived experience.

• Dr. Diane Dean and Dr. Autym Henderson bring over 50 years of combined experience in higher education administration, policy, and research to the Higher Education & Student Affairs Leadership program. Dr. Dean, Program Director and Professor at National Louis University, earned her Ed.D. from Columbia University’s Teachers College. Her 30-year career is defined by high-level engagement in educational policy and program development, having consulted for state agencies and governing boards to influence institutional planning. Dr. Henderson, Assistant Professor at National Louis University, specializes in community college operations, faculty affairs, and academic compliance. Her research focuses on shared governance and student persistence, utilizing her 20-year background as a scholar-practitioner to address the evolving demands of educational operations and compliance. Together, they bridge the gap between academic theory and executive practice. Their collaborative work provides a comprehensive perspective on navigating the complex administrative, legislative, and operational landscapes of modern higher education.
• International educators are operating in a period of sustained global disruption. Enrollment fluctuations, geopolitical shifts, evolving immigration policies, and increasing expectations from students have all challenged long-standing approaches to international student services. Aligned with the summit theme, Beyond Borders, Beyond Buzzwords: Results that Resonate in Global Education, this session focuses on strategies that generate meaningful, measurable impact for international students and the institutions that serve them. Using today's VUCA environment - volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity - as a framing lens, this presentation aims to examine how international student success efforts can evolve from reactive problem-solving to intentional, results-driven practice. Rather than centering on large-scale restructures or costly innovations, the session highlights how institutions can leverage existing people, partnerships, and practices to strengthen support for international learners - all while fostering collaboration and building positive relationships on campus. A portion of the session will be interactive, providing attendees with structured time to share challenges, successful practices, and emerging ideas related to the initiatives with one another.

• Farayai Machamire is co-director and managing editor of Kukurigo Information Services, a social enterprise transforming news delivery in Zimbabwe. Through WhatsApp, Kukurigo reaches more than 400,000 people daily, encouraging civic engagement and promoting accountability. Machamire and his team have built a trusted platform that appeals to audiences often disengaged from traditional news by prioritizing creativity, integrity and accessible delivery. In an era of widespread misinformation, Kukurigo stands out as a credible news source. Machamire aims to scale the platform to 1 million daily subscribers within three years. Through the fellowship, he seeks to deepen his understanding of international frameworks and expand his perspective on governance, diplomacy, public affairs and policy to further his mission.
• Dr. Eman Elsokary joins the Humphrey Fellowship as a healthcare educator, accreditation specialist, and development leader with a strong focus on advancing the quality and inclusivity of medical education and professional training in Egypt. Currently serving as an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Helwan University, she plays a pivotal role in curriculum design and instructional development. Dr. Elsokary holds a Master’s degree in Monitoring and Evaluation from the Institute of National Planning and a Technical Master Trainer Certificate from the Egyptian-German Technical Academy–Siemens. She previously earned degrees in nursing and higher education. During her Humphrey Fellowship, Dr. Elsokary intends to explore best practices in competency-based medical education, health workforce development, and international accreditation standards. She seeks to strengthen Egypt’s healthcare training infrastructure by building systems that are inclusive, sustainable, and globally aligned. Long-term, she aims to help Egypt scale its accreditation and capacity-building initiatives, ensuring health professionals are better equipped to meet emerging national and global challenges.
• Trang Vu is an influential leader in Vietnam’s finance and banking sector who prides herself in delivering tangible benefits to businesses and members of her community. Trang Vu is currently the Head of Investor Relations at Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV), one of the country’s largest state-owned banks. At BIDV for the past twenty years, she has been deeply involved in equitization, mergers and acquisitions, strategic investor sales, private placement, corporate governance (CG) and Environmental Social Governance (ESG). Trang’s Humphrey Fellowship goals include deepening her understanding of CG and ESG, particularly as they attract foreign investment, lead to cost savings, keep ahead of changing regulations, and lead to a stable and supportive shareholder base. Ultimately, Trang plans to leverage insights gained during her fellowship to contribute to a more transparent, ethical, and sustainable business environment leading to better societal outcomes such as reduced poverty, improved public health, and environmental conservation. In addition to other topics, she is available to speak on the following:
  
  • Transforming State-Owned Banks in Vietnam
  • Corporate Governance from Legal Perspectives and Best Practices in Vietnam and Southeast Asia
  • Investor Relations and Attraction of Foreign Investors
  • Vietnamese Women's Position in Society: A Personal Perspective
• Jerome Kisting is a venture capital investor committed to driving economic transformation in Namibia and across Africa through strategic investment in industrial innovation. He is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Baobab Capital, Namibia’s first venture capital firm, where he leads early-stage investments in industrial startups across Southern Africa. Under his leadership, Baobab Capital raised a pioneering $10 million first-time fund, deploying capital into businesses positioned to accelerate regional development. He is currently spearheading efforts to determine more appropriate funding models for financing early-stage companies in Africa. Jerome’s professional interests lie at the intersection of regional integration, sustainable industrialization, and supply chain finance. He brings a sharp understanding of how capital, policy, and entrepreneurship can work together to reshape African economies from within. As a Humphrey Fellow, Jerome intends to enhance his leadership capabilities and explore innovative funding models tailored to African industrial development. His focus area includes lessons from American supply chains that can inform the evolution of African supply chain finance to catalyze industrial development. He also seeks to build lasting connections with global institutions at the forefront of investment, policy, and industrial transformation. Ultimately, Jerome’s goal is to scale the reach and effectiveness of early-stage industrial investment by advocating for enabling regulatory environments that empower entrepreneurs and capital providers to drive inclusive, long-term growth across the continent. In addition to other topics, he is available to speak on the following:
  
  • VC/PE Funding for Industrial Startups in Emerging Markets
  • VC/PE Fund Management in Southern Africa
  • Why Africa Needs Manufacturing Not Tech Startups
  • Leadership and Managing Teams in Investment Services
  • Namibia's Economic and Political Landscape

• This is Tony Baracco’s 26th year teaching History, 21st at OCC, and 6th year using Virtual Exchanges to Globalize his courses.
• What do you do when your school's administration do not want to spend much on Globalization? The answer is Virtual Exchanges. Every class can complete a Virtual Exchange with very little resources needed unlike Study Abroad. 
  The bulk of the presentation will discuss successes and failures of virtual exchanges in general education courses over the last six years. The cost has been minimal yet the student comments have been tremendous. The presentation will show student comment results for all six years. 
  OCC students have collaborated or interviewed people in Germany, Ukraine, Algeria, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, India, Belgium, France, Philippines, and China. This semester students will virtually circle the planet to discuss history, geography, international relations and culture with schools in North America, South America, Africa and Asia. 
  Using the latest technology virtual exchanges can globalize your class and even improve study abroad programs.

• Dr. Pardess Mitchell is a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at Harper College, where she has been teaching for 17 years. She serves as department chair and coordinates the Health Education Teaching Endorsement program. Dr. Mitchell holds an M.S. in Health Education and an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction. Dr. Mitchell is committed to promoting cultural competency among her students, helping them develop critical skills that will serve them throughout their future careers in health education and related fields.Dr. Mitchell's professional interests include integrating global health perspectives into curriculum design, developing evidence-based educational resources, and creating inclusive learning environments that resonate with diverse student populations.
• Edmir Wade is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Harper College. He holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Denver and has been teaching and researching chemistry for over 20 years. Through teaching, he is focused on redesigning his chemistry courses to be more inclusive and accessible to all regardless of field of study. He believes everyone should have access to chemistry knowledge at their level to navigate the world around them. Through research, he is exploring molecular geometries of organic chemical reactions both experimentally and computationally, and Green Chemistry lab exercises to make his organic chemistry courses more sustainable and environmentally conscious.
• Gerardo Cruz is an Associate Professor of Spanish at Harper College, where he has been teaching for the past eight years in the Language Department. His academic and professional work is rooted in promoting intercultural exchange and language learning through immersive experiences. Mr. Cruz has actively collaborated with colleagues in Mexico to develop Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) and Virtual Exchange (VE) programs, fostering international academic partnerships that bridge cultural and linguistic gaps. Throughout his career, he has been deeply involved in advocating language immersion programs, with a focus on increasing student engagement and interest in study abroad opportunities. He holds an M.A. in Spanish Literature from Marquette University and a B.A. in Spanish from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
• Traditional study abroad programs often operate within single disciplinary silos, limiting students' ability to see the interconnected nature of knowledge and real-world problem-solving. This presentation shares our collaborative approach to designing a Spring 2028 interdisciplinary study abroad program that integrates health education, chemistry, and Spanish language/culture to examine wellness, nutrition, and traditional medicine through multiple academic lenses. We will discuss how our cross-departmental team navigated the challenges of creating a cohesive learning experience that honors each discipline's rigor while demonstrating their natural intersections. Participants will learn about our curricular design process, including how we identified shared learning outcomes, developed integrated experiential activities, and created assessment strategies that capture interdisciplinary learning. This discussion will highlight the benefits of interdisciplinary study abroad for student development, including enhanced critical thinking skills, deeper cultural competency, and the ability to approach complex issues from multiple perspectives. Students in interdisciplinary programs develop more nuanced understandings of global challenges and are better prepared to work collaboratively across professional boundaries in their future careers. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for building interdepartmental collaborations, designing integrated curricula that bridge disciplines authentically, and creating study abroad experiences that prepare students for the interconnected, multicultural world they will navigate as professionals.

• Jody Littleton has been a Professor of Communication at Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois, since 1996. She teaches public speaking, group communication, and interpersonal communication courses and brings more than 30 years of instructional experience to the classroom. In addition to her teaching role, she previously served for five years as Executive Director of Marketing and Community Relations at Parkland College. For the past 13 years, she has coordinated the college's study abroad programs and serves as a Senior International Officer with Community Colleges for International Development (CCID). She is also an active member of the Illinois Consortium for International Studies and Programs (ICISP).

• This presentation highlights an intensive four-week summer study abroad program in Dijon, France, offered through a partnership between the Illinois Consortium for International Studies and Programs (ICISP) and Parkland College. Designed as a full French immersion experience, the program combines rigorous academic coursework, cultural engagement, and experiential travel to support meaningful language acquisition and intercultural learning. Students enroll in two courses-French language and humanities-earning 6-7 semester credit hours while living and studying at the University of Burgundy. 

  Dijon is a vibrant university city of over 250,000 residents, ideally situated at the crossroads of Europe. Just ninety minutes from Paris by high-speed train, Dijon is internationally known as the capital of gastronomy and the gateway to the renowned vineyards of Burgundy. Rich in history and art, the city reflects the legacy of the powerful Dukes of Burgundy through its medieval churches, cathedrals, museums, and preserved architectural landmarks. This dynamic setting provides an ideal environment for students to experience French culture beyond the classroom. 

  Instruction takes place at the Centre International d'Études Françaises (CIEF), located in the heart of the University of Burgundy campus. Founded in 1902, the CIEF has a long tradition of welcoming international students from around the world. Participants receive a minimum of sixteen hours per week of instruction from native-speaker faculty specializing in teaching French as a foreign language. Courses are fully immersive and taught in French, yet students with no prior French background are encouraged to apply. Entry-level students consistently find this approach effective for rapid language development. Upon arrival, students complete a placement exam to determine their appropriate language level. 

  Academic rigor is central to the program. Language courses are assessed through weekly tests and active participation, while the humanities course is structured as a hybrid class incorporating orientation activities, online discussions, reflective journals, group meetings, participation in excursions, and a final project focused on French culture. Because the program compresses a full semester of content into four weeks, students are strongly encouraged not to take additional online courses during the session. 

  The program also includes two major educational excursions. Students begin with three days in Paris, featuring a walking tour of historic neighborhoods, a visit to the Louvre, and exposure to iconic cultural landmarks. A second three-day excursion takes students to Provence, including visits to ancient Roman cities, the Palais des Papes in Avignon, the Pont du Gard, Les Baux-de-Provence, the Camargue, and the Mediterranean coast. These trips require extensive walking and reinforce course content through firsthand cultural experience.

• Amanda Cook Fesperman is a full-time professor of political science and history at Illinois Valley Community College. She is also the Coordinator for International/Multicultural Education and Study Abroad and the co-chair for the IVCC DEI Committee. She serves on the executive and governing boards for ICISP and is the Program Coordinator for the Salzburg, Austria Study Abroad Program. She is also a board member for the Midwest Institute for International/Intercultural Education (MIIIE).
• The program offers semester and summer study abroad programs and internships. Located in Salzburg, the program offers a variety of opportunities for studying abroad, including German language immersion, fine arts courses, and other courses. Study abroad students have the unique opportunity to play semiprofessional American football and European soccer as well. ICISP students take courses with other international students from around the world.

• Paul Edleman is Professor of Political Science and Communication at Sauk Valley Community College.  He serves as Sauk’s ICISP representative and ICISP Coordinator for the Two-Week Exchange Program with Finland.  Paul has also run international programming in Cambodia and Pakistan.  He serves on the board of trustees of the American Institute of Pakistan Studies and is an Affiliated Faculty with the South Asia Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
• Sangeeta Kumar has been a Faculty Librarian at South Suburban College since 1998 and is also the Coordinator of International Studies. Sangeeta serves as the ICISP Coordinator for the Two-Week Exchange Program with the Netherlands. She has over 25 years of experience in international education.
• Renée Frommé is Coordinator of International Affairs and Policy & Funding Specialist at Koning Willem I College in the Netherlands. She has over eight years of experience in international project management, international funding programs, and strategic policy development within vocational education and training (VET). Renée serves as a member of the national board of EfVET (European Forum of Technical and Vocational Education and Training). She is also the Dutch Coordinator of the Radix staff exchange program with the United States, supporting transatlantic collaboration and professional exchange in VET. With a background in history and civic education, Renée speaks four languages and brings strong expertise in intercultural communication. She is a mother of two and, outside of work, rows with a women’s rowing team and enjoys outdoor activities such as sailing and hiking, as well as traveling and music festivals.
• Ara Hayrabedian is the Internationality Coordinator at North Karelia Municipal Education and Training Consortium Riveria, Finland. He organizes international mobility programs for students and staff, manages and coordinates international projects—including securing and overseeing project funding—hosts delegations, and organizes study visits and seminars for faculty and education professionals. As part of his work, he oversees Riveria’s long-standing cooperation with ICISP colleges in the United States, working with his U.S. counterpart, Paul Edleman, to support faculty exchanges and strengthen transatlantic institutional partnerships.
• This session offers an overview of the ICISP Professional Exchange Programs with Finland and the Netherlands. These reciprocal international exchanges pair U.S. faculty, staff, and administrators with counterparts abroad to support intercultural learning, professional growth, and global collaboration. Participants first host their counterpart in the United States for a visit, and later travel to either Finland or the Netherlands for the return exchange. The session walks attendees through program expectations, logistics, and the overall exchange experience. Program directors from Finland and the Netherlands will be on hand to introduce their institutions and share insights from their campuses. The session concludes with a question-and-answer period.

• Matthew Yates is currently the Director of Strategic Partnership Development for Learn from Travel, a social enterprise that specializes in customized, sustainable faculty-led programs domestically and abroad. After receiving his Ph.D. in history from The Ohio State University, Matthew joined Education Abroad at Kansas State University as its Curriculum Integration Advisor and then Assistant Director. He then served as the Director of Education Abroad at the University of Connecticut and subsequently as the Director of Education Abroad at California Lutheran University. Matthew has designed and taught hundreds of short-term programs abroad with faculty and enjoy working with all university stakeholders on their intercultural development.
• Join our roundtable to learn more about short-term faculty-led education abroad programs and the importance of their intentional design for academic and logistical success. Matthew Yates, Ph.D., has designed over three hundred programs while previously serving as Director of Education Abroad at the University of Connecticut and California Lutheran University. He is the current Director of Partnerships at Learn from Travel, an education abroad program provider.

• Dr. Eric Bohman has 30 years of global education experience including over 25 years at Harper teaching ESL and English.  His research on international students at community colleges has been published in the Community College Journal of Research and Practice, and he has taught doctoral level coursework on internationalization at community colleges.  Prior to coming to Harper, he completed graduate studies at University of Stockholm, Sweden on International Education and taught in Japan and China. Recently, Dr. Bohman received the 2025-26 League of Innovation in Community Colleges Excellence Award.  He helped create and currently teaches the Social Transformation Capstone in which students can earn distinctions in social justice, sustainability, and global studies.  Outside of the classroom, Eric is an avid traveler having written travel articles for in-flight magazines and has visited over 100 professional baseball parks over five countries!
• Social Transformation Capstone students share their stories on their journey to earning a graduation distinction as a Global Scholar and/or in Social Justice Studies.