Dec 22, 2021 | Articles
Posted: Thursday, December 22, 2021
By: Kathryn Dwyer Navajas, University of Florida
The University of Florida is in a small college town far from the Spanish-speaking cities of south Florida. In 2012, when my department chair asked me to put together a service-learning course in Spanish, the local Spanish-speaking community was mostly affiliated with the university and not much in need of service from second language learners of Spanish or even heritage speakers, most of whom were very clear that any career in Florida would necessitate an advanced level of linguistic and cultural competence in Spanish. Pondering the options, I found an eager collaborator in Deborah Hendrix, of the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program, who assured me that we could launch an oral history project in Spanish. My learning objectives were for students to improve their Spanish, develop empathy by learning about their immigrant neighbors and families, get comfortable being uncomfortable, and embrace cultural humility through the art of asking questions that prompt reflection and develop the art of listening. Deborah added improved digital literacy, which students would realize through filming a 30-minute interview and then editing it down to 5 minutes and adding subtitles. The oral history project was part of a course focused on the pull and push factors of immigration from Spanish-speaking countries.
The classroom for this course is itself a microcosm of cultural and linguistic differences and insecurities. The students enrolled come from a variety of backgrounds: many are the children of immigrants and some of those are heritage speakers of Spanish; some are second-language learners of Spanish. Apart from the few for whom Spanish is their strongest language, all of them express insecurity about their linguistic competence in that language. Having to do something important in a language one feels insecure about is a way to develop empathy; students experience in the project the reality that many immigrants live every day. They realize that effective communication does not necessarily involve flawless grammar; that the heart can at times communicate more effectively than the head.
The course content challenges the official history they have learned in school as well as the explanation given in many immigrant families that begin and end with “we came to give you a better life,” both of which often have the effect of discouraging further inquiry. Students find themselves studying about the U.S. role in destabilizing their parents´ country of origin and suddenly they have more questions. Even students whose parents came on the Mayflower must come to terms with the legacy of U.S. policies in the countries whose language and cultures they have embraced.
Students thus undertake the oral history project from a place of vulnerability and uncertainty. In order to catch them before they retreat into the known, into what is comfortable, we connect them to the work that students before them have done so that they feel part of a much bigger project. They review the videos made in previous semesters and choose the topic for the video they will make from suggestions solicited from students at the end of the previous semester. Even while they are working on their own interviews and then editing them, they have to gather six friends, acquaintances, or perfect strangers, select four 5-minute interviews from previous videos, present them and lead a discussion about what they are learning about the immigrant experience. Even though they don´t know everything, even though they may have never discussed these issues with those gathered, they go out into the world to create a space for immigrant voices to be heard and engaged.
Another challenge that students face is group work, which can be fraught, but the oral history project can´t be done alone, so we work to form teams of three that balance linguistic, technical, and people skills. Students must negotiate varying levels of commitment even as they make complex decisions that require cultural sensitivity and ethical discernment, such as how to edit down to 5 minutes what a narrator has told in 30 minutes while respecting that person´s voice and story. At times they have to decide how to handle a story that paints too rosy a picture or one that goes off the rails into a tirade tinged by loss. They have to decide how to prepare subtitles when the speaker is shifting between Spanish and English or when a mistake is made in one language or the other. The decisions they make as a group involve parsing issues of power, emotion, and history. Interviewing a Puerto Rican who arrived months after Hurricane María in 2017 or a Colombian who fled narcoviolence decades ago or a Cuban who walked from Panama to the southern border when the “wet foot-dry foot policy” ended requires empathy and historical knowledge that we strive to develop through curricular choices and classroom practices throughout the semester.
It is now easier than ever to launch an oral history project with global reach. Technology has greatly evolved, and videoconferencing in response to travel restrictions now makes it easier to focus more on the people and the stories they tell than on the challenges of how to record them: lighting, audio, dogs barking, camera angles, the rule of thirds, etc. While there is some loss of the human warmth we experience in the presence of others, recording on Zoom is much easier than arranging a meeting of four people, hauling equipment, and dealing with so many variables, and it also allows for interviewing people in other countries.
Reviving the art of listening disrupts the drive to make the easy choices, to get the job done, to check off three more credits on the way to a college degree. Tuning in to the voices that contest the official history, that confound the national discourse about immigration, that crack open the family narrative means being willing to reframe what a student may think she knows. Listening to the voices within the team and making collective decisions means being willing to compromise. Listening to the narrators, whose accents and lexicons and difficulty with two languages reflects their own struggles and insecurities, gives students permission to transcend the fear of saying something wrong and to reach across cultural and linguistic differences to engage as global citizens. While our universities pride themselves on producing knowledge, the art of listening and the gift of attention lay the foundation for relationships, across borders, identities, and multiple categories of difference, relationships that, when harnessed to academic knowledge, may provide the horsepower necessary to pull us out of long-standing quandaries about immigration.
To view videos of some of the oral history projects we have done in this course: https://www.youtube.com/user/SPOHP111/search?query=spanish
To explore SPOHP resources for launching oral history projects: https://oral.history.ufl.edu/research/tutorials
Jul 21, 2021 | Articles
Posted: Wednesday, July 21, 2021
By: Subgroup of 2020-2021 Education Abroad: Marketing, Outreach & Recruitment Task Force
As college students return to campus and study abroad resumes with increased vaccinations around the world, what will study abroad look like and how will we reach out to marginalized and diverse students to market study abroad? COVID-19 has had a significant impact on all of our lives but it has impacted our students of color even more economically, academically, and socially. Do our students even need to study abroad at a moment when meeting the basic needs of their family and community seems overwhelming?
As we consider reaching out to students about study abroad and marketing study abroad to them, let us consider the needs of our diverse students and work with them to reimagine their own global education and engagement. In this work, we must be mindful of our own office’s capacity and institutional resources that can support students as they chart their own path.
Student Needs
“If students are not well, not only physically, but mentally, if they are not living in a safe space or don’t have access to nutrition, if they can’t pay their bills, those are the things I care about most as a faculty member this semester,” Soria said. “It’s about a change in perspective, having a philosophical shift of mind, to really be more ethically devoted to students and caring and compassionate to students.” (Inside Higher Ed)
The concept of Maslow before Bloom was quite helpful to us in our thinking. Basic needs must be met first before students can study and think about their own path, including study abroad. Even students who were planning to study abroad before the pandemic may have concluded that this is no longer an option for them.
We need to meet our students where they are, with empathy. Let us listen to our students tell the story of this moment and let them guide the conversation about what is possible for them in the post-COVID era amidst disproportionate economic impacts on BIPOC communities, growing tensions from racial reckoning, increases in anti-Asian violence, headlines of mass shootings, ongoing sagas of immigration struggles, and uncertain vaccine regulations.
Marketing to them during this time will look more like individual conversations about their goals and how to help them meet their own goals, as opposed to beautiful pictures of a group of students in a stunning location on social media. Students may have been personally affected by the loss of a friend or relative due to the pandemic and hence desire to ask questions in a more private setting.
For example, in addressing the barriers faced by first-generation students it is important to speak with them about international travel, the fear of being away from family and friends, and the need for a passport.
Global Education & Engagement
While a traditional study abroad experience may not be possible for students who are about to graduate and students whose life situations have changed because of COVID-19, let us reframe the conversation with those students and speak about what is possible and what the options are. The key is to broaden their perspective so that they can learn about opportunities that are available but may not be familiar to them, and to remind them that they can have a meaningful international experience even if it is not called study abroad. Taking the time to explain these opportunities to them is essential, as they may not be familiar.
Some of the opportunities that exist for students to go abroad after graduation include employment opportunities abroad, graduate school abroad, international internships, grants and scholarships, and partnerships. There are numerous opportunities to teach English abroad in a foreign country, whether through an organization such as JET in Japan and the Teaching Assistant Program in France, or through an organization like English First. Students may explore graduate school abroad, attending an American university with a campus abroad or an accredited foreign institution. There are numerous grants and scholarships such as the US Student Fulbright Program and Schwarzman Scholars that support graduate education abroad. Opportunities such as the Peace Corps also help graduating students live and work abroad.
Beyond speaking about international opportunities after graduation, what are some ways that institutions can maintain global engagement with students even while few students are studying abroad? A passport initiative on campus for US citizens who have never had a passport may help students who have never been abroad to prepare for study abroad or international travel in the future. Requiring them to learn about study abroad as they obtain their passport may help your office with visibility.
Virtual exchanges, conversations, and internships with global partners are also an innovative way of helping students and your institution to maintain global engagement during this time of limited mobility. Roundtables with international colleagues and developing events, such as workshops or symposiums on international scholarships can help spread awareness on global opportunities that are usually reserved for International Education Week.
Office Capability & Institutional Resources
Helping students think through going abroad after graduation is not something that study abroad offices regularly do; it will take time and resources at a time when all of us are dealing with so much. Does your office have the ability to do this additional work with students? If so, study abroad team members are uniquely positioned to speak to this, either because of their own experiences abroad or their work in international education.
In speaking with students and helping to explore their paths, it is important to refer them to resources that are available on campus. Several offices can be key in supporting students in their planning. The Career Center will work with students applying for positions abroad; the Fellowship office will support students as they apply for national & international scholarships and grants. Other key offices on campus could be the International Student office, the Counseling Center, the Alumni Affairs office, faculty, student organizations, and financial aid.
Ideally, some of these conversations are best to be held on an individual basis. However, we must be cognizant of our offices’ resources and human capital. When possible, try recording a virtual presentation or create a page on your website dedicated to additional information such as post-graduate opportunities for students to access on their own time. Although it may seem impersonal, especially for non-traditional students, it will be more efficient than trying to schedule individual conversations with every student or it may shorten your meeting time as you can always refer them back to the online resources.
One thing is clear, we will need to redefine global education and how we market it, and despite our best intentions, we cannot do it all ourselves. We will need to leverage our resources now more than ever. Reach out to your professional networks. For example, we can collaborate with outside foundations and organizations that can support our students in their global education journeys with graduate international opportunities such as Schwarzman Scholars. As we ask students to think about things in a new light, can your institution do the same? Can they be flexible with certain policies to allow students to study abroad before they graduate or create new ways for students who have just graduated to earn graduate credit for a summer study abroad experience? Can you work with your providers to offer faculty workshops or fundraising strategies for students?
As you assess your students’ needs in the post-COVID era, you may be able to identify not only the challenges faced, but also new opportunities to make global education a reality for your students. We believe the key will be to always maintain an empathic approach.
Reimagining Global Education. Our Thoughts for the Future
Schedule a primer meeting with your office. Maslow before Bloom does not only apply to your students. We encourage you to check in with your team regularly and take a pulse of where they are in their wellness journey. How are they coping with the myriad of social, economic, and political issues happening at the same time? Like the students we work with, our team members are navigating unprecedented challenges. What can the team realistically take on during this time as additional projects? Are there resources across campus that would be helpful during this time that would decrease your team’s workload? First start with ‘self’ and then organize on what can be done.
Empathizing with students. Show compassion for life circumstances and missed opportunities by engaging with them in meaningful conversation and working through the range of emotions. Acknowledge the difficult truth that students may not have the quintessential study abroad experience that can be a hallmark of the undergraduate experience. FOMO is real, so how might that inform future opportunities to pursue? Be mindful of the difference between espoused or publicly stated support, versus the support that is actually enacted in day to day interactions. Be courageous in naming the impacts of today on our mental health and normalize the asking for help.
Market with empathy. Hold a focus group with students you wish to target and build some strategy around what their specific needs are. For example, developing a passport initiative, like Georgia State University, to offer free passports to underprivileged students that are interested in studying abroad later or going abroad after graduation. Events like this promote your office and programs while addressing a roadblock for students. Consider ways of involving parents and families in clarifying what global education can do for students’ future job and career prospects. What is the cost, time, and energy required to embark on these alternative paths? Parents will benefit from seeing this experience as an investment.
Use your programming as a pathway for global education. Lead with budgeting and finance workshops that can help with study abroad and general goal planning. Or tag along in workshops from your financial aid office to identify ways for self-fundraising you can recommend to students concerned about meeting the costs of study abroad. Coach students through exploring other opportunities to gain hard skills, work experience, language skills, and post grad opportunities. Especially nowadays, encourage students to join language study initiatives where virtual programs can accommodate high quality practice with native language speakers all over the world.
Finding time to reflect and enact the lessons learned. Hold debrief sessions with students to keep reframing our work. Hold round tables with past participants and prospective students to co-author a new vision of global programs. Take time to review their experiences with their program’s and office staff. If possible, create a brief report that can be used as documentation to advocate to your institution’s leadership.
Additional thoughts for the future. We leave you with other questions to consider in this conversation. What are the needs of students’ most impacted by COVID and how might you prioritize them? What is your office’s capacity to account for the imbalances of resources on campus? How can you create more purposeful and intentional marketing towards students who otherwise would not have the opportunity to engage globally due to COVID? How can you expand your professional network to include people that can better support your marketing strategies? We don’t have all the answers but offer these insights to help you create change in the places and spaces that matter to you the most.
Resources
Anderson, Greta. “Alcohol Affects College Women’s Academics More Than Men.” Inside Higher Ed. June 2, 2020.
https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2020/06/02/alcohol-affects-college-womens-academics-more-men
Kimble‐Hill, A. C., Rivera‐Figueroa, A., Chan, B. C., Lawal, W. A., Gonzalez, S., Adams, M. R., Heard, G. L., Gazley, J. L., & Fiore‐Walker, B. (2020). Insights gained into marginalized students access challenges during the COVID‐19 academic response. Journal of Chemical Education, 97(9), 3391– 3395. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00774
McCorristin, Roric. “Diversifying Study Abroad Participation: What historically black colleges and universities can teach predominately white institutions.” NAFSA. November 1, 2019. https://www.nafsa.org/ie-magazine/2019/11/1/diversifying-study-abroad-participation
Tai, D., Shah, A., Doubeni, C. A., Sia, I. G., & Wieland, M. L. (2021). The Disproportionate Impact of COVID-19 on Racial and Ethnic Minorities in the United States. Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, 72(4), 703–706. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa815
GSU Free Passport Initiative: https://mystudyabroad.gsu.edu/freepassport/
Jun 7, 2021 | Articles
Posted: Thursday, January 7, 2021
By: Andrew Gordon – CEO & Founder, Diversity Abroad
If advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and racial justice is one of your goals for 2021 here are four ways you can progress toward this goal.
As we kick off a new year for many it’s a time of reflection as well as personal and professional goal setting. Over the past seven months there has been a palpable energy at practically every level of our society to make meaningful progress with respect to diversity, equity, inclusion and racial justice. For those interested in how we turn this energy, this passion, into systemic change in the field of global education and cultural exchange now is a perfect time to consider what each of us can do to advance this work at our institutions and organizations. Whether you work in education abroad, with international students or more broadly in global learning, if advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and racial justice is one of your goals for 2021 here are four ways you can progress toward this goal:
Establish a Baseline
How do you know where you’re headed if you don’t know where you are? Many professionals are committed to ensuring all students – domestic and international – have equitable access to the benefits of global education. How, though, does this commitment translate into progress? Until we assess the current state of diversity, equity and inclusion in our organization’s operation and establish a baseline of strengths and areas for development, it will be nearly impossible to make sustainable progress toward these goals. Assessing DEI practices and policies is a foundational step to developing a systemic approach to expanding equitable access to the benefits of global education and fostering a climate of inclusion and belonging within our organizations. Using assessment tools such as Diversity Abroad’s Global Equity & Inclusion Scorecard allows professionals to map, measure and improve their office’s DEI practices and policies, and make progress toward their goals. Let 2021 be the year that you and your colleagues establish a baseline for diversity, equity and inclusion practices in your office.
Examine Your Bias
2020 was a watershed year in which organizations and individuals on a larger scale began to accept the reality of implicit bias and appreciate the impact it has on our daily decision making. In 2021, it’s critical that we move from acknowledging the existence of implicit bias to taking action to combat it in our personal and professional lives. You can gain greater insight into your biases in a few different ways – from taking personal assessments like the one offered by Project Implicit to increasing your awareness by reading and reflecting upon literature on racial equity. Additionally, consider situations where your biases may impact your work, for example in how you advise students about where and/or in what modality they participate in education abroad programs, during the hiring process for roles in our office or how you engage with international students from different parts of the world. We all have biases. The better we can identify what they are, the better positioned we’ll be to combat them.
Develop Diversity & Inclusion Competencies
The success of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts isn’t gauged by the passion of those carrying out this work. Being passionate about DEI and/or possessing a minoritized identity are important factors in this work, but not sufficient to accelerate effective diversity, equity, inclusion and racial justice strategies. Acquiring the requisite competencies is essential to develop, implement and advance sustainable DEI practices and policies in our sector. Learning and development programs such as the International Education Diversity & Inclusion Certificate , DEI related training programs at your place of work or within your local community, short online courses, or targeted readings offer opportunities to acquire and hone diversity and inclusion competencies. So whether it’s improving your marketing and advising skills or learning how to create a more inclusive office environment, acquiring and continuing to develop diversity and inclusive competencies will equip you with the skills, knowledge and confidence to champion and advance DEI within your organization.
Embrace Discomfort & Humility
“Get comfortable with being uncomfortable” – Luuvie Ajayi. The principles behind this quote are applicable to achieving success in advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and racial justice in and through our work in global education. Every year, I encourage attendees at the Diversity Abroad Conference to strive to learn more about topics in DEI that they might feel less comfortable with. It can feel uncomfortable or at times even embarrassing to admit not being as well versed in DEI language and terminology as your colleagues. Or, while you may be well versed with certain aspects of diversity, equity and inclusion, for example gender, sexuality or first-generation student status, you may be less comfortable engaging in topics related to race, class, religion or ability status. Discomfort is rarely a desirous feeling, however to develop into an effective DEI champion it requires embracing the inevitable discomfort that comes with realizing our own blindspots. This is essential to progress. Practicing humility is also critical in DEI work. As we continue to develop diversity and inclusion competencies and a measure of expertise, we can never forget that we must be perpetual students. Sustainable advancement only happens when we continue to learn, embrace discomfort and improve our DEI practice.
As we enter a new year we have an opportunity to capitalize upon the groundswell of energy that started last year to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and racial justice in and through our work. For success to happen, we must establish a baseline of our organization’s strengths and areas for development. Individually, it is essential that we both examine our own biases and work to acquire diversity & inclusion competencies. Finally, the more we embrace the discomfort that comes with identifying our DEI blindspots the better positioned we are to grow and to be effective in championing this critical work. Let’s all work in 2021 to ensure our field, from the programs we run to the climate of our offices, is more equitable and just.
May 4, 2021 | Articles
Posted: Tuesday, May 4, 2021
By: Subgroup of 2020-2021 Education Abroad: Student Support & Advising Task Force
For this article, we asked senior-level practitioners, those with 10 or more years of experience within education abroad, to share insights for newer professionals on how they can build a career that advances equity and justice for all students interested in global learning. Their responses are categorized into three areas: professional development tips and opportunities, lessons in leadership from their time in the field, and their hopes for the future of global education.
Professional Development Tips & Opportunities
When asked about specific experiences or student interactions that have furthered senior administrators’ understanding of equity and justice, respondents shared many student scenarios that have stayed with them throughout their professional careers. For example, when advising students from different identities, learning their personal stories, and hearing the challenges and fears they have about living and learning abroad, Gregory Spear, Assistant Director of Global Living and Learning Programs at Georgetown University, shared, “[I] have realized that there are many points in the study abroad pipeline at which students with minoritized or marginalized identities might feel compelled to opt out without the proper support structures.” One of the strategies advisors have found to be helpful in building a robust support structure is to collaborate early and often with partner offices on campus to better understand the needs of different student groups. It is also important to approach these conversations as a dialogue, not simply as a forum for marketing and/or outreach.
We also asked respondents if there were specific professional development opportunities they would recommend for new practitioners. Lauren Ruszczyk, who works at the University of Maryland College Park as the Senior Associate Director for Education Abroad, provided this insight:
“It’s important to shift the framing of professional development so that it refers to a continuous cycle of learning, application, and reflection. When it comes to equity and justice, we must adopt an anti-racist perspective and level of accountability that ensures we are working towards changing structures and systems and not just performative measures that don’t advance real change. In particular, leaders [must] work with staff to help them contextualize their learning and professional development as it relates to advancing the stated mission of the organization, as well as the growth of the individual as a professional in our field.”
Many respondents also suggested that new professionals join diversity committees on campus to represent the international education perspective. New professionals can also pursue opportunities to serve as reviewers for study abroad scholarships like Gilman, Fund for Education Abroad, Boren, etc. to learn more about the formal structures for expanding access to opportunities abroad. Learning about and implementing inclusive program design, as well as participating in professional exchanges with colleagues from institutions that serve different student populations were also recommended. Respondents also shared the following resources that helped shape and expand their view of international education within the larger landscape of equity, diversity, and inclusion:
Lessons in Leadership
In terms of leadership, advocacy and managing up, senior education abroad practitioners stressed the importance of utilizing data, focusing on access, and defining learning outcomes. A number of respondents cited that demonstrating the impact of education abroad on graduation and retention rates, especially for students of color, has helped to move the needle and advance the conversation. And moreover, in order to equitably offer students these global experiences, there is a real need for cross-campus collaboration to identify and increase funding sources for those students who may otherwise not be able to participate. Daniel F. Diaz, Director of Global and Off-Campus Initiatives & International Student Advisor at Guilford College, suggested looking at the link between learning outcomes and student success:
“[We need to] push for building a stronger understanding of learning outcomes and goals, and show how that translates to retention, graduation rates, and alumni advancement. Overall, [it’s important that we] keep the conversation active that global education is an essential mechanism for building equity and justice both locally, regionally, and internationally.”
A number of survey respondents shared that their institutions have been hiring new, senior DEI administrators in recent months, such as assistant vice presidents and associate provosts for DEI. However, the reality is that education abroad offices can easily be left out of the conversation, and are not always directly integrated into these initiatives. Some respondents cited this as a lost opportunity, since there is fertile ground for leveraging the intersection of DEI and intercultural frameworks. Others opted for charting their own path as an office. “[Advocating for racial justice and equity] is a pretty recent phenomena at my current institution,” one administrator shared. “Our office has been pushing out in front, because we couldn’t wait for our [senior leadership] to figure it out for us.”
Diversifying professional and student staff
Another area where respondents shared insights was around diversifying their student support staff. A common theme that emerged was the need for examining job descriptions and recruitment methods, especially since most education abroad offices remain largely made up of white staff. “Many jobs in our field require international experience, when we already know that the majority of folks participating in study abroad do not hold marginalized identities,” shared Ruszczyk at the University of Maryland. Others spoke to the reality that support staff who identify as BIPOC can often end up doing invisible work and carrying an additional burden due to the relationships they support and needs they serve.
In most cases, the staff doesn’t reflect the student population. At Elon University, under the leadership of Allegra Laing, Associate Director for Global Diversity and Inclusion, they have constructed a pipeline for students from marginalized identities to attend the Global Student Leadership Summit, the student component of the Global Inclusion conference, and then become members of the office’s student peer advising staff. However, this isn’t possible without accountability and consistent action. “It takes resources and a certain amount of commitment to make sure we are getting our job postings to all students,” shared Rhonda Waller, Executive Director of Global Education at Elon.
The intersection of global education and social responsibility
Respondents also weighed in on how practitioners can push students to consider gaining new perspectives on social responsibility as a key component of their study abroad experience. Many cited the importance of faculty and senior leadership in driving this conversation, especially in terms of curriculum, program development, and learning outcomes. Although, others shared that education abroad advisors can still embrace this philosophy despite not having full institutional support. Some examples shared were encouraging students to get involved in their host community, as well as thoughtfully developing pre-departure, on-site, and re-entry content that helps students explore these concepts. “We’ve evolved from promoting study abroad [not only] as a way to go to a specific country, but rather as a way to achieve academic and career goals. I think we have work to do to expand that narrative to promote study abroad as a way to focus on social responsibility,” suggested Dan Hart, Associate Director for Health, Safety, and Security at Arizona State University.
Hopes for the Future of Global Education
Among senior level advisors working in the field of international education, there is hope that more BIPOC and queer students will participate on global education programs and that more staff and faculty will actively participate in the work of global education offices at colleges and universities. However, simple representation is not enough, and there was an imperative expressed in the responses to work diligently and expeditiously on addressing inequities and exclusionary practices. “I hope that tourism becomes more about learning and connection than sightseeing and watching,” shared Diaz at Guilford College. “I hope that we become more curious and open about each other’s differences, rather than fearful and wary.” Many respondents cited the need for institutional resources and support to achieve more equity, access, and justice for students who hold marginalized identities, as well as internationalization efforts to happen across a broad range of campus offices and become institutional priorities. “Intercultural and multicultural educational efforts should be interspersed and integrated throughout our organizations. Institutional support should be in place to promote access for all students in global learning (at home and abroad),” suggested Marisa Atencio, Assistant Dean and Director of Global Education at Oglethorpe University.
The pros and cons of virtual programming
During the past year, virtual programming has burgeoned and made space for innovation and creativity in the delivery of global education. As for these global education opportunities, many of the responses were overwhelmingly positive. Atencio said, “I believe meeting people from around the world and having open conversations virtually will heighten confidence and increase interest in intercultural exchange. Pre-departure preparations can be improved immensely by infusing virtual collaborations and interactions that will help both the voyager and the host.” Many respondents acknowledged that the ability to offer experiences that introduce students to a global network of people and participate in intercultural dialogue and exchange presents an important opportunity for increased equity and inclusion. “I think this [virtual engagement] is a critical way to provide learning and content with a global focus to those who aren’t interested or are unable to travel,” suggested Hart at Arizona State University.
However, several respondents also highlighted that virtual programming can be a double-edged sword. It can increase inequities and become isolating and exclusionary for students from low-income or other marginalized backgrounds. Senior level advisors spoke of the importance of designing virtual global education programs intentionally and strategically, in order to avoid the pitfalls of increased iniquities and inequalities. “To make the most of the virtual context and how vast and accessible virtual can be for students, we need to create spaces that really allow for immersion and connection through the virtual platform,” commented Holly Wheeler, Assistant Director and Advisor, Asia at NAU Education Abroad.
An increased focus on health & safety
Many practitioners agreed that colleges and universities will need to offer more robust health and safety resources to students planning to go abroad.
“The pandemic has forced everyone to review and rethink safety practices and has revealed gaps. Before the pandemic, many of us were trained and had experienced emergency scenarios involving one or two students at a time. The pandemic created a situation where we had to think about larger numbers of students at risk at the same time. It encouraged closer collaboration with the physicians and staff at our student health clinic, as well as all of those who serve on our emergency advisory committee, and it has necessitated better guidance to both students and faculty pre-departure,”said Farrah Bernardino, Director for International Initiatives at Georgia State University.
This increased attention to health and safety on global education programs also comes with an increased institutional aversion to risk at many institutions of higher education. This amplified risk aversion may include more robust and integrated systems for mitigating risk, putting more insurance measures into place, and offering innovative ways for students to access healthcare options.
“I do feel that there will be more telehealth opportunities for our students in the future, as that has shown to work well, at least in the U.S. I think that by having information with the DOS Travel Advisories, CDC and our partners, we will know what types of precautions to help our students with. It’s also shown the importance of having regular contact with students if they are abroad with a faculty leader, whether that contact is by the overseas partner/provider or from our office,” remarked Ginny Casper, Assistant Director of International Programs at Union College.
Many advisors also cited the necessity to prioritize mental and emotional health resources for students, in addition to the physical health and safety standards that already exist. According to Ben Levy, Director of International Education/SIO at Ramapo College of New Jersey, the pandemic has further highlighted the importance in “supporting the holistic well-being of students, especially those already marginalized, and best approached through relational and contextually relevant approaches.”
More inclusive curriculum design for education abroad
Respondents had much to say about curriculum for education abroad programming as it relates to racial justice. Gareth McFeely, Executive Director of Study Abroad at Boston University, implored a student-centered lens when stressing that “many of the students most deeply and sincerely committed to questions of social and racial justice are actively concerned to see the development of (ethical) programming in locations that are often ignored or marginalized, and those concerns deserve to be taken very seriously.” Several respondents spoke of the necessity to infuse a racial justice lens into all programs abroad, regardless of their locations or their focus, since ongoing histories of racism and colonialism can be discussed anywhere on the planet. Karen Williams, Education Abroad Advisor at Drake University summed this sentiment up by saying:
“I think who the faculty/staff leader(s) are, how they approach the topic, the content they choose to share, and who they meet within the local communities all have an important influence on how students learn about racial justice. I think the ‘where’ piece is less important and is dependent on the expertise of the program leader(s), but students should understand the history of relationships between places (colonialism/imperialism, globalization, etc.). I also think students should have some understanding of the imagined importance of place(s) (i.e., that no place is better than another, even though historical stories and the media may portray that).”
There was also a call for more reciprocity in global education, for example, looking into the directionality of travel, which traditionally happens from the Global North to the Global South. “If we insist on writing the curriculum without collaborating with others truly (academic imperialism) then nothing is going to change,” commented Waller at Elon University. Others agreed. Spear at Georgetown University had this to say: “I think curriculum development that roots global learning and education abroad programming in pressing, human-centered, 21st century challenges — wherever and whatever those might be — have value, and that the ethics have more to do with how we as educators disrupt and challenge notions of positionality and power and set the stage for learning that seeks just and sustainable communities.”
Conclusion
It is an important moment to reflect and take action to ensure that equity and justice are at the forefront of international education program design and delivery. The reflections and responses gathered in this article, represent the collective work of a group of over twenty senior level advisors in the field of international education. There are a wealth of tips, lessons, and hopeful messages for newer professionals to build a career that advances equity and justice for all students. As one respondent highlighted, learning about and practicing anti-racism and utilizing an equity lens for global education program design is an on-going process of learning, application, and reflection. The work of creating more diverse and inclusive student support frameworks on abroad programs will be a challenging and long process, yet there is much reason for hope as the world slowly transitions into a post-pandemic reality.
May 4, 2021 | Articles
Posted: Tuesday, May 5, 2021
By: Subgroup of 2020-2021 Career Advancement & Belonging Task Force
McKenna Hughes (she/her/hers) – Global Education Advisor, Chapman University
Randeep Kullar (she/her/hers) – Career Services Manager, UC Berkeley
Anna Hayes (she/her/hers) – Associate Director of Global Programs, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Daniella Lubey (she/her/hers) – Study Abroad Advisor, University of San Francisco
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, women working in international education, especially those pursuing leadership roles, faced challenges in the workforce different from their male colleagues. Biases, glass ceilings, and lack of mentorship or support networks were, and still are, barriers for women working in not just international education but in higher education and beyond. According to a 2017 report by the American Council on Education, only 30% of college presidents were women, and only 55% of Senior International Officers (SIOs) at colleges are women (AIEA, 2020), compared to 78% of women in international education overall.
In an Occasional Paper written for AIEA, Gaudette et al. (2018) conducted a survey of 449 women in leadership positions in international education from across the world. Participants felt there were advantages to being a woman in international education, such as being considered more approachable, which allowed them to “more easily break cultural barriers or establish contacts with students, staff, other colleagues” (Gaudette et al., 2018, 12). However, Gaudette et al. also noted that women in international education often feel dominated by men in their roles (2018). Participants expressed they were often the only woman in the room and easily dismissed or perceived as incapable (Gaudette et al., 2018). Friedman’s (2020) study echoed these findings. Through qualitative interviews, women indicated they all experienced challenges in the workforce – from systemic barriers with mostly men holding and most likely to be promoted into top positions to microaggressions (Friedman, 2020). To combat these challenges, women use strategies such as utilizing a friendly but bold approach, aligning themselves with other women, as well as mentoring other women, displaying empathy, and developing negotiating skills to be influential leaders in international education (Friedman, 2020; Gaudette et al., 2018).
The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated/shed light on the challenges that women face in becoming successful in the workforce. This article will discuss the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on women in international education and how the field can move forward in supporting women to gain leadership roles and continue promoting inclusion and belonging in the workplace.
Impact of COVID-19 on Women
The COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged the entire world, but its impact has not necessarily been experienced equally – this is especially true for women. According to the National Women’s Law Center, the “total number of women who have left the labor force since February 2020 [in the U.S. is currently]…more than 2.3 million [which]…puts women’s labor force [participation] rate at 57%, the lowest it’s been since 1988…By comparison, 1.8 million men have left the labor force during this same time period” (Connley, 2021). This is predominantly because the most heavily impacted areas are those in which women are more concentrated, such as hospitality and healthcare. Women are also taking on the brunt of childcare and education needs brought on due to schools and daycares’ mandatory closures (Karageorge, 2020). This increase in responsibilities creates higher levels of burnout so that across all industries, senior-level women “are 1.5 times more likely than senior-level men to think about downshifting their role or leaving the workforce because of COVID-19” (Coury et al, 2020). In addition to having to deal with existing systemic oppressions, “Black women, Latinas, Asian women, LGBTQ+ women, and women with disabilities are facing distinct challenges” as they tend to be overrepresented in the areas that were hit particularly hard (McKinsey & Company, 2020). This, of course, is on top of a general increase in mental health-related concerns, difficulty with physical health, and an increase in domestic violence that has occurred across the U.S. (Taub, 2020).
What does this mean in the context of higher education which, as of February 2021, has lost at least 65,000, or 1 in 8, workers (Bauman, 2021)? Like most other professions, as The Chronicle of Higher Education reports, “The Staff Are Not Ok” (Bessette, 2021). These are the professionals who have had to do more with less while taking on the implementation of transition plans to remote learning and providing support for faculty and students. This is, of course, not taking into consideration personal commitments and trials that they have and are continuing to endure. Now, add the context of being a woman on top of this and consider the statistics discussed earlier. Like in other fields, women in higher education are also disproportionately pulling the double shift of their 9-5 along with supporting their families.
Taking a deeper look into the international education sector of higher education, which took a severe hit by the pandemic and is predominantly composed of women, all of this paints a picture of what our field, in particular, is facing. Take the team writing this article as an example.Take the team writing this article as an example. All are women who have had to pivot in some way due to Covid, with some even moving out of international education completely. One colleague made the tough decision to give up the opportunity to participate in this Task Force so she could focus on balancing her familial and professional commitments. These are real stories, not just statistics. How are international education, higher education, and fields across the globe going to combat this decline of women in the workforce that has the potential to reverse progress made for equality not just for women but for individuals that come from a variety of intersecting backgrounds and abilities?
Women in Leadership
Women in leadership positions have a lasting impact on intersectional diversity, inclusion, and belonging in their organizations, which is desperately needed as we see women and people of color hit disproportionately hard by the effects of the pandemic. They are also at greater risk of disappearing from leadership roles in the field. For now, international education continues to face limitations and losses in the workforce that impact women harder than their male counterparts. Institutions and organizations in the field need to plan forward to ensure that they focus on the ground already lost by women in the field and make changes to recover those losses.
If international education doesn’t prioritize diversity, inclusion, and belonging in the workplace during this crisis, “the impact will be felt not just on the bottom line but in people’s lives” (Dixon-Fyle, Dolan, Hunt, & Prince, 2021). Losing women in leadership roles may also impact the advocacy efforts for inclusive and employee-friendly policies and practices in their organizations. When looking at who promotes broad diversity efforts in the workforce, “more than 50 percent of senior-level women say they consistently take a public stand for gender and racial equity at work, compared with about 40 percent of senior-level men” (Coury et al., 2020). The Diversity Abroad 2020 Survey of Diversity and Inclusion Among International Educators found that respondents across race/ethnic identity generally felt a sense of belonging and ability to bring their whole selves to work (Diversity Abroad, 2020). However, if more women, and especially women with other underrepresented, intersecting identities, are pushed out of the field and out of leadership roles, this sense of belonging for those that remain may be at risk.
The crisis at hand makes it more critical than ever for women to continue pushing for leadership positions in the field to make up for the losses suffered in the last year. Women in leadership who remain in international education need to continue to mentor and push for inclusive policies and practices in their organizations. Women leaders are more likely to lift other women and other underrepresented groups into leadership roles through mentorship and sponsorship than men, as we see with the statistic that “38 percent of senior-level women currently mentor or sponsor one or more women of color, compared with only 23 percent of senior-level men” (Coury et al., 2020). Those in power must continue to fight for inclusive policies and programs to support those most impacted by the pandemic which in turn will open organizations and offices up to greater innovation and adaptability to overcome the current challenges and position them better for the future.
Moving Forward
The pandemic has brought greater access to work by increasing work flexibility, remote capabilities and technology, and mental health services that can provide much-needed support for women in the field. Companies should expect to maintain these new work norms beyond the pandemic to continue supporting women and others who may often find themselves unable to access their necessary resources to work. By making “significant investments in building a more flexible and empathetic workplace…[companies] can retain the employees most affected by today’s crises and nurture a culture in which women have equal opportunity to achieve their potential over the long term.” (Coury et al., 2020). Despite some positives, remote work may also erode inclusion in a workplace when disparities in internet access, privacy, and child- and family-care duties increase confusion and frustration (Dolan, Hunt, Prince, & Sancier-Sultan, 2020).
Access is not the only issue, however. Women are more likely to feel burnout and exhaustion, partly due to the additional hours spent doing housework and childcare and partly because “women are often held to higher performance standards than men, and they may be more likely to take the blame for failure” (Coury et al., 2020). To go beyond simple access, organizations need to also look at their performance evaluation structures, strengthen communication, continue bias training, and unequivocally support inclusive practices and policies.
Despite the heavy toll the pandemic has brought, there is still an opportunity for the international education field to support and grow women leaders. Building inclusive and empathetic policies will help bolster a diverse workforce and will both retain women leaders now and foster an adaptable, innovative company in the long-term. It is critical that the field does not lose ground on the percentage of leadership roles filled with women because “if women leaders leave the workforce, women at all levels could lose their most powerful allies and champions” (Coury et al., 2020).
Resources
Bauman, D. (2021, February 5). A Brutal Tally: Higher Ed Lost 650,000 Jobs Last Year. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved February 09, 2021, from https://www.chronicle.com/article/a-brutal-tally-higher-ed-lost-650-000-jobs-last-year
Bessette, L. S. (2020, November 2). The Staff Are Not Ok. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved February 9, 2021, from https://community.chronicle.com/news/2435-the-staff-are-not-ok?cid=VTEVPMSED1
Caprino, K. (2020, July 13). How the pandemic is negatively impacting women more than men, and what has to change. Forbes. Retrieved February 09, 2021, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2020/07/13/how-the-pandemic-is-negatively-impacting-women-more-than-men-and-what-has-to-change/?sh=4c305c8f554b
Connley, C. (2021, February 8). Women’s labor force participation rate hit a 33-year low in January, according to new analysis. CNBC. Retrieved February 10, 2021, from https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/08/womens-labor-force-participation-rate-hit-33-year-low-in-january-2021.html
Coury, S., Huang, J., Kumar, A., Prince, S., Krivkovich, A., & Yee, L. (2020, October 08). Women in the workplace 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace#
Diversity Abroad (2020). Diversity Abroad 2020 Survey of Diversity and Inclusion Among International Educators, from https://www.diversitynetwork.org/common/Uploaded%20files/Research_Reports/2020_survey_of_diversity_report.pdf
Dixon-Fyle, S., Dolan, K., Hunt, V., & Prince, S. (2021, February 11). Diversity wins: How inclusion matters. Retrieved February 19, 2021, from https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-wins-how-inclusion-matters
Dolan, K., Hunt, V., Prince, S., & Sancier-Sultan, S. (2020, December 14). Diversity still matters. Retrieved February 20, 2021, from https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-still-matters
Flaherty, C. (2020, October 20). Women Are Falling Behind. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved February 9, 2021, from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/10/20/large-scale-study-backs-other-research-showing-relative-declines-womens-research
Friedman, S.H. (2020). How High the Ceiling. In The Wiley Handbook of Gender Equity in Higher Education (eds N.S. Niemi and M.B. Weaver‐Hightower). https://doi-org/10.1002/9781119257639.ch22
Gaudette, H., Overmann, C., Regulska, J., & Bhattacharya, M. (2018). Today’s Women Leaders in International Education (Occasional Paper). Retrieved June 20, 2018, from Association of International Education Administrators website: aieaworld.org
Karageorge, E. X. (2020, September 01). COVID-19 recession is tougher on women : Monthly Labor Review. Retrieved February 09, 2021, from https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2020/beyond-bls/covid-19-recession-is-tougher-on-women.htm
McKinsey & Company. (2020). Women in the Workplace. Retrieved February 9, 2021, from https://wiw-report.s3.amazonaws.com/Women_in_the_Workplace_2020.pdf
Shalaby, M., Allam, N., & Buttorff, G. (2020, December 18). Gender, COVID and Faculty Service. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved February 9, 2021, from https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2020/12/18/increasingly-disproportionate-service-burden-female-faculty-bear-will-have
Taub, A. (2020, April 6). A New Covid-19 Crisis: Domestic Abuse Rises Worldwide. The New York Times. Retrieved February 9, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/06/world/coronavirus-domestic-violence.html
