As the day in the NAFSA Expo Hall drew to a close, lots of people headed out for an evening of receptions and networking -- as did I.
When I was a study abroad adviser, I used to receive lots of invitations. Last year, as conference Local Arrangements Team co-chair, I received invitations from a number of organizations -- very much appreciated after a long day of work at the conference.?This year, I have fewer invitations, but that's nice because my schedule is manageable.?
My first reception last night was one hosted by the Institute for International Education (IIE) at the Museum of Women in the Arts. The main hall of the museum was full of conference attendees who have a relationship with IIE. I met many interesting people, including a business professor from Ohio, a international studies professor from Muhlenberg College and EducationUSA advisors from Pakistan. I was also able to briefly connect with friends such as Evelyn Levinson from American University and Rosalind Raby from the California community college international education community.
At the IIE reception, I was particularly excited to learn from Bill Gertz, CEO of American Institute for Study Abroad (AIFS), about a new research initiative between the AIFS Foundation and IIE, which IIE has announced in their newsletter. [Update: A short video interview with Bill?about the initiative?is now up on my YouTube site.]
My second reception of the evening was "Late Night with Lexia", hosted by Lexia Study Abroad Programs. I worked for Lexia for a couple of years and I enjoyed re-connecting with my former colleagues and meeting new friends. I spent time talking with Lexia's Ned Harvey and Ned Quigley as well as attendees from Brazil and Argentina. The event was hosted in a lovely pub with smooth live jazz. A perfect ending to a busy day!
These receptions are an important part of the conference as they help professionals connect with each other in a social atmosphere. The mix of people at these events means that you are meeting someone interesting every time you turn around and that the conversations are invigorating and informative. I really enjoy meeting new colleagues and finding out what they do and what challenges they face.
And tomorrow will be another busy day. Time to call it a night!
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I have to admit, I probably would not have gotten around to watching that YouTube video of Bill Gertz if you hadn’t also “teased” it in your blog post! Way to entice me to shell out a whole 55 seconds to learn about new things in study abroad.
srah’s last blog post: Get up offa that thing/ And walk ’til clothes fit better