NAFSA 61st Annual Conference & Expo Begins Next Week in Los Angeles

WASHINGTON, May 19, 2009 - The 61st Annual Conference of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, "Fostering Global Engagement Through International Education," will be held May 26 29 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

NAFSA's annual conference is the world's largest gathering of professionals in international education and exchange, drawing more than 8,000 participants from 100 countries.

The conference is anchored by daily plenary events, which will include the following distinguished speakers this year:

• Tuesday, May 26 - Muhammad Yunus, visionary founder of the Grameen Bank who leads a global network aimed at ending poverty around the world
  
• Wednesday, May 27 - A special panel event moderated by Ray Suarez, senior correspondent with The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, will explore the latest trends and issues in global talent flows. Panelists include Duke University researcher and technology pioneer Vivek Wadhwa, AnnaLee Saxenian, dean of the University of CaliforniaBerkeley School of Information, Demetrios Papademetriou, president, Migration Policy Institute (MPI), and Luis Guarnizo, chiar, Community Studies and Development Unit, and professor, University of California, Davis
  
  
• Thursday, May 28 - Gillian Sorensen, senior adviser and national advocate at the United Nations Foundation
  
• Friday, May 29 Luis Alberto Moreno, president of the InterAmerican Development Bank

More Conference Highlights

• Get caught up on all the latest in international education at more than 200 concurrent sessions. See complete topic and panelist information online now.
  
• Check out our special film series, and hear from on topics such as internationalization of K12 curricula, trends in global mobility and higher education, peacebuilding and study abroad, research in critical thinking, and more at our special speaker series.
  
• Explore the sights and sounds of the NAFSA Expo Hall, which features exhibitors representing hundreds of organizations from around the world, including colleges and universities, study abroad and intensiveEnglish programs, embassies and government agencies, and more.

Press Registration

For complete information about press registration, policies for news media, and other details, visit NAFSA's 2009 Annual Conference Pages for News Media.

Checkin for news media begins Tuesday, May 26, at 7:00 AM at the L.A. Convention Center.

The NAFSA Press Pass includes admission to the NAFSA Conference and Expo between Tuesday, May 26, and Friday, May 29, for the plenary speeches, the opening and closing celebrations, the International Education Expo, and the concurrent sessions.

Many session and seminar rooms, seating is limited and is on a firstcome, firstserved basis. No reserved seating for news media will be available, and prompt arrival is advised.

Conference workshops, private events, special events that require preregistration or payment of a fee, and meetings of NAFSA leadership and member groups are closed to the news media.