Contact: NAFSA Media Relations, [email protected]
NAFSA 2021 Annual Conference & Expo Will Be Virtual for 2021
WHAT
The NAFSA 2021 Annual Conference & Expo, Designing Our Shared Future, is the most diverse and comprehensive global event attended by professionals from across the field. This all-virtual conference features plenary speakers who will bring global expertise to a particular subject vital to building a more globally engaged citizenry and a more peaceful world. Learn more at https://www.nafsa.org/conferences/nafsa-2021.
WHEN
Tuesday, June 1 – Friday, June 4, 2021
WHERE
Online at https://www.nafsa.org/conferences/nafsa-2021
2021 PLENARY KEYNOTE SPEAKERS | Below is the list of keynote speakers—find out more about these plenary speakers at https://www.nafsa.org/conferences/nafsa-2021/nafsa-2021-plenary-speakers.
- Nicholas Kristof, acclaimed author, journalist, and human rights advocate.
- Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Olympic Gold Medalist, children’s healthcare advocate and author
CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS | Below is a sampling of sessions— more can be found at https://www.nafsa.org/conferences/nafsa-2021/nafsa-2021-program
- NAFSA’s Latin America and the Caribbean Forum, held Wednesday, June 2 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., will explore issues related to international education in Latin America and the Caribbean as well as effective strategies to engage in the region.
- The Transformation Toward Digital Collaboration and the Future of Learning session, on Wednesday, June 2 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. will explore how technology and partnerships strengthen higher education as well as the interconnectedness of technology and internationalization with online delivery on the virtual campus.
- Environmental Changes, Sustainability and Global Issues will be discussed during a session on Tuesday, June 2 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. The NAFSA: Association of International Educators 2020–2021 Senior Fellows represent thought leader voices from around the world on trends in international higher education, climate change, and sustainability. This session provides each Senior Fellow an opportunity to discuss this topic from their respective area of expertise and world region.
- The session Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP): Current Issues session on Tuesday, June 2 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. addresses issues practitioners face regarding current regulatory, policy, and practice inconsistencies that affect the advising of students in F and M immigration status from the perspective of experienced NAFSA leaders
- At the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs: Current Issues session, held Thursday, June 3 from 9 a.m.to 10 a.m., learn more about the policies and procedures employed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in admitting international students and scholars into the United States, including current trends and anticipated developments for the year ahead. Officials from CBP have been invited to participate.
- The presentation Policymaking in International Education: The View from Washington deconstructs the federal policy climate for international education and exchange and the impact of recent political activity on programs of concern to international educators, including election results, funding in a tight budget climate, immigration reform, and congressional and administration actions affecting study abroad and cultural exchange.
- Saul Flores will present The Walk of the Immigrants on Thursday, June 3 at 6 p.m. Saul spent three months walking, hitchhiking, and sleeping on the ground and in hiding places, from Ecuador to North Carolina. He walked 5,328 miles through ten countries and nine border crossings to document how grueling and dangerous the journey of immigrants to the United States can be and to raise money for an elementary school in Mexico. In this presentation he will discuss the hardships and hope associated with the immigrant experience.
- The Virtual International Education Expo Hall will feature exhibitors representing hundreds of organizations from around the world, including colleges and universities, study abroad and Intensive-English programs, embassies, government agencies and more. Visit our exhibitors at https://www.nafsa.org/conferences/nafsa-2021/nafsa-2021-expo
NAFSA MEDIA PASS
Reporters wishing to cover the NAFSA 2021 Annual Conference & Expo are encouraged to contact Matt Ruffner at [email protected]
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About NAFSA: Serving more than 10,000 members and international educators worldwide, NAFSA: Association of International Educators is the largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education and exchange. Visit us at www.nafsa.org/press. To learn more about our advocacy efforts on behalf of international education, visit www.nafsa.org/takeaction. Resources to guide our members on these issues can be found at www.nafsa.org/reginfo.