2024 NAFSA Region VIII Conference

Early Bird Deadline - October 15, 2024

Getting to Lancaster:

By Plane:

Lancaster, PA has two nearby airports with service to many airports throughout Region VIII.

Lancaster County Airport offers flight services between Lancaster, Pittsburgh, and Washington, Dulles. These flights are offered in a single-engine propeller plane and will fly low. A beautiful way to enjoy fall foliage. If you are prone to motion sickness, this may not be the best option for you. Lancaster Regional Airport is about 20 minutes from the convention site. A taxi or rideshare service from the airport to the hotel will cost about $25-$40 for a 1-way fare.

Harrisburg International Airport offers several flight services throughout the region, the Harrisburg International Airport has more options from major airlines. This airport is located about 40-minutes from downtown Lancaster. Rental car services are available. A taxi or rideshare service from the Harrisburg International Airport will cost between $50-$100 for a 1-way fare. 

By Train:

Lancaster Tain Station is located 1-mile from the convention site. The Keystone Line connects Lancaster and Philadelphia, PA. A train from Washington Union Station to Lancaster is about 3 hours 30 minutes with a train transfer in Philadelphia. The Pennsylvania Train offers fares from Pittsburgh to Lancaster and will take 8 hours with a train transfer in Harrisburg, PA.

By Automobile:

Driving to Lancaster Consider driving to Lancaster with colleagues and enjoying the rich farmland and rustic scenery of the Lower Susquehanna River Basin.

• Philadelphia, PA – 1 hour, 20 minutes
• Pittsburgh, PA – 3 hours, 35 minutes
• Wilmington, DE – 1 hour, 30 minutes
• Baltimore, MD – 1 hour, 30 minutes

Complete this form to be considered for an invitation letter.

All requests submitted by October 1st will be screened, but not all requests will be approved. Please allow one week from your date of submission for delivery. If approved, an invitation letter on official letterhead will be issued to you as a PDF document, and will be e-mailed to the address you provided.

Please check with your local U.S. consulate to allow sufficient time for visa processing. Your request for a letter of invitation to attend a NAFSA regional conference does not guarantee that you will receive a visa.

J-1 Beginners

A must-have training for the new Responsible Officers or Alternate Responsible Officers to jump-start their careers. New advisers will gain insight into current regulatory issues and work through how these concepts apply within their specific educational contexts.

F-1 Intermediate

The F-1 Advising Intermediate workshop goes deeply into grey areas of F advising. This workshop is designed to help you think through the development of policies, procedures, and practices necessary to maintain a healthy F program for your institution.

EA Student Health and Safety Abroad

Education Abroad professionals, let's have a productive discussion around promoting, maintaining, and facilitating health and safety for the students and faculty we're sending abroad.

IEM Recruiting International Students

If you are involved in recruiting international students, this workshop will provide practical insights and tips. 

The Online Planner will be available soon.

NAFSA is dedicated to providing a harassment-free conference experience for everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, or religion. NAFSA does not tolerate harassment of conference participants in any form. All communication should be appropriate for a professional audience, including people of diverse backgrounds and cultures. Sexual language and imagery are not appropriate for the conference. Participants violating these rules may be asked to leave the conference at the sole discretion of NAFSA’s management. If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, or if you witness unacceptable behavior, please inform the Regional Conference Planner, who will inform NAFSA staff, so that we may resolve any concerns. If you or another event participant witnesses or is a party to imminent physical danger or distress, promptly alert the appropriate security, law enforcement, or emergency medical authorities. This Code applies to all NAFSA members and event attendees in all NAFSA meeting venues, including the regional conference, ancillary events and social gatherings, whether officially sponsored by NAFSA or not and whether held in-person or virtually.

Conference registration and/or workshop registration may be canceled with full refund less a 10% processing fee, any time up until four (4) weeks prior, October 15, to the conference start date.

A 50% refund is available for conference registration and/or workshop registration provided written notification is received between four (4) weeks, October 15, and two (2) weeks prior, October 29, to the conference start date.

No refunds will be granted after October 29, 2024. In the case of emergency/extenuating circumstances, special requests may be considered on a case-by-case basis by the regional leadership team following the conference.

NAFSA follows COVID-19 safety protocols as required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and local ordinances in the conference location, which currently do not require proof of vaccination or masking. Should the mandates change, NAFSA reserves the right to adjust conference attendance policies accordingly.

NAFSA strongly encourages COVID-19 vaccination and boosters, as vaccines are recommended as a proven way to prevent the threat of critical illness. Many attendees may still choose to wear masks indoors, and we ask that all attendees respect those who elect to do so. NAFSA recommends attendees self-test before leaving home for the conference. If you feel ill on-site, please remain in your hotel room and test to determine your health status.

By registering for this event, you agree to the collection of contact and demographic information in accordance with NAFSA’s Privacy Policy. This includes any information unique to you that is available in the individual's NAFSA profile. NAFSA will share limited information (name, title, organization, state, and country) in the official attendee list. NAFSA may further share your contact information according to your selected “Communication Preferences” in your MyNAFSA and in accordance with NAFSA’s Privacy Policy.

Your data will be collected and utilized for NAFSA: Association of International Educators, organizer of this event, to allow your access to the event as well as its digital platform, CadmiumCD. Additionally, you agree to the sharing of your contact information with the trainers, coaches, and other program participants for the purpose of fulfilling the program for which you have registered. As a condition to participation, attendees consent to be recorded.

NAFSA is committed to providing universal access to its products, services, digital content, and events and, in compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, will honor requests for reasonable accommodations made by individuals with disabilities. Advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility needs so we ask that requests for accommodations be made as early as possible, preferably at least three weeks in advance of the regional conference start date, through the registration process, if possible. Or, you can contact [email protected] for accommodation requests. Every reasonable effort will be made to provide reasonable accommodations in an effective and timely manner, but services are subject to availability, and further, NAFSA may not be able to grant accommodations requests that place an undue burden on it or that fundamentally change the nature or structure of the goods or services.