Finding Allies

In a time of uncertainty on many campuses, the NAFSA community strives to provide tools to help you make the case for international education and retain the support of your institution. Importantly, you do not have to wage this campaign alone, and cultivating allies around your organization may help.

I have been in a similar position before. Earlier in my career, I served in the federal government, which often meant managing projects despite scarcity. This is a circumstance with which many international educators are well acquainted. 

The bureau I led focused on global international organizations; relations with smaller, regional organizations were handled by the geographic bureaus. To improve analysis and enhance the consistency of our initiatives across organizations, I wanted to create an office within my bureau that analyzed trends and issues across many regional organizations and compared them with global organizations. 

Collaboration, Not Competition

Through one lens, the new office might seem to create competition; through another, it was an effort to build a resource for all the bureaus. Beyond the formal meetings where my colleagues and I often conferred in larger groups as teams, I met with each of my counterparts personally to explain why the new office in my bureau would help them be more efficient in their bureaus. I listened to their suggestions and thanked them for the time they took to hear me out.

We did create that office, and it did bridge a gap in connections in a very large organization. Regional bureaus realized