Making the Case: Four Tips to Advocate for Resources

As the world moves past the worst days of the pandemic and international offices return to a semblance of normalcy, senior international officers (SIOs) are putting together their budgets with an eye to how their programs’ needs have changed. For some, this entails assessing staffing changes; for others, it includes re-evaluating or even expanding programs that were on hold for 2 years.

But one theme is likely to be constant across all the offices: the need for more resources, whether in the form of finances or staff. Once leaders determine budgetary and staff needs, how can they best advocate for those resources?

Making the pitch up the chain for additional resources can be stressful, but there are ways to make the process less painful—and even increase your chances of success. Here are four tips for advocating for more resources.

1. Come prepared with data.

To make budget requests, speak the language of numbers. That means having data to back up requests, which doesn’t always come easily for SIOs.

“One problem with international education is that we have been working with a lot of anecdotal evidence that students and professors love it, but how do we measure it?” asks Erich Dietrich, assistant vice president for global programs and associate dean for global affairs at New York University.

Data help quantify a program’s needs—and successes—in a way that justifies the request. “To say, ‘My office is really busy,’—well, what does that mean?” asks Denise Dimon, associate provost for international affairs at the