May 11, 2017

Increasing ROI is difficult when your budget is limited and IEM professionals are constantly asked to do more with less. In this Government Connection, the presenters provide a variety of affordable resources from U.S. Department of Commerce Global Education Team and Return on Investment for International Educators tool (ROIIE) for international enrollment services professionals; from market research tools to hosting virtual education events to creating your ROI model.

Amy Freedman from U.S. Department of Commerce and Cheryl DarrupBoychuck of INTCAS: INTelligent Communities Around Students  introduced the tools and resources while Salma Benhaida and George Kacenga shared how they use the resources to optimize ROI at their institutions.

Objectives

  • Increase awareness of low-cost, budget-friendly U.S. commercial services resources
  • Increase accessibility of tools and ideas to measure ROI

Presenters

Salma Benhaida
Kent State University

Salma Benhaida is the director of international recruitment, admissions, and sponsored student services at Kent State University where she oversees international recruitment and admissions over the eight-campus system. Benhaida also acts as liaison between Kent State University and various sponsoring agencies and foreign embassies. She received her bachelor of science degree in accountancy and her master’s degree in communication from the University of Akron.

George Kacenga
University of Colorado-Denver

George F. Kacenga is director of international enrollment management at the University of Colorado-Denver. He has been an active professional in higher education for more than 15 years, serving domestic, international, and underserved populations. With strengths including admissions, enrollment management, and student service, Kacenga serves as an active member of several professional organizations as a leader and presenter. Kacenga earned his PhD from the University of Pittsburgh in social and comparative analysis in education.

Amy Freedman
U.S. Commercial Service

Amy Freedman has worked in various industries, including luxury retail and hospitality management. She began her career with the U.S. Department of Commerce as an intern while studying at Cleveland State University. Upon completion of her dual bachelor degrees in international business and international relations, cum laude, and her master’s degree in international public policy from University College London, she joined the U.S. Commercial Service as an international trade specialist in the Cleveland office. There, she counsels companies throughout northern Ohio on the intricacies of export compliance, logistics, and finding partners or distributors abroad. Her specialties include, but are not limited to, e-commerce and education.

Cheryl DarrupBoychuck
INTCAS: INTelligent Communities Around Students

Cheryl DarrupBoychuck is U.S. director of institutional relations for INTCAS: INTelligent Communities Around Students. INTCAS connects the global education industry in a single platform to attract, recruit, and manage international students in a safe, compliant, and cost-effective manner. For 20 years prior to INTCAS, DarrupBoychuck managed all aspects of USjournal.com and its family of 16 multilingual domains. In her professional volunteer capacity, DarrupBoychuck co-created an online tool to help colleagues measure return on investment in international student recruitment. She currently serves on two task forces for the Groningen Declaration and is on the editorial board for NAFSA's flagship magazine International Educator.