2018 AIEA Leadership Academy for New SIOs

Claire Doran, Interim Director of Internationalisation, participated in the AIEA Leadership Academy at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
Wednesday, May 16, 2018 - 10:30

The Academy, which is co-hosted by the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA) and the Duke University Center for International and Global Studies, is specifically designed for Senior International Officers in the first five years of their role. From almost 60 applicants, 16 were selected to participate, representing universities in the USA, Ireland, Lebanon and South Africa.

Now in its fourth year, the Academy covered topics relevant to leaders in international higher education, including Making the Case for Internationalisation, Strategic Planning, Resources, Partnerships, and Recruitment, amongst others. Led by Harvey Charles (University at Albany – SUNY), Darla Deardorff (AIEA), Riall Nolan (Purdue University), Penelope Pynes (University of North Carolina, Greensboro) and Pia Wood (University of North Texas), the Academy afforded participants not only the opportunity to learn from the significant leadership experience of the faculty but also to discuss the challenges of internationalisation and develop action plans to address them.

Speaking about her experience, Claire reported that the Academy was the best professional development programme she has attended in recent years, highlighting in particular the focus on leading comprehensive internationalisation, the problem-solving approach to shared challenges, and the networking opportunities. Claire looks forward to working with the International Office team to put this learning into practice in the implementation of the forthcoming MU Strategic Plan 2018-2022.