2025 AIEA Leadership Academy for New SIOs Application

Early Application deadline: November 15, 2024
Final application deadline: March 14, 2025

Note: Applications accepted on a rolling basis

Application instructions:

Please note that once you start this application, you must complete it in one sitting. We recommend answering the following questions first in a word processor and copying/pasting the responses into the application. Please also save a copy of your responses, as you will not have access to them after submitting the survey and moving on to the next page.

1) Why do you wish to participate in this Academy (max 75 words)?

2) Please list two expectations you have for the Academy (max 75 words).

3) Please describe a particular challenge or project of special interest related to internationalization that you hope to explore during the Academy (max 300 words).

4) Please enter your 75-word (max!) biography that follows the format at this link. If you are accepted, this bio will be shared with faculty, other Academy participants, and on the AIEA website.

The application process is competitive and space is limited.

NOTE: The most common reason applicants were not accepted previously were:

• Applicants were not Senior International Officers at higher education institutions with multiple areas of responsibility for internationalization.
• Applicants were not in the first five years of their current positions.

THE AIEA ACADEMY FOR NEW SENIOR INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS
May 5-9, 2025 at Rizzo Center in Chapel Hill NC,USA

The AIEA Leadership Academy for New Senior International Officers is an intimate, selective, and intensive Academy with deep learning on issues relating to leading internationalization. Participants build a strong network of peers and develop action plans addressing challenges and opportunities in internationalizing their institutions.

The program will accept a limited number of Senior International Officers (SIOs) at higher education institutions with less than 5 years in their current leadership position. Each participant will be asked to identify a specific challenge or topic of particular interest to them as SIOs, and to write a brief 1-page essay (max 300 words) about this as part of the application process. Applicants will be accepted through the March 1 application deadline. Applicants will be notified of the status of their application within 30 days following the submission of their applications.

The faculty members for the Academy are all experienced SIOs and will be present for all Academy sessions. The 2025 Academy faculty include include Dr. Cheryl Matherly (Lehigh University; past AIEA president), Dr. Amir Reza (Babson College; AIEA President), and Dr. Paulo Zagalo-Melo (Virginia Commonwealth University; AIEA President-Elect).

The Academy will cover eleven thematic topics that are relevant for leaders in international higher education: 


The Role of the Senior International Officer
Strategic Planning
International Student Recruitment and Enrollment Management
Developing International Strategic Partnerships
Budgeting and Exploring Resources
Assessment: What SIOs Need to Know
Internationalization of the Curriculum
Making the Case for Internationalization
Career Trajectories for SIOs
Future of International Education

Each faculty member will chair topical sessions, and all will contribute to each topic. There will also be three sessions set aside for presentations and small group discussions among the participants to apply the knowledge to their own institutional contexts. Through the Academy, participants will gain valuable knowledge and insights into how to lead comprehensive internationalization at their institutions. Upon successful completion of the Academy, participants will receive a certificate of completion issued by AIEA.