AIEA Events
Town Hall Discussions
Bringing AIEA members together to exchange ideas, insights, and perspectives
Current AIEA members are invited to participate in our Town Hall Discussions, which offer a space for open conversation and shared insight across our community. Town Hall Discussions are a member benefit, and we encourage you to invite colleagues who may find value in these discussions to consider joining AIEA. Resources, chat transcripts, and recordings from past Town Halls are available online for members who would like to revisit or catch up on previous conversations. We are grateful to the Professional Development and Engagement Committee for their leadership in coordinating this important program.
Current AIEA members are invited to participate in our Town Hall Discussions, which offer a space for open conversation and shared insight across our community. Town Hall Discussions are a member benefit, and we encourage you to invite colleagues who may find value in these discussions to consider joining AIEA. Resources, chat transcripts, and recordings from past Town Halls are available online for members who would like to revisit or catch up on previous conversations. We are grateful to the Professional Development and Engagement Committee for their leadership in coordinating this important program.
2025 Town Hall Discussions
A Moment of Reflection: Recentering Human Connection as the Heart of Internationalization
Tuesday, December 9, 2025
12:00pm – 1:00pm ET
In a metrics-driven world, it’s easy to lose sight of international education’s core purpose: fostering genuine human connections across cultures, languages, and communities. This 60-minute AIEA Member Town Hall invites you to explore human-centered leadership through the Heads, Hands, Heart framework:
- Head: Learn how relational philosophies like Ubuntu can shape internationalization and leadership, with insights from panelists across three continents.
- Hands: Discover practical strategies for building teams, sustaining collaborations, partnering with students, and developing authentic international relationships.
- Heart: Engage in breakout discussions to reflect on the values and commitments that guide your work, and how relational approaches can deepen equitable partnerships.
Participants will expand their philosophical toolkit with human-centered leadership frameworks, gain awareness of transactional or hierarchical models that may influence their work, and take away practical strategies for fostering meaningful, equitable relationships across teams, campuses, and global partnerships. Join us to reconnect with your purpose and amplify the human side of international education.
Presenters:
Piet van Hove, Secretary General, HEROES European University Alliance, Belgium
Upenyu Majee, Inaugural Director, Institute of Ubuntu Thought and Practice, Michigan State University, United States
Lynette Jacobs, Acting Director, Office for International Affairs, University of the Free State, South Africa
Moderator:
Stephanie Doscher, Senior Fellow for Program Development and Engagement, Global Citizenship Alliance, United States & Austria
A Moment of Reflection: Recentering Human Connection as the Heart of Internationalization
In a metrics-driven world, it’s easy to lose sight of international education’s core purpose: fostering genuine human connections across cultures, languages, and communities. This 60-minute AIEA Member Town Hall invites you to explore human-centered leadership through the Heads, Hands, Heart framework:
- Head: Learn how relational philosophies like Ubuntu can shape internationalization and leadership, with insights from panelists across three continents.
- Hands: Discover practical strategies for building teams, sustaining collaborations, partnering with students, and developing authentic international relationships.
- Heart: Engage in breakout discussions to reflect on the values and commitments that guide your work, and how relational approaches can deepen equitable partnerships.
Participants will expand their philosophical toolkit with human-centered leadership frameworks, gain awareness of transactional or hierarchical models that may influence their work, and take away practical strategies for fostering meaningful, equitable relationships across teams, campuses, and global partnerships. Join us to reconnect with your purpose and amplify the human side of international education.
Presenters:
Piet van Hove, Secretary General, HEROES European University Alliance, Belgium
Upenyu Majee, Inaugural Director, Institute of Ubuntu Thought and Practice, Michigan State University, United States
Lynette Jacobs, Acting Director, Office for International Affairs, University of the Free State, South Africa
Moderator:
Stephanie Doscher, Senior Fellow for Program Development and Engagement, Global Citizenship Alliance, United States & Austria
“Serenity Now!” – Communicating Effectively in Turbulent Times Without Losing Our Minds
Thursday, October 9th
1:00pm – 2:00pm ET
As international educators face escalating policy changes, visa uncertainties, and growing pressure on international student support systems, institutional leaders must develop the resilience and agility to communicate swiftly and strategically. This session brings together seasoned crisis-management professionals to explore how institutions can communicate effectively through turmoil. Presenters will share practical approaches to communication strategies while fostering a sense of shared mission among all stakeholders navigating regulatory disruption.
In this facilitated town hall, we will engage as a professional community of international education leaders navigating an era of escalating regulatory changes and challenges that come with them. Panelists will offer brief reflections and/or case examples, but the primary focus will be on hearing from participants: what’s been effective, what’s had adverse effect, and how we can best handle the communication during the times of uncertainty.
This interactive forum will create space for open discussion, practical brainstorming, and cross-institutional learning. Whether your office is navigating student anxiety or evolving communication needs with your president’s cabinet or the external communities, this town hall aims to validate shared struggles and co-create solutions rooted in resilience, professionalism, and care.
Panelists:
Timothy Coombs, Crisis Communication Researcher, Keynote Speaker, Consultant, and Trainer
Jack Dunn, Associate Vice President, University Spokesperson at Boston College
Matthew Doering, CEO and Founder, Global Gateway Advisors
Moderator:
Gokhan Alkanat, Associate Provost, International Education, Rowan University
“Serenity Now!” – Communicating Effectively in Turbulent Times Without Losing Our Minds
As international educators face escalating policy changes, visa uncertainties, and growing pressure on international student support systems, institutional leaders must develop the resilience and agility to communicate swiftly and strategically. This session brings together seasoned crisis-management professionals to explore how institutions can communicate effectively through turmoil. Presenters will share practical approaches to communication strategies while fostering a sense of shared mission among all stakeholders navigating regulatory disruption.
In this facilitated town hall, we will engage as a professional community of international education leaders navigating an era of escalating regulatory changes and challenges that come with them. Panelists will offer brief reflections and/or case examples, but the primary focus will be on hearing from participants: what’s been effective, what’s had adverse effect, and how we can best handle the communication during the times of uncertainty.
This interactive forum will create space for open discussion, practical brainstorming, and cross-institutional learning. Whether your office is navigating student anxiety or evolving communication needs with your president’s cabinet or the external communities, this town hall aims to validate shared struggles and co-create solutions rooted in resilience, professionalism, and care.
PANELISTS:
Timothy Coombs, Crisis Communication Researcher, Keynote Speaker, Consultant, and Trainer
Jack Dunn, Associate Vice President, University Spokesperson at Boston College
Matthew Doering, CEO and Founder, Global Gateway Advisors
MODERATOR:
Gokhan Alkanat, Associate Provost, International Education, Rowan University
90+ Days into the New U.S. Administration
Thursday, October 9th
1:00pm – 2:00pm ET
As the international higher education community continues to navigate daily challenges and uncertainties, AIEA invites you to join us for a Town Hall on “90+ Days into the New U.S. Administration” for a candid discussion of the latest issues facing international education leaders. Expert panelists will provide diverse perspectives from the higher education, association, advocacy, and legal points of view. While panelists will discuss some of the most current and immediate issues facing our community, they will also help us take a broader look at these first 90+ days and share some of the strategies that international education leaders can employ now for the longer-term marathon that we know is still in store. This AIEA Town Hall is open to members and non-members, but will not be recorded.
Panelists:
Sherif Barsoum, Senior Associate Vice President for Global Services, New York University
Katherine Brodie, Partner and Education Group Team Lead, Duane Morris LLP
Mark Overmann, Executive Director, Alliance for International Exchange
Bernie Burrola, Vice President for International, Community, and Economic Engagement, Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU)
Moderator:
Imara Dawson, Managing Director Michigan Program for Advancing Cultural Transformation (M-PACT), University of Michigan