Communities of Practice Thematic Areas
The following 9 Diversity Communities of Practice have been established for 2023-2024 to focus on these thematic areas:
This community of practice will bring together international education professionals who dedicate more than half of their time to DEI activities or work in DEI and are interested in applying their work to the field of international education and exchange.
Topics may include: DEI in international education as an emerging profession, DEI implementation best practices, and DEI competencies in international education and exchange, among others.
Proposed Projects and Themes
- Fundamentals Guide on job responsibilities of DEI Professionals in the field
- Pathways to professional role
- Garnering support from institutions/organizations for DEI Professionals
- Campus/Organizational collaboration
This community of practice will focus on developing resources and tools for professionals working with inbound international and exchange students to facilitate meaningful global learning across the full range of diverse perspectives represented on our globally diverse campuses.
Topics may include: research, trends of participation across identities, student experiences, student orientations and programming, DEI from a global or international student perspective, how to navigate diversity-related dynamics within the US educational landscape, cultivating belonging on globally-diverse campuses, working with faculty to support international students, and health, safety, and security, among others.
Proposed Projects and Themes
- Fundamentals of Marketing, Outreach, and Recruitment
- Supporting International Student Classroom Success - Advising Guide (general or focus on specific student groups)
- Preparing International Students for US Diversity & Inclusion - Advising Guide
- Fundamentals of DEI Resource - international students in the US higher education (research, trends, student experience, faculty experience), trends of participation across identities
- Engaging with faculty
Regional communities of practice will focus on topics of particular relevance to countries of those regions including health, safety, and security, climate of diversity, and terms and language used to describe DEI in the regional context.
- Regional Europe
- Regional Middle East and Africa
- Regional Latin American and the Caribbean
- Regional Asia and the Pacific Islands
Topics may include: climate of diversity and inclusion, health, safety, and security, specific identity groups, funding, program development, and faculty engagement, among others.
Proposed Projects and Themes
- Country Climate Webinar - Context of DEI in a specific country/city. Include on-site experts.
- Supporting specific student identities studying in this region. (country/city specific)
- Resources for training on-site staff in specific country in region to the climate of DEI in the US
This community of practice will bring together senior leaders in international education and focus on tackling issues of leadership and strategy at the intersection of DEI and international education.
Topics may include: Strategy development that emphasizes DEI and global learning, embedding inclusive global learning and global learning at home throughout institutions, sustainable development goals, faculty engagement, health, safety, and security, policy development, hiring and retention, and organizational change, among others.
Proposed Projects and Themes
- Global Engagement at Home - Collaboration and Initiatives
- Building DEI into Strategic Plan
- Leadership & Advancement Opportunities in the Field
This community of practice will be composed of individuals with various roles in global education and related sectors to develop resources/tools that promote career advancement and belonging of individual professionals.
Topics may include: career advancement for underrepresented professionals, negotiation strategies, and networking for success, among other topics.
Proposed Projects and Themes
- Identity in the Workplace
- Professional Development
- Mentorship
- Creating a sense of belonging in the workplace
This community of practice will develop inclusive resources and tools related to underrepresentation and diversity, marketing, outreach, and recruitment, and student support and advising in education abroad.
Topics may include: trends of participation across identities, understanding generational differences in promotion strategies, identity specific marketing strategies, inclusive advising and student support strategies, health and safety, and identity considerations in pre-departure, in-country, and upon return, program development, funding, faculty engagement, and inclusive global learning, among others.
Proposed Projects and Themes
- Advising Guides/Toolkits for specific student identities
- Faculty toolkit in developing inclusive faculty-led programs & curriculum, pre-departure, on-site, and re-entry support
- Global Engagement at Home - student opportunities, benefits, resource sheet
In approaching the deliverables within these thematic areas, Communities of Practice are encouraged to consider identity characteristics and intersectionality in the following areas:
- Ethnically/Racially Diverse
- First Generation College
- High Financial Need
- LGBTQI+
- Religious Diversity
- Students with Disabilities