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IE Competencies whole grid small

Proficiency in all competencies requires strong familiarity with current trends and issues in international education and an organization’s missions, vision, and values.  The NAFSA International Education Professional Competencies 2.0 are written to span and include each of the five NAFSA knowledge communities and across functional levels; each reader should reflect on how the competencies resonate with their current and aspirational roles within the organization. Learn more about the evolution of the International Education Professional Competencies 2.0

Access NAFSA IE Professional Competencies 2.0

Hiring Manager Questions

Based on NAFSA’s International Education Professional Competencies 2.0, this set of sample behavioral interview questions is a helpful tool for supervisors when hiring employees in any area of international education. This tool is not meant to be an exhaustive list but rather a starting place for strategic questions about an applicant’s experience, based on the key competencies needed for the position. You can adapt these questions as needed for your specific hiring context.

Reflections on the NAFSA International Education Competencies, International Educator

Each essay, written by a NAFSA member, covers how a specific competency is critical to the future of the field and what it looks like in practice. 

  • Business Acumen by Beth Laux, president and CEO of Quest Cultural Solutions

  • Communication by Antonia Lortis, Marketing Director, Learning Abroad Center at the University of Minnesota

  • Compliance Management by Senem Bakar, Director of International Student & Scholar Services International Student and Scholar Services at American University

  • Data Collection and Analysis by Melissa Whatley, Assistant Professor of International and Global Education School for International Training Graduate Institute

  • Inclusion and Equity by Ebony Majeed, Director of International Students, Scholars, and Programs at Hampton University

  • Leadership by Dawn Wood, Dean of Global Learning at Kirkwood Community College

  • People Development by Meredith Henderson, Executive Director of Go Global NC

  • Program Development and Delivery by Jason Sanderson, Assistant Director of Curriculum Integration and Assessment at Georgetown University's Office of Global Education

  • Recruitment, Enrollment, and Advising by Samira Pardanani, Associate Vice President, Student Services and International Education, at Shoreline Community College

  • Relationship Cultivation by Anthony C. Ogden, Founder and Managing Director of Gateway International Group

  • Risk Assessment and Crisis Management by Kim Priebe, Associate Director for Global Travel at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

  • Teaching, Learning, and Facilitation by Linda Drake Gobbo, Management Development Program Trainer

Events: Competencies Conversations

Throughout 2023, NAFSA hosted four live sessions featuring conversations around interrelated subsets of the updated competencies. International educators at all career levels and across all sectors of the field can learn from these conversations.

Podcast: What to Know About the New IE Competencies

Get a glimpse into what's changed since 2015, when the original IE Competencies was published, why certain changes were made, how the commission approached this work, the value the IE Competencies 2.0 brings to the field, and how international educators in all knowledge communities can use the document in their everyday work.

Special Acknowledgments

NAFSA: Association of International Educators, including the Board of Directors, knowledge communities, committees, and staff extends heartiest thanks to the members of the Competencies Commission, nominated by their peers to serve in this capacity.  Joined with four NAFSA staff, the members represented each of the five NAFSA knowledge communities and contributed many hours to refresh and reenvision the competencies and the skills and abilities associated with each. Watch Reflections from the NAFSA IE Competencies Commission here. 

  • Karl Anderson, director, international student recruitment, University of Arkansas-Fayetteville
  • Marcel Bolintiam, associate dean, executive and custom education, and senior director, English Language Center, Georgetown University
  • Leslie Bozeman, director, curriculum internationalization, Indiana University-Purdue University
  • Aaron Clevenger, assistant provost and dean, international programs, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
  • Caroline Donovan White, senior director for education abroad services, NAFSA
  • Corrinne Fisher, former senior learning designer, NAFSA
  • Katherine Hammett, senior director, Center for Global Engagement, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
  • Meredith Henderson, executive director, Go Global NC
  • Joseph Hoff, director, global education and engagement, University of North Carolina-Charlotte
  • Heather Housley, assistant vice president, student engagement, Georgia State University (member, 2015 Competency Task Force)
  • Kelia Hubbard, director, international student and scholar services, Wake Forest University
  • Holly Hudson, associate vice president, global engagement, Texas A & M University
  • Krista Kennedy, former sponsored student program administrator, Portland State University
  • Joann Ng Hartmann, senior impact officer, NAFSA
  • Dale LaFleur, senior director, academic affairs and internationalization, NAFSA
  • Kim Priebe, associate director for global travel, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
  • Andrew Shiotani, director, International Center, Tufts University
  • Christian Wilwohl, dean, global education, Providence College
  • Dawn Wood, dean, global learning, Kirkwood Community College

NAFSA also thanks the volunteers and members who responded to the invitation to comment on earlier drafts of the competencies. 

International Education Professional Competencies (2015)

In 2015, the NAFSA International Education Professional CompetenciesTM  were released for the field of international education. Learn more about the predecessor publication and its resources.