From a podcast interview with Cheryl Matherly, Vice President and Vice Provost for International Affairs at Lehigh University

From a podcast interview with Cheryl Matherly, Vice President and Vice Provost for International Affairs at Lehigh University

From a podcast interview with Randy Kluver, the Associate Provost and Dean at Oklahoma State University

From a podcast interview with Randy Kluver, the Associate Provost and Dean at Oklahoma State University

From a podcast interview with Randy Kluver, the Associate Provost and Dean at Oklahoma State University

From a podcast interview with Jon Stauff, a seasoned higher education professional with extensive international education experience and a Ph.D. in modern European history.

From a podcast interview with Jon Stauff, a seasoned higher education professional with extensive international education experience and a Ph.D. in modern European history.

From a podcast interview with Jon Stauff, a seasoned higher education professional with extensive international education experience and a Ph.D. in modern European history.

From a podcast interview with Mihaela Metianu, the Assistant Provost for Global Engagement at Florida Atlantic University.

From a podcast interview with Mihaela Metianu, the Assistant Provost for Global Engagement at Florida Atlantic University.

From a podcast interview with Grant Chapman, an experienced global engagement and international education professional with over 30 years of experience. Grant is a Fulbright Scholar and Phi Beta Kappa member.

From a podcast interview with Grant Chapman, an experienced global engagement and international education professional with over 30 years of experience. Grant is a Fulbright Scholar and Phi Beta Kappa member.

From a podcast interview with Grant Chapman, an experienced global engagement and international education professional with over 30 years of experience. Grant is a Fulbright Scholar and Phi Beta Kappa member.

From a podcast interview with Meredith McQuaid, an International Education Consultant & Strategic Advisor with over 15 years of SIO experience.

From a podcast interview with Meredith McQuaid, an International Education Consultant & Strategic Advisor with over 15 years of SIO experience.

From a podcast interview with Meredith McQuaid, an International Education Consultant & Strategic Advisor with over 15 years of SIO experience.

From a podcast interview with Charlie Bankart, a seasoned Senior Internationalization Officer at the University of Kansas who has worked in international education for over 19 years.

From a podcast interview with Charlie Bankart, a seasoned Senior Internationalization Officer at the University of Kansas who has worked in international education for over 19 years.

From a podcast interview with Charlie Bankart, a seasoned Senior Internationalization Officer at the University of Kansas who has worked in international education for over 19 years.

In the fast-paced world of global education, it can be difficult to grab the attention of students when their lives seem to operate at the speed of light. And it’s no surprise; as hectic of schedules as they have, yours probably looks quite similar. So it begs the question: as institutions continue to put greater focus on global education, how will leaders enhance the student journey for both incoming and outgoing students?

In a world of constant uncertainty, institutions of higher education need a partner more than ever who will provide the right tools, guidance, and support to help bring some much needed balance and stability back into their international education offices. Unfortunately, colleges and universities who haven’t found that key partner yet are feeling the pain of working in older, outdated solutions that don’t help them expand their reach to new students across the globe. Howev

If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught international education offices anything over the last two years, it’s how to adapt to change. As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus famously said, “change is the only constant.” This is truer now than it has ever been. As international student offices learned how to adapt to new ways of operating, other procedures and requirements left offices struggling to find a better solution. One of those requirements is the need to m

As we wrapped up 2020, we thought for sure that 2021 might bring us a reprieve from pandemic learning. Well, it did–but it also didn’t. Virtual and hybrid learning continued into the spring, but campuses gradually welcomed students back for in-person and hybrid learning.  Many silver linings emerged, and flexible online lea

Continuing its streak of industry accolades, Terra Dotta, a leading global engagement education technology provider, today announced its global engagement platform has been named a platinum winner of Campus Technology’s 2021 New Product Award for Global Engagement, International Education and/or Study Abroad Solutions. Today’s shifting global dynamics demand a connected approach to delivering international education at scale – one that offers comprehensive duty of ca

It’s no secret that international and experiential learning opportunities often translate into long-term career skills, thoughtful perspectives and overall value for students post-graduation. However, when global engagement is established as a guiding force coming from top leadership, institutions have the potential to deliver transformative global educational impacts at scale to more students than ever before. This is exactly how Elo

As institutions take steps to modernize international education operations across their campuses, they are implementing strategies that unify common elements across global experience programs and leverage relevant cross-campus student data. These approaches help institutions effectively offer transformative and globally-minded educational ex

With higher education students, faculty and staff returning to travel, Terra Dotta, a leader in global education engagement solutions, today announced it has partnered with Security Exchange, a specialized, global security company based in the UK, to deliver enhanced security alerts to administrators and travelers. As part of Terra Dotta’s expanding duty of care offerings and risk management

Terra Dotta, a leading global engagement education technology provider, has been selected as a finalist for the NC TECH Awards Industry Driven EdTech award. The NC Tech Awards is North Carolina's only statewide technology awards program that recognizes innovation, growth and leadership in the tech sector and is presented by the NC TECH (North Carolina Technology Association).

Helping higher education institutions empower the next generation of global leaders, Terra Dotta today introduced its new global engagement platform. Developing a unified global education experience by connecting all aspects of international programming and supporting campus services, the platform will facilitate cross-cultural learning experiences at scale for students, faculty and staff &n

As the return to campus for Fall ‘21 nears, many universities are still operating with precautionary measures, particularly when it comes to approving international travel. Some are allowing student travel to level three countries, whereas others are approving travel on a petition basis. Despite the differences between international travel approval, one thing remains: international mobility is not in full swing just yet. And even as international travel picks up in volume, it&rs

Until a few years ago, University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s global education team relied on entirely paper processes to log, manage and update student information. This approach meant staff couldn’t focus on the most important work for global education teams: cultivating relationships with students and developing new programs and opportunities that met the needs of the university community. It was time for UMBC to join the digital age, and that’s exactly what h

SUNY New Paltz draws more than 400 international students to its campus each year, and until recently, the team could not rely on their international student management system to streamline their work. They struggled with bad data, integration headaches, scattered information, and a lot of wasted time. New Paltz needed a change—and that came in the form of Terra Dotta’s ISSS solution. The choice to move to Terra Dotta’s ISSS solution was fairly simple. The Ce

At times during this pandemic, it felt like we were witnessing the end of international education opportunities for students and scholars on a global scale. But every cloud has a silver lining. Adapting to a new reality of travel bans and lockdowns, institutions have transformed programs and adopted technology in ways that have made international education more diverse, accessible, and inclusive than ever before. In March 2020, global travel came to a standstill. Institutions had to s

The University of Florida consistently ranks among the top public universities in the country and has over 6,000 international students and scholars! With such a large international population, they had a software provider to support their operations, but this platform was growing in price and shrinking in functionality. University of Florida wanted to offer a better experience for both incoming students and their administrators, so they made the move to Terra Dotta, allowing

It is no secret that international students and scholars have had a difficult year. They have experienced isolation and separation from their support networks on campus and at home, all while reading scary headlines from their home countries and confusing policy changes that seemingly threatened their continued education in the United States.  While replacing in-person gatherings may be difficult to do, virtual engagement opportunities can build connections, provid

The past year has been a transitional time for many in the field of higher education, in which each department has had to rethink its methods of delivery to best support students. In addition to a global pandemic, travel limitations, and a shift to online learning, 2020 was also a politically tense election year filled with much discourse surrounding race relations. As we prepare for COVID-19 restrictions to loosen and a return to a new “normal,” it is imperative that we n

At Clark University, international students make up approximately one-third of the entire student population. Previously performing international student program functions manually, Clark University needed an automated system to enhance international student service levels, and they got it with Terra Dotta. The goal is that with Terra Dotta’s ISSS solution, student “melt” will be minimized. International students can be welcomed and onboarded throug

A year ago, Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., was at a crossroads in serving international students. Spreadsheets and other manual tasks used to track data had become too cumbersome and time-consuming to maintain and keep updated. So, its Center for Global Engagement turned to Terra Dotta to help in the process of automating many critical functions for International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS). The result was a more streamlined process that allowed staff to focus less

Old Dominion University enrolls one of the largest students populations in Virginia, as well as a large number of international students and scholars. With a high volume of both students and scholars to track, their former software system didn't make the cut. Without an effective system in place, they were left with time consuming tasks and a serious problem with data reconciliation, begging larger questions of liability and compliance. They needed a new software provider to manag

With the widespread use of virtual delivery for day-today campus operations, international opportunities must be marketed appropriately and effectively. No longer can flyers be posted on campus for passing eyes to see, nor can in-person information sessions be hosted. Marketing global opportunities has taken a virtual turn. At Case Western ReserveUniversity (CWRU), they have embraced the virtual switch, ramped up their social media, and even saved some money by not printing their marketing ma

University of Northern Colorado is a public doctoral research institution with roughly 250 international agreements to process for its incoming and outgoing programs. Without an effective system in place, they were left with a decentralized and disjointed process. They needed a different approach to track the international agreement approval process and maintain a centralized database, and they got it with Terra Dotta. Read more about how they use Terra Dotta to easily monitor

Gonzaga University went live with Terra Dotta’s ISSS solution in 2020 to continue to offer an environment that welcomes intercultural exchanges. Gonzaga University adds that Terra Dotta: Creates effective process automation and the secure management of data Serves the complex needs of educational and business offices Read more about Gonzaga University’s purchasing and implementation journey in

This year has proven difficult for many, especially international students. With COVID-19 first impacting the United States in March, many international students were unable to return home. Now, with the pandemic continuing to spread, international students are asking themselves, should I go home? Many international students, including Tamara Nazareth from Appalachian State University, have not seen their families since last winter break ー almost a full year. To combat rising

Peralta Community College, comprised of four campuses in Alameda, Berkeley, and Oakland, receives about 1,000 international students to their doors each year. Before Terra Dotta The District's previous software system wasn't integrated to their Student Information System for student batch registration, and their team spent hours manually registering studen

This blog was written by Education Abroad staff at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Jing Liu, Program Director for Asia-Pacific and the U.S., and Derek Shepard, Study Abroad Advisor for Asia-Pacific and Domestic Programs. Ever since the arrival of COVID-19 in early 2020, the field of international education has been all but plunged into its 'dark ages.’ Student mobility has dwindled to almost nothing and both students and staff alike are faced w

International students suffer from many of the same mental health challenges as their U.S. counterparts. One study published in 2010 in the Journal of American College Health found that 44% of international graduate students said they had an emotional or stress-related problem that had significantly affected their well-being or academic performance in the previous 12

Citrus College, home to 12,000 students, is the fifth oldest community college in California. With its location in the foothills of Los Angeles, it’s luring a growing base of international students. The growth left Citrus college at a crossroads with the volume of international applications increasing, campus leaders mandating paperless departments, and homegrown software solutions being cumbersome and labor intensive. Turning to Terra Dotta With

As we adjust to the ‘new normal’ in international education and as travel restrictions are lifted, it’s time to get serious about re-engaging students in global opportunities, particularly international students. Environmental, political, social and economic factors can play a large role in where students decide to study and as countries grow more robust international programs, U.S. higher education institutions must keep up. Here are four ways to boost enrol

Terra Dotta offered help with solutions, new tool. During an already challenging summer as higher education institutions contemplate how to hold classes this fall during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) threw out another curve ball Monday, July 6, for international education offices. The

In the past couple of months, the field of international education has seen a lot of ups and downs. Now, with fears of the eligibility surrounding international students and their ability to return to campuses, there has been a lot of talk discussing what international students bring to the table and their “value” to U.S. universities. One of the most commonly touted values of international students comes from the revenue they bring to U.S. institutions and the overall eco

International education professionals adapt to doing their jobs during a global pandemic while working remotely. On March 25, when employees from the Global Academic Programs unit at the University at Albany logged onto Zoom for a staff meeting during their second week of working remotely, they were greeted by a surprise guest – Snow White. Add a l

Alleviating the workload— and financial implications— of serving an increasing number of opt students. Nearly 1.5 million international students graduated from U.S. colleges and universities, then enrolled in the federal government’s Optional Practical Training (OPT) program between 2004 and 2016, according to a Pew Research report. More than half of those (53%) are employed in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STE

Three directors share advice for overseeing international students and scholars. As a high school student in a small town in West Virginia, Jody Pritt had a transformative international experience thanks to a devoted French teacher. During class, Pritt and a handful of classmates shared their desire to visit France. The teacher said, “Let’s make it happen!” Then, the educator worked with a program provider and organized the school

Quick definitions for nearly two dozen common industry abbreviations. In today’s fast-paced world, we’re inundated with acronyms. Co-workers ask for information ASAP, company websites provide handy answers on their FAQ pages, and friends respond to humorous texts with an LOL. Industries, including international education, have adopted their own shorthand, too. But sometimes all the acronyms can seem like alphabet soup, making your head

Kerry Geffert Product Evangelist, Terra Dotta The first half of this year has been anything but calm for our colleagues in international admissions offices. A season normally suspenseful as they await students’ enrollment confirmations, has had that suspense exacerbated by events at home and abroad. By now, most of us are familiar with the statistic: “Nearly 40 percent of U.S. colleges are seeing declines in applications from international students….&r

Two-year schools often value internationalization as much as their university counterparts, but getting there takes work. At first glance, Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, may seem an unlikely place to promote internationalization. Rooted in America’s heartland, Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in the state. As you drive out of the city, its buildings and buses soon give way to cornfields and tractors. But Kirkwood Com