We would like to extend our gratitude to all 300+ attendees at this year’s TDU Conference in Summerlin, Nevada. Terra Dotta users gathered from near and far April 5 to 7 to learn about TD software from both experts and fellow users. This conference was our largest to date. With so many conferences to choose from, we understand the sacrifices of time and effort to attend.

We are thrilled with the positive responses and favorable acknowledgements of value reflected in the conference and session evaluations.

Feature announcements and demonstrations included our new AlertTraveler app, future functionality, and Terra Dotta’s dedication to organizing and implementing features in the Idea Forum.

While we continually seek feedback on what we can do to improve the user experience, nothing replaces meeting face-to-face with clients over a three day stretch each year to learn about the innovative ways Terra Dotta software is being used day-to-day in the field.

We look forward to seeing all of you again at next year’s TD User Conference!

Our clients asked and we listened. The most requested feature in the client Idea Forum - Due Dates for individual application/registration items - is now available! Terra Dotta is committed to the ongoing organization of and focus on the Idea Forum, where clients submit and vote for new and enhanced features. Other exciting announcements at TDU 2017 about roadmap features included Prospect Inquiry enhancements, revised Advanced Searches, and new Stock Reports.

The new AlertTraveler App created quite a buzz among attendees. We have teamed up with red24 to deliver the most up-to-date, in-depth, and trusted traveler information available in conjunction with Terra Dotta Software. There are three main facets to AlertTraveler: country/region/city risk intelligence and advice; real-time alerts; and, a check-in feature to let universities know who is at risk and who is safe. Learn more about AlertTraveler on our website.

Additional functionality on the roadmap for later releases in 2017 include Study Abroad Directory enhancements, Study Plans/Course Equivalency enhancements, Approval workflow for approvers who aren’t TDS administrators, an Admin Wizard leading you step-by-step through the program building process, Document templates to pull native TDS fields for auto-fill in documents (like mail merge!), Erasmus enhancements, and ISSS SEVIS module, RTI Connect, and Form enhancements.

More than ever, the Terra Dotta User conference is proving to be the choice for networking with colleagues and sharing the latest best practices for managing international education offices.

In providing management training to new and aspiring managers in international education, it became clear that many had become what Catherine Born, formerly of NAFSA, calls “accidental managers.” Solve a SEVIS issue? No problem. Coordinate a faculty-led study abroad program? Piece of cake. But do managerial “stuff”? Equivalent to learning a new language, without much training.

International educators tend to be people persons. So when managerial duties call for budgeting decisions or procurement of something like software, it may be new territory. The purchase of enterprise software can be vastly different than budgeting for an orientation program, and certainly demands skills beyond our well-honed cross-cultural communication skills.

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Kelsey Dixon joined the Terra Dotta family as a Client Support Specialist in December of 2015. Her job largely consists of answering support cases that come in from clients with Terra Dotta software. She also presents webinars on features of the software, has been responsible for sending client update emails, frequently assists in administrator service projects, and helps in answering inquiries about the Terra Dotta Study Abroad Directory. Before she worked with Terra Dotta, she worked in Conferences and Events at her alma mater, as well as having recently worked at the Hickory Community Theatre where she assisted in set construction and painting.

Kelsey graduated in 2015 from Lenoir-Rhyne University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in theatre.

Outside of work, Kelsey enjoys reading, playing video games, and taking care of her four cats and two dogs. She wants to one day travel to Canada and stay in an ice hotel!

Kelsey says her favorite aspect of working for Terra Dotta is "When I'm able to truly help a client solve a complicated issue. Many times, we get simple cases with simple answers, but when I'm able to figure out a long-standing, complicated problem, I know that's going to be a huge relief for the end users."

Learn how Terra Dotta's latest feature for ISSS will permit you to easily populate data necessary for frequently used USCIS forms, such as Forms I-765, I-539, I-129, and I-907.

APRIL 19 11:00 AM EDT

Within an educational institution, travel is not limited to study abroad trips alone. It is also important to gather data about any college sponsored activity such as student or faculty research trips, business travel, faculty sabbaticals, internships, volunteer work, etc. With TDS, students, faculty, and staff can register their travel with ease with minimal set-up on the back end by an administrator. Join us as we discuss how to implement an intuitive Travel Registration process both quickly and easily.

MAY 3 4:00 PM EDT

Now that the software has responsive design, what does this mean exactly? What can I do with it and how will it benefit my site? In this webinar, we will go through the basics of what responsive design means and how it will impact your site's appearance when enabled. We will go through the common tips on how to adjust current content or create new content and make sure it looks and responds well across different devices to make the overall experience for your applicants a great looking and functional visit.

MAY 17 4:00 PM EDT

Click here for a list of all upcoming webinars.