When is the last time you talked student, faculty and staff mobility with your campus Risk Manager? If there were an overseas crisis or emergency involving your student(s). Do you know your campus protocols? Would they coincide with those of your campus Risk Manager?

Communication and cooperation between the offices of Education Abroad and Risk Management are crucial in times of emergency. Preparatory discussions of federal reporting requirements under the Clery and Violence Against Women Acts, as well as Title IX, have become as common as those regarding visa requirements. And planning for intercultural transformation now requires consideration of institutional liability and mitigation of institutional risk. So, where can you obtain training that will be helpful to both you and your Risk Manager?

Come one day early to the NAFSA Annual Conference! Terra Dotta is pleased to sponsor Regulatory Compliance for Education Abroad Risk Management , a one-day seminar on May 29, 2017, presented jointly by NAFSA and URMIA (University Risk Management & Insurance Association). While individual representatives will benefit from the seminar, experience has shown that “teams from the same institution with an identified relationship” will gain the most from the program.

Learn about compliance matters for your international programs from experts in the field. If you are unable to attend this offering, the seminar will be repeated prior to the URMIA Conference in Orlando, Florida, September 24, 2017.

Kerry Geffert
Product Evangeleist, Terra Dotta

Cue the violins. Many of us who studied abroad in the last century may have romanticized visions of study abroad. Sitting in a café on the Champs Élysées, lingering over a Café Express watching the world go by. Or being a guest at a Japanese Tea Ceremony. Or enjoying an evening of tango in Buenos Aires. In other words, soaking up the culture.

It was an infographic from 2014/15 Open Doors that started me thinking. The vision of today’s study abroad student is likely not the same as mine.

Read the full article >

Laura Coker is an ISSS Project Coordinator, having joined the Terra Dotta family in December of 2015. Her daily responsibilities include assisting clients with basic software questions and issues. She also assists ISSS clients with preparing for batching on their sites. Prior to joining Terra Dotta, she worked in International Education for the past 9 years, including as a PDSO and an ARO.

Laura graduated from Lenoir-Rhyne University with a Bachelor of Arts in Theology.

Outside of work, Laura enjoys spending time in the mountains. She recently started researching tiny houses and minimalist living with the goal of living tiny. One vacation spot she always has wanted to visit is the United Kingdom!

Laura says her favorite part of working at Terra Dotta is “I came to Terra Dotta because I thought it was a new and exciting way to further my career goal, which is to promote international education".

Terra Dotta is looking for a qualified candidate with SEVIS experience working in an International Student & Scholar Services office to assist with software implementations and respond to software questions from clients. We are looking for a self-starter, who is able to establish a strong, positive rapport with staff at client institutions and thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic, growing business. The Client Support Specialist will provide training, answer questions, create documentation, resolve software problems, and work with developers to test and support new versions of TDS.

Learn more about this open position.

TO APPLY: Send your resume to jobs@terradotta.com.

In this webinar, we will discuss the benefits of establishing a maintenance schedule for your Terra Dotta site and provide an overview of the best practices involved with ensuring that your newest round of applications comes in without a hitch. A set maintenance schedule with tasks that are applicable to your office can help keep your data clean and your system running fluidly.

MARCH 22 4:00 PM EST

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 EST

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 EST

Click here for a list of all upcoming webinars.

The University Risk Management & Insurance Association (URMIA) recognizes the need to promote and develop the next generation of higher education risk managers. Their Scholarship Program assists full-time degree seeking students pursuing careers in risk management.

Three $2,500 awards will be available for the 2017-2018 academic year for eligible undergraduate and graduate students.

Application deadline is March 31, 2017. Visit URMIA’s website for complete information.