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It may be only April, but we know that NAFSA is just around the corner. Before we know it, approximately 10,000 of us will gather in Washington, DC, for this annual gathering for international education networking, practitioner training and meetings with university and organization representatives from around the world. It’s time to start gearing up and getting ready!

If you are a veteran of the NAFSA Expo Hall you have likely witnessed an evolution of the Expo Hall approach. Mostly gone are the days of aimlessly wandering the aisles. Whether it’s looking for that afternoon piece of chocolate or heading for that prescheduled meeting, NAFSAns are increasingly on a mission when in the Expo Hall. If that describes you, Terra Dotta is ready for you.

This year you will find Terra Dotta in booth #P1001, near the entrance and just down the aisle from NAFSA. As in the past, our booth has been designed to facilitate addressing the different needs of NAFSA attendees. Members of our Support Services and Product Management teams will be on-hand to address the needs of current clients. Our Sales Team is already gearing up for a full slate of meetings with those interested in learning more about how Terra Dotta solutions can help them advance their international education efforts. If you would like an introduction to one of our solutions, be sure to attend one of our theater demonstrations that are being scheduled every half hour during the Expo Hall hours. Watch your email, or next month’s newsletter, for the links to schedule an appointment or attend one of our theater presentations.

New this year will be the opportunity to learn more about our partners, part of Terra Dotta’s new TD Connect program. Each partner will offer a theater presentation during the week and be available at set times in the Terra Dotta booth for meetings. Watch for more information on this new offering.

Outside of the Expo Hall you will find Terra Dotta included in the NAFSA slate of sessions. Our Product Evangelist, Kerry Geffert, joins Steven Gwenin (GVI) and Patrick Morgan (University of Michigan) for the session Duty of Care Abroad: Mitigating Risk for Individuals in Remote Destinations. That session is scheduled for Wednesday, May 29 at 1:00pm.

This year, Terra Dotta is pleased to sponsor two NAFSA Global Partner Sessions. The first is scheduled for Wednesday, May 29 at 1:00pm and is entitled The Financial Implications of Supporting OPT Students. Terra Dotta’s Managing Director of Strategic Accounts, Travis Ulrich, will be joined by Tami Renner (Creighton University), Tarek Elshayeb (University of North Carolina-Charlotte), Ravi Ammigan, PhD (University of Delaware) and Kara Johnson (Governors State University) for a discussion on models for meeting institutional responsibilities for OPT students.

Our other session is entitled Impact of Technology on University International Travel Policies, scheduled on Thursday, May 30 at 2:30pm. Elaine Del Rossi, Vice President, Risk Solutions Evangelist, will lead a panel discussing the process of creating and updating institutional international travel policies. She will be joined by Aaron Clevenger, EdD (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University), Gary Rhodes, PhD (California State University at Dominguez Hills) and Patrick Morgan (University of Michigan).

NAFSA is the leading conference for international education drawing attendees from all over the world. It is only fitting that the leading provider of “Enterprise solutions for Education Abroad, Travel Management, and International Student Services” be fully represented. Whether your institution will benefit from a solution for study abroad, international student services, agreements management, registering travelers or general student mobility, Terra Dotta is ready for you. See you soon in DC at booth #P1001!

 
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Earlier this year, Elaine Del Rossi joined Terra Dotta as our Vice President, Risk Solutions Evangelist. Elaine's daily responsibilities include maintaining and developing strong relationships with senior decision makers within the industry; executing the business sales strategy; exceeding customer expectations and contributing to a high level of customer satisfaction; and working with the business development and account management teams to supply experience and expertise on risk management and duty of care.

Before joining Terra Dotta, Elaine worked as the Client Experience/Sales Officer for GeoBlue, the Senior Vice President for HealthAxis, the Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for HealthCare Management (UnitedHealthcare), and the Vice President, Sales for Independence Blue Cross. Elaine earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Ursinus College and her Master of Science in Organizational Development at the University of Pennsylvania. She also was a Fellow in Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania, obtained a Paralegal Certification from Duke University, and earned an Associate Degree in Nursing from Gloucester County Community College.

Outside of work, Elaine is a board member for two not-for-profit organizations. She also enjoys spending time with and raising her granddaughter and Bichon puppy. One vacation spot Elaine would love to travel to is the Galapagos Islands!

Elaine says her favorite part of working at Terra Dotta is “being able to work for a company that is growing and expanding into new markets and technologies while understanding the importance of retaining and growing the existing customer base.”

Elaine will be at the Terra Dotta booth (#P1001) during NAFSA in May, which will make her twentieth attendance at the conference. Stop by and say hello!

 
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messageSenator Paul Simon represented the state of Illinois in Congress from 1975 to 1997 during which time he had an important impact on international exchange. Esther Brimmer, NAFSA’s Executive Director and CEO, recently described him as “a tireless advocate for civil rights, peace initiatives and international education.” So it was fitting that NAFSA honored his efforts with the creation of the annual Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization.

The NAFSA Simon Award “recognizes U.S. colleges and universities that have made significant, well-executed progress toward comprehensive internationalization, especially those using innovative and creative approaches,” according to Brimmer. Now in its 17th year, Brimmer recently announced the 2019 recipients. They are:

Recipients of the NAFSA Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award for innovative internationalization programs and initiatives are:

Congratulations to all the recipient institutions and the staff who have worked diligently toward their winning efforts! Terra Dotta is honored to be a software solution provider for most of these awardees. For more information on the Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization, visit NAFSA’s dedicated webpage, and be sure to read the upcoming publication profiling the awarded institutions and programs.

 
 

Terra Dotta is delighted to welcome PerforMax3 as a TD Connect partner. The company has been in business since 1996 and provides online learning solutions across multiple industries and organizations. The partnership is designed to integrate The Travel Safety and Health Certification Program as an effective way to help universities deliver pre-departure orientation and training to prepare students and others to avoid travel risks.

The program provides consistent, comprehensive and important information on health/medical preparation and safety/security measures travelers can take while abroad. Courseware and media can be customized, branded and expanded to meet specific institution needs. Students complete the online course, including an assessment in about 60-90 minutes and completion results are integrated with Terra Dotta software.

“We are very excited about our relationship with Terra Dotta and the opportunity to offer our online training solution to TD’s university clients. Our self-paced, media rich lessons make it easy for study abroad leaders and Risk Managers to meet duty of care responsibilities while helping keep students safe and healthy as they travel.” David A. Trojnar, CEO, PerforMax3

For more information about the PerforMax3 partnership, contact Terra Dotta's Manager of Strategic Partnerships, Robert Davis.

 
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Between printed and online materials, it can be daunting to keep up with the professional literature. Let us help you. Each month we will list several online articles or reports that we hope you will find interesting.

Find an article that you believe others will want to read? Send the link to kerry.geffert@terradotta.com. Here are some to get you started:

A Watershed Moment
From Inside Higher Ed

Why Are So Few Male Students Studying Abroad?
From The Atlantic

Stop putting Security in the Health & Safety basket!
From LinkedIn

Minister Skidmore: My vision for global higher education
From GOV.UK

Top int’l student destinations view migrants as a “strength”
From The PIE News

 
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