The Study Abroad Foundation (SAF) held its 13th annual SAF Reception at the NAFSA 2019 Annual Conference on Tuesday, May 28.
Over 250 distinguished guests and partners, including more than 50 delegates from the China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE), attended the reception at the National Museum for Women in the Arts in Washington D.C.
SAF Executive Director Carol Carmody started the evening by speaking about the great work SAF does with our home and host universities and the SAF and IES Abroad merger.
"Study abroad is what we do, and we take our responsibility to our student scholars and our university partners very seriously. We strive, and will continue to strive, to be your institutions' most valuable and trusted study abroad partner," said Carmody.
Carol Carmody finished her introduction by announcing the featured speaker, IES Abroad President, Mary Dwyer.
Mary Dwyer Ph.D. touched on topics such as creating personal connections and cultural competency in a technology-focused world, as well as preparing students for a global business world.
Dwyer commented, "In order for our students to be successful, they must have highly sought-after professional skills including adaptability, communication, self-awareness, and confidence. These necessary skills are developed through living and learning abroad."
Dwyer continued to speak about the merger with SAF, “Since merging two years ago, SAF and IES Abroad combined have more than 80 years of experience in the field, offer more than 400 study abroad programs in 85 locations worldwide, creates authentic global education opportunities for more than 10,000 students annually, and have provided more than 140,000 students overall with the opportunity to study and intern abroad."
Dwyer touched on a few other accomplishments and opportunities that SAF is working on:
- Increased the number of global partnerships with colleges and universities.
- Offering students the opportunity to not just study in the classroom, but to receive more hands-on learning opportunities, such as the new Intentional Organizations program in Vienna and Geneva.
- Working closely with partners in China to identify ways to incorporate for-credit English language courses to students with lower-level English language proficiency.
- Expanded staff to provide an even greater quality of service to students.
Dong Zengchuan Ph.D. from Hohai University who lead the CEAIE delegation closed out the evening with a few words.
Additionally, guests had private access to the four floors of museum galleries housing over 5,000 works of art.
"Study abroad is what we do, and we take our responsibility to our student scholars and our university partners very seriously. We strive, and will continue to strive, to be your institutions’ most valuable and trusted study abroad partner."
- Carol Carmody, Executive Director SAF
