The keynote speaker was Dr. Thomas C. Meredith, Commissioner of Higher Education for the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL). Dr. Meredith focused on the importance of the continued internationalization of universities and colleges in the State of Mississippi. One important note that Dr. Meredith stressed was that with less than 1% of all students enrolled in Mississippi colleges and universities studying abroad, contact with international students is likely the only opportunity for many domestic students to learn about the world. Dr. Meredith charged all institutions to work even harder to promote study abroad opportunities, to recruit even greater numbers of international students and scholars, and to raise the level of expectation at every level of education.
The Mississippi Association of International Educators also held its first pre-conference workshop in conjunction with the annual conference. The half-day workshop focused on Study Abroad, specifically on emergency preparedness and collaboration programs. Ruth Maron of The University of Mississippi led the workshop.
Another highlight of the conference was a presentation by Kari Lantos from NAFSA. Ms. Lantos is the Associate Director for Grassroots Advocacy. She spoke to the Mississippi Association about becoming more involved in both local and national issues which affect international education policy. During the presentation, Ms. Lantos recruited many new members for the Advocacy Centered Team: http://capwiz.com/nafsa/home/ .
Other conference sessions were led by Charter Morris of The University of Mississippi on Employment Issues and by immigration attorney David Ware on immigration updates and upcoming legislative impact on student enrollment and employment. The conference concluded with round-table question-and-answer sessions and a closing luncheon featuring conference wrap-up discussions and announcement of new officers.
Mississippi's 2007-08 officers include:
Powerpoint Presentation on Employment Visas