Thank you for stopping by to learn more about the Commission for Global Dimensions of Student Development (CGDSD). Take some time to look through our content and don’t hesitate to share how you’d like to get involved. Use the menu below to jump to a section of interest.
Please contact us at [email protected] or connect with the members of our Directorate Body with questions or ideas.
who we are
our goals
supporting international students, scholars and faculty members,
- study abroad and international service-learning,
- fostering the development of intercultural competencies,
- student services around the world,
- the role of student affairs in internationalization efforts.
Who we serve
Get Involved
We are on most of the online channels. Join us on these platforms to stay connected with the most up-to-date news and professional development opportunities through our Commission.
CGDSG is always looking for involved members! It is easy to join us and at this time by following the steps below!
Ready to join?
Joining an Entity through the ACPA Member Portal automatically identifies you as a member of that Entity! You will begin to receive Entity communications through their respective email listserv and have access to any resources they share!
- Login to your ACPA Member Account
- Click on Community Groups (Chatter)
- Click Groups
- Click Active Groups
- Find the entity you want to join and within that group, click +Join
Contact [email protected], to learn more about ACPA’s Commission for Global Dimensions of Student Development!
Join our newsletter! For all events, check out our Linktree.
Any ACPA member can become involved and there are varying levels of involvement:
- Join our listserv (sign up under “my profile” in the ACPA membership area)
- Attend our open business meeting at the annual ACPA convention
- Review conference programs for the annual convention
- Submit a sponsored program proposal for the annual convention
- Host a webinar
- Submit a proposal for a paper to be published on our website
Meet the Directorate
CGDSD Directorate Board members benefit from active involvement with a dynamic group of student affairs and services scholars and practitioners, representing a variety of functional areas, institutions, and jurisdictions. Involvement on the Directorate provides the opportunity for ongoing engagement with colleagues with a shared interest in international education and cross-cultural learning.
For general questions, please e-mail us at [email protected]. If you have a specific question regarding an area of responsibility of one of the directorate board members, feel free to contact that member directly. Directorate members are elected to a three-year term by current CGDSD members. They exercise leadership for a specific portfolio within the Commission’s mandate.
The Directorate Board consists of the following members:
- Chair: provides leadership and direction to the Directorate Board, serves as representative of the Commission
- Chair-Elect: supports the Commission Chair
- Past Chair: serves as resource to the Chair and ensures smooth transition of leadership of the Commission
- Faculty-in-Residence & Faculty-in-Residence-Elect: organize International Colloquium (pre-convention workshop at ACPA Annual Convention) and oversee research grant selection process
- Blog & Podcast Editors: responsible for engaging with our members and recruiting them to participate in our Blog and Podcast series
- Vice-Chairs for Marketing and Member Engagement: oversees content development of the Commission’s e-newsletter and manages the Commission’s social media, engagement and recruitment of Commission’s members
- Vice-Chairs for Educational Programs: facilitate Webinars and other professional development opportunities throughout the year
- Vice-Chairs for Awards & Scholarships: oversee our awards and scholarship processes
- Website Managers: ensure our Commission’s website functionality and content updates
- Member-at-Large: serves on the Directorate Board and assist with various Commission projects
Dr. Mary Ann Bodine Al-Sharif
Past Faculty-in-Residence
she/her/hers
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Email the Dr.BAS
Dr. Milad Mohebali
Faculty-in-Residence Elect
he/him
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Email Dr. Milad Mohebali
Dr. Julie Brines
Faculty-in-Residence Elect
she/her/hers
Western Illinois University
Email Dr. Julie Brines
Oksana Kozlova
Vice-Chair for Marketing & Member Outreach
she/her/hers
University of Missouri – Columbia
Email Oksana
Emmanuel Saforo
Vice-Chair for Marketing & Member Outreach
he/him
Florida International University
Email Emmanuel
Evelina Shovunova
Vice-Chair for Educational Programs
she/her/hers
University of Georgia
Email Evelina
Vedika Salunke
Vice-Chair for Educational Programs
she/her/hers
Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi
Email Vedika
CGDSD blogs & Podcasts
(Blog) Finding Community Through ACPA23
Finding Community Through ACPA23 by Laura Vaughn Description: If you are curious about what ACPA 2023 at New Orleans was like, read what Laura Vaughn's blog post. She is a first time ACPA attendee and talks about the conference sessions, the environment, and the...
Guide on attending ACPA: How to maximize your conference experience
Attending a conference can be intimidating and overwhelming, especially if you are a new attendee. Other things might contribute to the uneasiness; for instance, meeting new people, feeling like you do not belong, or the ongoing pandemic. We hope this guide, curated...
(Blog) Study Abroad: Ups, Downs, and Forward
Study Abroad: Ups, Downs, and Forward Description: In this week's blog post, Michaela Dengg, Ph.D. Candidate in the Higher Education and Student Affairs program from the Ohio State University shares their insights on study abroad. She worked as a study abroad advisor...
CGDSD blog posts cover a wide variety of topics, including:
- cross-cultural learning initiatives
- experiences and trends related to working with international students
- personal experiences of being a foreign-born professional working at a higher education institution outside their home country
- experiences of working with student services from different countries
- thought pieces on trends in international education
Nominate a Blogger or Guest Speaker
If you have a friend, a colleague, or a connection who might have an interesting experience or an insightful perspective to share, fill out this Nomination Form and we will reach out to them!
Author Guidelines:
Blog posts can range anywhere between 800-2,500 words. We encourage you to find ways to engage your audience in your blog post by for example including pictures (with a short description) and/or links to outside sources. We also ask that you include your headshot and a short bio, which we can add to the blog posts.
Blog posts should be submitted as a Word document, with pictures attached separately to the e-mail.
Cross-Posting with other ACPA Blogs:
Blogs can be cross-posted on other entity group blogs (to increase readership), if they adhere to the guidelines of the other entity group and address a topic related to the other entity group. We are currently collaborating with the Commission for Social Justice Education on cross-posting blog posts. For information on their blog contribution guidelines, please go to: https://acpacsje.wordpress.com/contribute/
Questions and/or Submitting a Blog or Podcast:
For more information or to submit a blog post, please contact Meena.
For more information or interested in being in the podcast, please contact Lixing.
CGDSD Awards
Each year the CGDSD Awards acknowledge and celebrate individual and organizational contributions to the profession. All award winners are recognized at the 2025 ACPA Annual Convention and are featured on CGDSD’s website and newsletter.
Outstanding International Education Initiative
Recognizes programs and other educational initiatives that support international education and the global dimensions of student development. Recipients for this award will be asked to provide a brief presentation about the program/initiative in the form of a podcast.
Undergraduate Student Excellence Award
Recognizes an undergraduate student who has demonstrated a passion for international education and advocates for international populations. The nominees must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate program. This award recognizes and honors undergraduate students who have made significant contributions to the international student community. This award celebrates those who demonstrate exceptional dedication to supporting, advocating for, and enhancing the experience of international students through research, programming, or advocacy. The award aims to encourage the development of an inclusive and supportive campus environment for international students. Recipients for this award will be asked to provide a brief presentation about the program/initiative in the form of a podcast.
Graduate Student Excellence Award
Recognizes a graduate student who has demonstrated a passion for international education and advocates for international populations. The nominees must be currently enrolled in a graduate program. This award recognizes and honors graduate students who have made significant contributions to the international student community. This award celebrates those who demonstrate exceptional dedication to supporting, advocating for, and enhancing the experience of international students through research, programming, or advocacy. The award aims to encourage the development of an inclusive and supportive campus environment for international students. Recipients for this award will be asked to provide a brief presentation about the program/initiative in the form of a podcast.
Service to the International Community
Recognizes an individual for outstanding service to the international community. The nominee has to demonstrate a history of involvement and leadership, over several years, to the international Student Affairs community. Recipients for this award will be asked to provide a brief presentation about the program/initiative in the form of a podcast.
New Professional Award
Recognizes a new professional with less than 3 years of full-time professional experience who has demonstrated a passion for international education. The nominee has to demonstrate a history of involvement with internationalization and/or globalization efforts within their community in the last two years. Recipients for this award will be asked to provide a brief presentation about the program/initiative in the form of a podcast.
Excellence in International Research
Recognizes an individual for significant scholarly contributions of educational and intrinsic value to international education and/or international student affairs and services in the last two years. Recipients for this award will be asked to provide a brief presentation about the program/initiative in the form of a podcast.
Eligibility for all awards
- Neither nominators nor nominees have to be current ACPA members or members of CGDSD; everyone can nominate or be nominated.
- Self-nominations are accepted for all awards and encouraged.
- Nominees do not have to be international students or scholars.
- Nominees do not have to be located in the U.S.
CGDSD Scholarships
Each year the CGDSD provides two (2) one-year, ACPA membership scholarships to individuals working in the field of student affairs/services outside of the United States. This is a great opportunity to get involved with ACPA, contribute to our Commission’s work and benefit from our network. Several of our past scholarship recipients have also decided to join the commission after their scholarship ended, and still contribute to our mission today.
All scholarship recipients are recognized at the 2025 ACPA Annual Convention and are featured on CGDSD’s website and newsletter.
Eligibility of the scholarship:
- Applicants must be working in the field of student affairs/student services
- Applicants do not have to be located within the US or serving a US institution
- Applicants can be current ACPA members
Please note that all scholarship awardees are required to:
- Join the CGDSD Directorate Board as Member-At-Large
- Submit a blog post or participate in a podcast in the 2024-2025 Academic Cycle
The application closes on December 1st, 2024 at 5 PM EST..
For questions, please e-mail our Scholarship Coordinator, Cholpon Kalandarova.
upcoming events
There are no upcoming events at this time