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 CGDSD@acpa.nche.edu 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 cgdsd@acpa.nche.edu, 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
upcoming events
There are no upcoming events at this time.
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 cgdsd@acpa.nche.edu. 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
- Coordinators for Membership Engagement: focuses on the recruitment, engagement, and retention of our Commission’s members, both domestic and international
- Vice-Chairs for Marketing and Media: oversees content development, production, and distribution of the Commission’s e-newsletter and manages the Commission’s social media
- Vice-Chairs for Educational Programs: facilitate Webinars and other professional development opportunities throughout the year
- Vice-Chairs for Convention Experience: coordinate all events and initiatives related to the Annual ACPA Convention that takes place before, during, and after
- 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
Faculty-in-Residence
she/her/hers
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Email the Faculty-in-Residence
Tamayo Zhou, M.A.
Chair for Marketing & Engagement
Lixing Li
Blog & Podcast Editor
she/her/hers
Washington University in St. Louis
Email the Blog & Podcast Editor
Hanna Lee, Ed.M.
Website Manager
she/her/hers
State University of New York at Oswego
Email the Website Manager
Wadad Housseini
Vice-Chair for Awards & Scholarship
she/her/hers
Qatar University
Email the VC Awards & Scholarships
Gaurav Harshe
Vice-Chair for Educational Programs
he/him/él/他/तो
University of South Carolina
Email the VC Educational Programs
Jennifer Figueroa
Vice-Chair for Educational Programs
she/her/hers
Bucknell University
Email the VC Educational Programs
Vedika Salunke
Vice-Chair for Convention Experience
she/her/hers
Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi
Nicholas Stroup
VC Awards & Scholarships
he/him/his
University of Iowa
Email the VC of Awards & Scholarship
Karlie Tran
Vice-Chair for Marketing & Engagement
she/her/hers
University of Iowa
Email the VC Marketing & Member Outreach
Meena Pannirselvam, M.A.
Blog & Podcast Editor
she/they
Mississippi State University
Email the Blog & Podcast Editor
Oksana Kozlova
Vice-Chair for Marketing & Engagement
she/her/hers
Florida State University
Email the VC Marketing & Member Outreach
Dr. Pankaj Desai
Member-at-Large
he/him/his
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Email Dr. Pankaj Desai
Patricia Aguirre
Vice-Chair for Educational Programs
she/her/hers
California State University, Northridge
Email the VC Educational Programs
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...
(Podcast) # 21-Benefits and Challenges of International Student Leadership within USA
SUMMARY KEYWORDS students, international students, leadership, professors, involved, important, organization, microaggressions, people, campus, staff members, engagement, sharing, club, group, members, leader, graduate students, higher education SPEAKERS Laura Vaughn,...
(Blog) Celebrating 10 Years in Career Development: Preparing students holistically for success
Celebrating 10 Years in Career Development: Preparing students holistically for success Written by Don-Marie Holder, 2022 CGDSD Scholarship Recipient Transitions...
(Blog) Introducing Blog and Podcast Team
With the beginning of a new academic year, the Commission for Global Dimensions of Student Development (CGDSD) is excited to welcome two new Blog and Podcast Editors to the team: Meena and Yi Xuen (who were previous guests on Global Connection episode #6 on advocating...
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:
For more information or to submit a blog post, please contact Xiao Yun.
CGDSD Awards
Each year the CGDSD Awards acknowledge and celebrate individual and organizational contributions to the profession. All award winners are recognized at the 2023 ACPA Annual Convention and are featured on CGDSD’s website and newsletter.
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.
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.
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 at convention or via a Webinar about the program/initiative.
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 2023 ACPA Annual Convention and are featured on CGDSD’s website and newsletter.
The application closes on November 1st, 2022 at 5 PM EST.
Please note that all applicants must be working in the field of student affairs/student services outside the United States and current ACPA members are not eligible.
For questions, please e-mail our Scholarship Coordinator, Wadad El Housseini, wadad@qu.edu.qa