Commission for Global Dimensions of Student Development

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

The Commission for Global Dimensions of Student Development brings together ACPA members from all functional areas interested in cross-cultural learning, development of intercultural competencies, internationalization, and student services around the world. Our Commission creates space for and initiates international and cross-cultural dialogue and collaboration among higher and tertiary education professionals and encourages its members to become engaged global citizens.

our goals

Our Commission creates and distributes educational resources on a variety of global topics including:

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

Our Commission also serves as a home for international members, including ACPA members living and working outside of the United States as well as foreign-born ACPA members living and working in the United States.
 
Since its inception, the Commission has served as an essential hub for ACPA members interested in global education, cross-cultural learning, and student development. Over the years CGDSD members have provided critical leadership to ACPA’s efforts to engage globally. That work has continued today through ACPA’s Global Initiatives, our Commission’s partnerships with other student affairs and services organizations like IASAS and CACUSS, and our efforts to provide resources to ACPA members around the global dimensions of student development and international education.
 
Our Commission has received numerous awards for its contributions to ACPA and the international education community. Recent awards include the Excellence in Contributions to ACPA’s Strategic Initaitives (2018), Excellence in Innovation (2020), Excellence in Programming and Professional Development (2019, 2021), Excellence in Research and Scholarship (2021), Distinguished Directorate Board Member (2021). Distinguished Commission Chair (2021), and Overall Distinguished Commission Award (2019, 2020, 2021),

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!

  1. Login to your ACPA Member Account
  2. Click on Community Groups (Chatter)
  3. Click Groups
  4. Click Active Groups
  5. 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
    Kriti Gopal
    Kriti Gopal

    Chair

    she/her/hers
    Indiana University

    Email the Chair

    Xiao Yun Sim, M.A.
    Xiao Yun Sim, M.A.

    Chair Elect

    she/her/hers

    Purdue University – West Lafayette

    Email the
    Chair-Elect

    Yuan Zhou, M.S.E.
    Yuan Zhou, M.S.E.

    Past Chair

    she/her/hers
    University of San Francisco

    Email the Past Chair

    Dr. Mary Ann Bodine Al-Sharif
    Dr. Mary Ann Bodine Al-Sharif

    Faculty-in-Residence

    she/her/hers
    University of Alabama at Birmingham

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    Dr. Kinsha Bista
    Dr. Kinsha Bista

    Faculty-in-Residence Elect

    he/him/his
    STAR Scholars

    Email Dr. Kinsha Bista

    Tamayo Zhou, M.A.
    Tamayo Zhou, M.A.

    Chair for Marketing & Engagement

    he/they

    INTO – Drew University

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    Lixing Li
    Lixing Li

    Blog & Podcast Editor

    she/her/hers
    Washington University in St. Louis

    Email the Blog & Podcast Editor

    Hanna Lee, Ed.M.
    Hanna Lee, Ed.M.

    Website Manager

    she/her/hers
    State University of New York at Oswego

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    Katie Goodroad
    Katie Goodroad

    Website Manasger

    she/her/hers
    University of San Diego

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    Wadad Housseini
    Wadad Housseini

    Vice-Chair for Awards & Scholarship

    she/her/hers
    Qatar University

    Email the VC Awards & Scholarships

    Gaurav Harshe
    Gaurav Harshe

    Vice-Chair for Educational Programs

    he/him/él/他/तो
    University of South Carolina

    Email the VC Educational Programs

    Jennifer Figueroa
    Jennifer Figueroa

    Vice-Chair for Educational Programs

    she/her/hers
    Bucknell University

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    Anna-Kaye Rowe
    Anna-Kaye Rowe

    Vice-Chair for Educational Programs

    she/her/hers
    Ohio University

    Email Anna-Kaye

    Vedika Salunke
    Vedika Salunke

    Vice-Chair for Convention Experience

    she/her/hers
    Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi

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    Nicholas Stroup
    Nicholas Stroup

    VC Awards & Scholarships

    he/him/his
    University of Iowa

    Email the VC of Awards & Scholarship

    Yi Xuen Tay, M.A.
    Yi Xuen Tay, M.A.

    Blog & Podcast Editor

    she/her/hers
    University of Nevada, Reno

    Email Tay

    Karlie Tran
    Karlie Tran

    Vice-Chair for Marketing & Engagement

    she/her/hers
    University of Iowa

    Email the VC Marketing & Member Outreach

    Karren Gunalan
    Karren Gunalan

    Vice-Chair for Marketing & Engagement

    she/her/hers
    University of Dayton

    Email Karren

    Michaela Dengg
    Michaela Dengg

    Member-at-large

    she/her/hers
    The Ohio State University

    Email Michaela

    Meena Pannirselvam, M.A.
    Meena Pannirselvam, M.A.

    Blog & Podcast Editor

    she/they
    Mississippi State University

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    Oksana Kozlova
    Oksana Kozlova

    Vice-Chair for Marketing & Engagement

    she/her/hers
    Florida State University

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    Dr. Pankaj Desai
    Dr. Pankaj Desai

    Member-at-Large

    he/him/his
    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    Email Dr. Pankaj Desai

    Patricia Aguirre
    Patricia Aguirre

    Vice-Chair for Educational Programs

    she/her/hers
    California State University, Northridge

    Email the VC Educational Programs

    Laura Vaughn
    Laura Vaughn

    Member-at-Large

    she/her/hers
    Florida State University

    Email Laura

    Ling Jin
    Ling Jin

    Member-At-Large

    she/her/hers
    Duke University

    Email Ling

    CGDSD blogs & Podcasts

    (Blog) Finding Community Through ACPA23
    (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...

    read more
    (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...

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    (Blog) Introducing Blog and Podcast Team
    (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...

    read more

    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