The PIE Live North America event in Boston did exactly what it was supposed to do. We gathered, we laughed, we explored, and in some cases, we clashed. Not dramatically, just a bit. But there were definitely some presentations and ideas shared that prompted collegial discussions with some friction. And that is exactly what a news publication should foster.
Intead was honored to be selected to present on the topic of student mobility data. Sharing the stage with Sandhya Balasubramanian, Assistant Dean of Business Programs for Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Kirsten L. Feddersen, Senior VP of Analytics & Consulting for North America at Studyportals, we dove into the market research data that drives recruitment and enrollment decisions. We focused on putting that data into action. The fast-paced presentation and our Intead workshop handouts hit the mark for the many who attended. If you’d like those action-oriented handouts, consider joining Intead Plus with access to our full library of training materials and so much more.
Unlike the unwritten rules that often constrict the way we interact at conferences run by associations with broad memberships, media outlets thrive when there is disagreement. Controversy draws more eyeballs and sells more newspapers (please forgive the throwback concept of selling newspapers).
You want a for instance, right? Well…coinciding with IIE’s latest Open Doors data release, we learned of a new coalition of international education leaders called U.S. for Success seeking a national effort to increase the number of international students coming to the U.S. From their website: “U.S. for Success seeks to position the United States to effectively compete and cooperate on a global stage by attracting top talent and ensuring the success of all international students.”
Lofty goals that align with what NAFSA, IIE, AIEA, AIRC, and many other associations already proactively seek to promote in concert with ACE. We are left with many questions about what exactly this new initiative will do and how it will get it done. See this PIE News story on the topic and see if it doesn’t leave you scratching your head a bit.
We have our own ideas on the topic, of course. More will come to light in the year ahead, we are sure. We hope for the best and want to see our colleagues at these industry-leading associations find effective partners for their important work.
For more notes from Pie Live, read on…
The PIE Live gathering prompts reflection and evaluation. Leaders in our field taking time to bounce ideas off each other and challenge each other to consider possibilities, find new solutions, invest our time and efforts where there is value.
Topics that drew attention included discussions around recruiting from China and India (surprise, right?). Some great perspectives shared there with the growing interest among Indian students at the graduate and increasingly at the undergraduate levels. Our recent posts on the topic have been popular (read more about the current state of international student recruitment in China here and India here).
Also of interest at PIE Live: how will enrollment departments leverage the new hot thing – artificial intelligence? A topic on everyone’s mind and there’s quite a bit of deceptive over-hype going on. Bringing a bit of sense to the madness, our own Senior Digital Marketing Manager Iliana Joaquin and UMBC SIO David DiMaria, Ph.D., will be presenting on that topic at AIRC in December 2023 and NAFSA in May 2024. We hope you can join us at one of those events to gain some valuable, real-world perspective beyond the hype. If you can’t attend, look for insights in this blog in the months ahead.
In the meantime, we will have much more to share over the next few posts as we wrap up our meetings at AIRC and ICEF. If we didn’t have a chance to talk to you at these events, please be in touch. We have so much to discuss.
