Participants included students, alumni, researchers, universities, and practitioners from around the world.

Held during the 2024 International Education Week, NYU Steinhardt’s International Education program hosted Finding the Way Forward: The Future of International Exchange in U.S. Higher Education on November 21 and 22. This two-day conference convened universities, policymakers, faculty, students, and alumni to address the gap between need and prioritization of international education and cultural exchange.
The event’s theme came from a recent report released by the Institute of International Education (IIE) that examined key trends in academic mobility to the United States and offered suggestions to accommodate the anticipated growth in international students. Over the last 50 years, the number of international students studying in the United States has grown nearly tenfold, and there is also an increased demand for students from the U.S. to travel, study, and learn globally, cultivating their understanding of cultural and intellectual humility and enhancing their career preparedness.

Carol Anne Spreen (left) with Associate Professor and Director of International Education Dana Burde (right)
“These migration trends got us talking, and we decided to do a deep dive about what international education really means, and—as a global university—how we at NYU are approaching this topic as individual sites and schools as well as in cross-disciplinary ways,” says Carol Anne Spreen, associate professor of international education and one of the main organizers of Finding the Way Forward. “Having more international students at our universities in the future is a given, so once they’re on our campuses, how can we both support them in the best ways possible while also seeing their presence as a rich opportunity for our other students to learn more about the world?”
Conference speakers for Finding the Way Forward included:
- Clare Overmann, CEO of the Association of International Education Administrators and member of the Dean's Alumni Advisory Board at NYU Steinhardt;
- John Bader, executive director of the Fulbright Association;
- Jennifer Miller, senior advisor for domestic outreach and partnerships at the U.S. Department of State;
- Philip Hosay, professor emeritus of international education at NYU and founder of Steinhardt’s program, who also served on the planning committee for the conference; and
- The authors of the “Outlook 2030 Brief” report from IIE: Mirka Martel, head of research, evaluation, and learning; and Allan Goodman, CEO, who delivered the keynote address.

Panelists Joann Ng Hartmann, Clare Overmann, Philip Hosay, and John Bader.
“This conference was interesting because of the participation of IIE and other organizations responsible for the development of international education in the U.S.,” says Anthony Wagner, a PhD student in Steinhardt’s International Education program and another key organizer of Finding the Way Forward. “These organizations have changed a lot post-World War II, adapting to an international education environment of constantly changing flows and dynamics of global student and researcher mobility. I think it was eye-opening for students from NYU and other universities to see the vast number of opportunities that exist for an increasingly diverse group of scholars and practitioners to meet this moment of change in international education.”
Finding the Way Forward was generously co-sponsored by NYU Abu Dhabi and the following partners at NYU: Steinhardt’s Office of the Dean; Steinhardt’s Department of Applied Statistics, Social Sciences, and Humanities; NYU Center for Multicultural Education and Programs; and NYU Office of Global Services.
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