The 2023 Conference Session Schedule can be found below. This schedule includes session titles and descriptions, panelist information, experience level, and target audience.
AI & the Potential Death of the College Essay (From All Sides of the Desk)
Session Description
Who wrote this? AI or our session panelists? Come find out. Whether you are a university, college, high school, independent counselor, or vendor, AI is here to stay. This session will explore sample AI platforms, troubleshooting from all sides, and seek to discuss what an "authentic" application means when we know that AI will be an inevitable part of writing across industries.
Experience Level
Intermediate
Experienced
Target Audience
Post-Secondary (College & University)
Organization (For-Profit, Non-Profit, CBO)
Lead Presenter
Tina MacDonald, College of Charleston
Additional Presenters
Caitlin Worsham, CPC Global Education
Gloria Chyou Crawford, InitialView
Sheen Luo, Kunming No. 1 High School International Education
Jennifer Hirsch, Claremont McKenna College
Curriculum Supersession
Session Description
AP, IB, Cambridge International – all rigorous programs that prepare students well for university success. Representatives from all three organizations will share details about our different curricular offerings. Join a conversation about how our courses are regarded in the admissions process. Our focus is putting students first and serving schools and universities.
Experience Level
Intermediate
Experienced
Target Audience
Post-Secondary (College & University)
Organization (For-Profit, Non-Profit, CBO)
Lead Presenter
Marie Vivas, International Baccalaureate Organization
Additional Presenters
Marie Vivas, International Baccalaureate Organization
James Bishop, Cambridge Assessment International Education
Jonathan Burdick, Cornell University
Rushi Sheth, The College Board
Data Driven, Not Data Derailed: A Roadmap for Overcoming Analysis Paralysis
Session Description
This session will provide a framework for both AOs and counselors to simplify data usage in their day-to-day practice and empower all to transition from data overwhelm to data efficiency. Using our institutions/schools as case studies, we will provide a roadmap for identifying the most critical data points, ensuring data integrity, translating and visualizing large data sets, and using the key metrics to drive decision-making in recruitment and yield management for universities and colleges to drive college counseling in high schools. Our aim is to equip participants with new knowledge and practical ways of:
I. Engaging with big data, predictive and prescriptive analytics,
II. Using national and international trends,
III. Using their own institutional data,
IV. Incorporating universities' and colleges' more nuanced metrics into college admissions advising.
Experience Level
Intermediate
Experienced
Target Audience
Post-Secondary (College & University)
Organization (For-Profit, Non-Profit, CBO)
Lead Presenter
Bridget Coughlin, Halcyon International School
Additional Presenters
Ruby Cheng, Brown University
Beau Benson, Northeastern University
Pan Luo, Brandeis University
Grace Roffe, Robert College
Ethical Dilemmas in Our Evolving Industry: Breaking Down NACAC's Guide to Ethical Practice in College Admission
Session Description
The world as we knew it has forever changed and so has admissions and counseling work with more major changes on the horizon. Amid a global pandemic, mental health crises, a worldwide reckoning on systemic racism, fluctuating economies, and increased selectivity in admissions, how do we continue to center our work in ethical practice in 2023 when we are under so much pressure? Join International ACAC and NACAC representatives to unpack NACAC's Guide to Ethical Practice in College Admission, to engage in discussions regarding ethical dilemmas, and to highlight best ways to support students from all sides of the desk.
Experience Level
Intermediate
Experienced
Target Audience
Post-Secondary (College & University)
Organization (For-Profit, Non-Profit, CBO)
Lead Presenter
Ruby Bhattacharya, Barnard College
Additional Presenters
Ffiona Rees, University of California, Los Angeles
Vern Granger, University of Connecticut
Nan Zhang, WLSA Shanghai Academy
Ramie Jacobson, UWC South East Asia, Dover Campus
Family Matters: Helping Your Students Build an International Community
Session Description
Looking beyond the traditional international study locations, this panel will highlight the student experience in Australia, Scotland and Wales. We will explore student life in these countries, including academic culture, student housing, on/off campus activities, and building community. Counselors will learn tools to advise students of new and exciting international study options, and identify which students will succeed in these countries.
Experience Level
Intermediate
Experienced
Target Audience
Post-Secondary (College & University)
Organization (For-Profit, Non-Profit, CBO)
Lead Presenter
Julia Jerving, University of Melbourne
Additional Presenters
Arddun Arwyn, Aberystwyth University
Donna Gall, University of Glasgow
IECs & School-Based Counselors: A Story of Colleagues
Session Description
A school-based counselor’s objective is to fully support a student in their college application process. An independent educational consultant’s objective is to fully support a student in their college application process. Therefore, why has it been so historically difficult for these professionals to work in tandem? In this session, we will share how leveraging complementary angles has worked for us, how universities react to this style of collaboration, and how other professionals in the field could replicate our practice.
Experience Level
Intermediate
Experienced
Target Audience
Post-Secondary (College & University)
Organization (For-Profit, Non-Profit, CBO)
Lead Presenter
Diego Lopez-Calleja, Lincoln School
Additional Presenters
Monica Orlich, MovED Educational Consulting
Renee Lurie, Independent Educational Consultant
Kindel Hollis, Trinity University
Lessons from International ACAC Scholars: Trends, Challenges, & Opportunities
Session Description
Educators from this year’s International ACAC Scholar Cohort will share information about the success their students have achieved at home and overseas in spite of significant obstacles. The Scholars will provide valuable insights about support systems they have built for students. They also welcome your questions!
Experience Level
Intermediate
Experienced
Target Audience
Post-Secondary (College & University)
Organization (For-Profit, Non-Profit, CBO)
Lead Presenter
Michelle Trimpe, University of Chicago
Additional Presenters
Roza Jeladyan, Shirakatsy Lyceum International Scientific Educational Complex
Emmanuel Ngolefac, Government Bilingual High School, Bafoussam Rural
Kaosarn Kasor, Thamavitya Mulniti School
David Bett, Tujenge Africa Foundation
Reinventing Yourself: Considering Changing Posts, Sides of the Desk, or Enhancing Your Experience in Your Current Role? How Do I Stay Relevant?
Session Description
This session is designed for people who have been working in higher education for over 10 years, who have been conducting the same type of work day-in, day-out and are looking to broaden their opportunities. Members of the panel have been in this field for nearly two decades or more each and have worked on different sides of the desk at different types of schools. They will discuss the challenges and successes they’ve experienced. This is an opportunity for the audience to also engage in meaningful dialogue with one another sharing ideas.
Experience Level
Experienced
Target Audience
Post-Secondary (College & University)
Organization (For-Profit, Non-Profit, CBO)
Lead Presenter
Joe Giacalone, Marist College
Additional Presenters
David Zutautas, Independent Member
Becky Konowicz, Santa Clara University
Ray Marx, Colegio Americano de Quito
The Evolving Role of Assessment in Admissions
Session Description
The pandemic has ushered in a new recruitment and admissions landscape that students, counselors, and admission leaders alike are learning to navigate. Join us for a conversation with representatives from both sides of the desk as we discuss changing admission requirements, innovations in testing, and the value of student choice when submitting scores is optional. What role can college entrance exams and English language proficiency tests play as institutions prioritize equity and access for international students, and work to support success in their post-secondary studies?
Experience Level
Intermediate
Experienced
Target Audience
Post-Secondary (College & University)
Organization (For-Profit, Non-Profit, CBO)
Lead Presenter
Scott Smith, The College Board
Additional Presenters
Michelle Chow-Liu, Western Academy of Beijing
Jody Glassman, Florida International University
Matt Bonser, Colorado College
Jeffrey Neill, Graded - The American School of São Paulo
Kevin Hostetler, Duolingo English Test
Wellness in Action – Perspectives from High School, Colleges & an Educational Non-Profit
Session Description
Mental health challenges among college-age students have increasingly grown over the years and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Join a high school counselor, college representatives and an educational access non-profit to discuss strategies on students’ mental health and wellness. Learn how these different institutions/organizations are collecting data to learn about students’ mental health and well-being, share out their strategies that support students’ wellness, and take away actionable ideas that can be implemented at your institutions.
Experience Level
Intermediate
Experienced
Target Audience
Post-Secondary (College & University)
Organization (For-Profit, Non-Profit, CBO)
Lead Presenter
Olivia Loo, Pasadena City College
Additional Presenters
Megan Mankerian-Stem, Gen Next Education, Inc.
Elisa Edmondson, Ashinaga USA
Mick Amundson-Geisel, The International School Yangon
What Now? Post-Secondary Team Leadership 2.0: Panel & Discussion (One-Year Check-In)
Session Description
Do you lead, or aspire to lead a high-performing recruitment and admissions team?
Join us for a one-year check-in, following a dynamic and audience interactive conversation hosted in 2022 in Albuquerque.
This 2.0 panel and discussion will continue to explore what it takes to make the move from road warrior to team leadership. Contribute to dialogue as we formalize candid conference conversations on the subject of transitions into leadership, the challenges, rewards, and realities of team leadership.
Let's further the conversation, as we continue to navigate the challenges of recruiting and retaining high-impact teams, explore what this past year has been like with a breadth of return-to-work requests, the implementation of alternative work arrangements, and hybrid work models. What trends and sector changes have our panel of leaders, and audience members seen in the last year of global student recruitment and admissions?
Experience Level
Experienced
Target Audience
Post-Secondary (College & University)