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June 13, 2013

Carnegie Mellon Boosts Presence at NAFSA Conference

NAFSA ConferenceCarnegie Mellon University increased its presence at this year's national NAFSA conference, May 26-31 in St. Louis, with a booth highlighting the university's international and U.S. locations and several staff members giving presentations.

NAFSA, the Association of International Educators, had more than 8,000 participants at the conference. This was the first year that the university has had a stand-alone booth at the event. Previously, CMU has exhibited as part of Education City in Qatar.

Participants included:

  • Aamir Anwar, director of International Alumni Relations;
  • Mark Charnley, manager of global recruitment for Carnegie Mellon Australia;
  • Lisa Curran, admissions and alumni specialist for the Information Networking Institute;
  • Carly Shane Devenburgh, foreign student/scholar adviser for OIE;
  • Murry Evans, executive director of Marketing and Public Relations at Carnegie Mellon Qatar;
  • Linda Gentile, director of the Office of International Education (OIE);
  • Jaycie King, coordinator of Study Abroad and International Programming of OIE;
  • Jennifer McNabb, assistant director of OIE/Foreign Student & Scholar Advisor;
  • Christine Menand, assistant director of OIE/Study Abroad & Exchange Programs;
  • Jessica Sun, academic program manager for SYSU-CMU Joint Institute of Engineering;
  • Darren Turner, director of Marketing and Recruitment for Carnegie Mellon Australia; and
  • Mary Christine Zeise, director of Admissions and Alumni Relations for Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley.

Several CMU staffers also participated in presentations, roundtables and have NAFSA leadership roles. Among them:

  • Anwar, whose presentation was titled "Engaging International Alumni: Strategies and Best Practices";
  • Gentile, ISS RP International Scholar Subcommittee Member, presented at a pre-Conference workshop: "The ABCs of Visa Acquisitions: What Students and Scholars Experience at a U.S. Consulate";
  • McNabb, chair of NAFSA Region VIII, presided over the Region VIII (DC, DE, MD, PA, VA, WV) Update Meeting and was a presenter for "Close Encounters: U.S. Officials Discuss Visa Interviews and Inspections";
  • Menand, EA RP Consular Affairs Liaison Subcommittee Member/Consular Affairs Liaison, was a roundtable moderator for "Education Abroad Visa Updates: Critical Considerations for Students Studying Abroad"; and
  • Devenburgh, KC-ISS liaison for the NAFSA Region VIII team, was a roundtable moderator for "Get Involved: Leadership Opportunities in the Knowledge Community for ISSS," "Is This the Career for You? A Discussion for Graduate Students" and "Open Dialogue: F-1 Student Employment Advanced Issues: Self-Employment and Unpaid Internships."

Pictured, l-r, Christine Zeise, Murry Evans, Mark Charnley and Darren Turner.