See You (Virtually) at NAFSA All-Region Summit

Via TRM Looks Forward to Connecting with NAFSAns at the Upcoming Summit

By Carrie Cohan & Bob Specking

Like many in the International Education community, attending NAFSA annual
Regional Conferences is one of the highlights of fall for us. We love engaging with the tight-knit Education Abroad communities at these annual conferences. They not only feel like reunions with friends and colleagues, but they always prove useful in learning about each region’s distinctive trends and challenges.

But since Via Traveler Relationship Management (TRM) serves institutions across the country (and the world), it’s important to gain those same insights more widely. So, what’s great about this year’s NAFSA All-Region Summit is we can attend all 11 NAFSA Regional Conferences without needing to travel. We’ll also get to spend more time: three weeks!

Of course, we wish the conference were in person this year (we bet you do too), but we’re also excited to participate in NAFSA’s first-ever combined virtual event. During the conference, October 4 to 22, 2021, you can access dynamic, region-specific content as well as all-region shared content, activities and events.

While we live in Regions IV and V, respectively, we look forward to connecting with other NAFSAns across all 11 regions for three straight weeks of professional development and networking! We’re grateful to NAFSA for putting together such an accessible, online event.

It’s not too late to register for the NAFSA All-Region Summit. Remember: By doing so, you’ll have virtual access to the content of all 11 NAFSA Regional Conferences this fall!

Via TRM to Introduce New Product at NAFSA 2021 Conference

Since last March, we’ve focused on innovating and evolving our services and plans. We made Via Global, our Traveler Relationship Management core system, much more robust by adding more resources for student engagement, reporting, and event planning, to name a few. We also created Via Travel, our new travel registry and risk management system. Via Travel came from the heightened institutional need for better travel tracking and risk management. We believe it will help equip you with the tools you need for what we hope will soon be the return to full mobility!

But a new product is just one way we hope to serve the International Education community. As a company built by international educators for international educators, Via TRM strives to collect and share insights on the field and keep a close ear to the market to ensure we’re adding as much value as possible to the colleges and universities we serve.

Visit Via TRM’s Virtual Booth

Each day throughout the three-week NAFSA 2021 All-Region Summit, Via TRM will be live in our virtual booth. We’ll be offering some fun and interesting resources, including:

• Talk time: One of the best parts of the conference is meeting new people and learning more about how we can support your institution’s EA goals. Please stop by our virtual booth and introduce yourself. Tell us what’s working—and not working—about your current system. We’ll be all ears, and we’ll also be happy to share how Via can help you achieve your goals.
• State of Education Abroad survey: Each year we produce our annual Market Report. The report uses client data to provide insights around study abroad trends and traveler mobility. As the last year and a half has seen very limited mobility, our 2021 report will include results from our new State of Education Abroad survey that is open through November 1. The survey is meant to capture how our field has been impacted since last March, using your perspective on topics like:
  • Institutional support of study abroad
  • Staffing and budgets through the pandemic
  • Student engagement strategies
  • Evaluation of travel risk
  • DEI focus and initiatives
• Office Coffee Break Raffle: Register to win an Office Coffee Break complete with Via TRM mugs and coffee cards. We’ll raffle away 11 mugs—and one lucky winner will receive the fully funded Office Coffee Break for their team!

Our Top Summit Sessions

Like you, we’re excited about so many of the sessions at NAFSA 2021 All-Region Summit. Here are our “must-attend” sessions:

Bob’s Picks:

• What: Region IV: How Study Missouri Run the World?
• When: Friday, Oct. 8
• Why: I live in St. Louis and am involved with the Study Missouri consortium. Our meetings at NAFSA regionals are always a highlight each year!

• What: Region VIII: Developing a Sustainability Plan (EA)
• When: Monday, Oct. 11
• Why: It’s been a challenging year and a half in EA and I’m very interested in hearing how offices have adapted and how they’re planning for the future in a more sustainable way.

• What: Region VII: Which Game Do I Need?! Student Engagement with Virtual Tools
• When: Tuesday, Oct. 12
• Why: Reaching students long before they raise their hands is crucial to EA growth and inclusivity. Here at Via, our systems are designed to support such efforts and I’m excited to learn from others about new ways of doing so, especially in this lingering virtual environment.

• What: Region VIII: Help Wanted! Building Risk Management Capacity in the EA Office
• When: Tuesday, Oct. 12
• Why: Risk management is a huge priority for EA offices (even more than before) and I’m curious about the different strategies and resources institutions have adopted/are adopting as we return to mobility.

Carrie’s Picks:

• What: Region X: Silver Linings: Successfully Adapting for Student Recruitment
• When: Wednesday, Oct. 6
• Why: I’m interested in hearing how institutions are building momentum and adapting to recruiting in pandemic times.

• What: Region III: LGBTQ+Focus: Reflection on how identity influences the EA experience
• When: Friday, Oct. 8
• Why: I’m interested in learning how we, the EA community, can provide all students with equitable and inclusive experiences.

• What: Region VIII: Study Abroad During the Pandemic: Student Stories
• When: Tuesday, Oct. 12
• Why: We all know the stress we were under to get our students home safely. Now we get to hear it from the students’ point of view and learn from it!

Let’s Talk

As you can tell, we’re excited about this year’s innovative online NAFSA All-Region Summit! Please do stop by our virtual booth and say hello. We wish you all the best as you plan your Study Abroad initiatives for the coming year. If we can help make your life easier, please let us know. And you don’t have to wait until the NAFSA conference to learn more about Via. We’re happy to listen to your challenges and provide solutions—anytime.

Want to learn how Via TRM can help your institution?

LEARN MORE NOW

Carrie Cohan Bob Specking