Studyabroad.com Newsletters

The StudyAbroad.com opt-in newsletter is back from a great NAFSA in beautiful Montreal. We met with a lot of you, heard plenty of discussion, and are here to report back on everything that is happening in the world of study abroad through the eyes of StudyAbroad.com, so lean back in your chair and enjoy this NAFSA rehash.

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I. Montreal Reviewed by StudyAbroad.comÕs Headliner
II. Featured Advisor
III.The New Face of StudyAbroad.com
IV. A StudyAbroad.com Valentine
V. Advisor Supplies
VI. Upcoming Conferences
VII. StudyAbroad.com Traffic Information

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More attendees and more booths then ever. Wow, what a great NAFSA there was this year.

The NAFSA Conference in Montreal marked the 11th year that StudyAbroad.com has attended and, with over 7,300 attendees, 349 exhibitors, and over 190 sessions, this one was the biggest events to date, solidifying NAFSA as the largest international education event in the world. The people behind the conference have really done an outstanding job of developing this into a world-class experience.

Our participation at the NAFSA conference has grown right along with the event itself, and this year we had the best booth location we have ever had. Being close to the front door allowed us to see and be seen by the majority of the people in the exhibit hall. As an example of how much activity was occurring on the floor, we gave away over 1,000 T-shirts in just two and a half days, a rate of about a shirt a minute.

Thanks to many of our clients, advisor contacts, and other industry folks for stopping by to say hello and to grab a shirt and some literature. It is always great to make a personal connection with the people that use and recommend our site and services.

Also, I would like to thank all of the advisors that took the time to fill out our survey about destination diversity. We spotted some interesting trend information that you can digest at http://www.studyabroad.com/survey.

The winner of the advisor survey stopped by our booth as well and it was great to award the prize in person. Our event coordinator, Missy, had the pleasure of handing out the check. There were smiles all around.

And really sums up the success of the entire conference Ð deal making, industry discussion, knowledge sharing, and most of all, smiles all around.

**We've love to get your insight about the conference. If you want to talk about things you learned, observations you made, or anything else, send me an e-mail (jd@studyabroad.com) and will feature your thoughts in the next issue.**

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Study abroad advisors are what make this industry work. Without them, our students might not ever leave this country. Therefore, we would like to honor the great advisors that literally change the world for the better.

Marcia Waller has been the Study Abroad Adviser in the Office of International Education at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio since it was created 15 years ago. Miami has been very active in study abroad for an astounding four decades, and has always had high student participation through their own programs. That is, until recent years.

Marcia told us, "last October, we added another adviser in the office who has expertise in website development. We see many students throughout the academic year, and our job is to assist them in finding the appropriate program for them among the many choices both within and outside of our institution. We understand that the Internet component of our advising is increasingly significant, so we want our site to be coherent and informative, and we really appreciate the StudyAbroad.com resource that expands our ability to effectively advise our students."

Before leaving for NAFSA, she said, "several of us from Miami will be at the NAFSA conference, so we'll attend sessions and look forward to meeting personally with as many of the programs representatives as possible that we work with regularly. It's always a very busy time, but useful for the personal contact that we're able to make." Isn't that how we all feel about this daunting but rewarding period in our lives?

We were fortunate enough to meet with Marcia at the conference. She was the lucky winner of our advisor survey sweepstakes, so we awarded her the prize she was promised Ð a check to help out with the expense of attending NAFSA. That wasn't the only reason we were happy to see her, however. With the chaos of the conference surrounding us in the background, we were able to have an excellent conversation about her school and the impact of study abroad on the world. It's always wonderful to spend time with the people that make the biggest difference Ð the advisors. Thank you, Marcia, for being an essential part of this important community.

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Last year we conducted a survey on how StudyAbroad.com should be redesigned to better serve your needs. This year, we implemented your ideas.

Rolled out at NAFSA and appearing on computer screens everywhere is the brand new http://www.StudyAbroad.com.

Revamped, retooled, refueled, and re-everything else, StudyAbroad.com is here to make your job easier by offering information, advice, and resources for students, advisors, and recruiters, as well as the most comprehensive directory of study abroad programs available. It also remains the best tool to advertise programs, since the majority of students search for programs online, and we have the greatest online presence.

But StudyAbroad.com didn't just get an online overhaul. It's parent company, Educational Directories Unlimited, has been acquired by Halyard Capital. Read the full story here.

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You may have met Denise Valentine in Montreal. She is StudyAbroad.com's advisor liaison and her role here is to discover what we can do to make your job easier. She wants you to, if I may paraphrase Tom Cruise as Jerry Maguire for a moment, help her help you.

If you didn't see her in Montreal, or if you didn't make it to the NAFSA conference, don't worry. You can get in touch with her by calling her at 610-499-9200 or e-mailing her at Denise@EDUdirectories.com. You can talk to her about anything you want. She's here for you.

She's also here to supply this newsletter with an interesting column, and today will be your introduction to that. Allow me to introduce myself as the advisor liaison for StudyAbroad.com. My job is to insure that you and your students have the best possible experience with our services. And further, to support the academic community by advocating for excellence, accessibility, and mobility in higher education. Toward this end, I participated in the AED Colloquium on Diversity, and the NAFSA Symposium and Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C., and the NAFSA annual conference in Montreal. These events provide the environment and the resources I need to expand my knowledge base and become a more effective advocate. It has been truly inspiring to meet and talk with so many individuals committed to the development of global thinkers and leaders.

In our last newsletter, Matt really put me on the spot when he announced that the new advisor liaison is a professional storyteller. I'm sure some readers were thinking, "so she's a storyteller, what's that got to do with study abroad?"

As an arts-in-education resident, I used interactive storytelling with at-risk youth, ex-offenders, and battered women as a tool to promote conflict resolution and empowerment. Storytelling has the potential to transform the audience and the teller through an exchange of knowledge, ideas, and experience. Storytelling is about human interaction, life to life exchange. And ultimately, so is study abroad. Participants of both gain knowledge and insight into their own world and understanding of another's.
Knowledge is...the stuff of incessant talk, collaborative working relationships, personali[s]ed stories and constant learning. It is, in fact, no less than the core of human capital. --From the International Journal of Knowledge, Culture and Change Management

Please visit the advisor page to read my article on the international transmission of knowledge and culture.

I invite you to call or e-mail me to discuss additional resources StudyAbroad.com could provide to assist you in guiding your students and your campuses toward international education.

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* Pens
* Brochures
* Posters
* Notepads
* Why Study Abroad? brochures
* Plastic fair bags
* Postcards
* Brochure holders (limit one)
* Adhesive plastic pockets (limit one)
* StudyAbroad.com handbooks (limit one)

If you are looking to order additional supplies, please contact Melissa Mitchell at 610-499-9200 or e-mail mm@edudirectories.com.

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October:
NACAC in Pittsburgh, PA October 5-7
NSEE in Nashville, TN August 11-14
NACADA in Indianapolis, IN October 18-20

If you are attending any of these conferences or will be in the area you should definitely stop by and say hello. We'd love to see and talk to you.

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StudyAbroad.com continues to be the leading online directory for study abroad programs.

Over 4 million people visited the site between January and June this year, up almost half a million from last year. These are quality students interested in studying abroad, and they are seeing your program(s) on our site.

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If you have any news you would like to share with your fellow study abroad advisors please let us know. We would be happy to post your thoughts, articles, and press releases in this newsletter. We would also like to start a "letter to the editor" type section, so please feel free to send us your comments. Just contact Matt Ulmer at mulmer@edudirectories.com, and he will feature you in an upcoming issue of the StudyAbroad.com Newsletter.

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Educational Directories Unlimited, parent company of StudyAbroad.com, produces several newsletters, specifically for StudyAbroad.com, GradSchools.com, and IIEPassport, as well as periodic news releases. To subscribe to the StudyAbroad Service Wire, please email sabnewsletter-on@list.edudirectories.com If you would like to receive our news releases, please contact Matt Ulmer at mulmer@edudirectories.com.

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Educational Directories Unlimited, Inc. (www.EDUdirectories.com) has been at the forefront of educational marketing since its inception in 1989. With a mission to be the bridge between students and educators, EDU provides several comprehensive online directories including GradSchools.com, StudyAbroad.com, EducationforAdults.com, CollegeAbroad.com, Distance.GradSchools.com, and Business.GradSchools.com. It also offers innovative services such as StudentProspector and Administrator, as well as Internet consulting services through EDU Internet Strategies. Based in suburban Philadelphia, EDU's steady growth since its inception in 1989 has led to its inclusion in the Philadelphia 100, Inc. Magazine/ICIC Inner City 100 and Inc. 500 lists of fast-growing businesses.

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StudyAbroad.com
A service of Educational Directories Unlimited, Inc.
1350 Edgmont Avenue
Chester, PA 19013 USA
Phone: 484-766-2900
Fax: 610-499-9205

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