Date: October 15-18, 2014
The high school International Student Exchange community met in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at The Pfister Hotel on October 15-18, 2014 for CSIET’s 30th Anniversary Conference. International student exchange at the high school level has grown to over 100,000 participants in 2013. This is a dramatic increase over the last 7 years (35,000 in 2007), a development that calls for a new level of attention to standards and preferred practices.
This seminal conference achieved:
- A celebration 30 years of international student exchange and its key contributors;
- Provided insight and guidance to federal regulation and programs (J-1 and F-1), including participation by the U.S. Department of State and Department of Homeland Security;
- Brought together community leaders to network and share community best practices;
- Recognized leaders within the field of international student exchange over the past three decades; and
- Helped high school representatives learn more about improving and engaging their own school exchange programming.
As the number of students studying abroad within the U.S. grows, CSIET and its certified organizations stand as pillars in support of the high school exchange community- continuing to ensure safe and valuable international and cultural exchange experiences. Thank you to all who joined us!
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Edwin H. Gragert, Director of Global Campaign for Education: United States Chapter
Conference Presentations are now available online in our Member Center. To access the presentations, login to your CSIET Account. Click ‘Member Center’, then ‘Member Resources’, then ‘Conference Archive’.
We truly appreciate those who attended and supported this year’s conference. Because we want to make our sessions worth every minute of your time, if you have not already done so and were an attendee this year, please share your feedback with us by contacting anna@csiet.org.
Conference Planning Committee
- John Crist, ICES, CSIET Board of Directors
- Gwen Vitzthum, CCI Greenheart
- Matt Nink, Global Youth Leadership Institute
- Carol Downes, STS Education
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014
- CSIET Board Meeting
- Introduction to ELTiS (English Language Testing for International Students)
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2014
- Welcome Remarks
- SEVP 101
- Managing Host Family Expectations
- International Student Expectations and the College Admissions Process
Tina Quick, International Family Transitions:
Host Family Payments and the IRS - Introduction to CSIET Membership and Guide to the Listing Process
- Telling Our Story: Anticipating Increased F-1 Visa Students in Public High Schools
- Host Family and Volunteer Screening: Beyond Criminal Background Checks
- East and West: Communicating with Chinese Students and Parents
- Dormitories and Host Families: What are the Issues?
- Evolving State and Local Athletics Eligibility Requirements
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2014
- Membership Council Meeting
- J Visa Compliance: U.S. Department of State
- Keynote Address
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Edwin H. Gragert, Director of Global Campaign for Education: United States Chapter - Evolving Language Testing: ELTiS
- Exchange Student Panel
- Strengthening Long Term Exchange Through Short-term Programming
- Train the Trainer: Strategies for Cross-cultural Communication
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2014
- Cultivating the Partnership between U.S. Schools and International Student Programs
- Advocacy and Federal Budget Update
- Long-term Effects of Youth Exchange
- Untangling the Social Web… 2.0