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AIEA Presidential Fellows Program

AIEA Presidential Fellows - with 8 headshots of the 2022-2023 Fellows and Mentors

Learn more about AIEA 2022-23 Presidential Fellows & Mentors

*View a list of Past Presidential Fellows & Mentors

The AIEA Presidential Fellows Program is a program of mentorship for new Senior International Officers (SIOs), necessarily limited in number and of high prestige. The AIEA Presidential Fellows Committee carefully reviews and selects up to 5 Fellows, who are then matched with an experienced SIO (through conversation with the Fellow), who will serve as Mentor throughout the school year.

The AIEA President will notify the President of the Fellow's home institution of the award. Those persons named as fellows will be suitably recognized on the AIEA website and announced at the annual meeting. Fellows from outside the U.S. are also encouraged to apply. 

Each fellow will spend several days (as much as up to a week) visiting the Mentor's campus, shadowing the Mentor, and learning about the policies, politics, and procedures of the Mentor 's institution. Ideally, the Mentor would also plan a shorter visit to the Fellow's campus to better understand the challenges facing the Fellow. Throughout the balance of that academic year, the Mentor will be available for regular consultation and advice as requested by the Fellow, to address topics of interest to the Fellow and areas of desired growth identified from the AIEA Standards of Professional Practice. The Fellow and the Mentor will each provide AIEA with an evaluation of the usefulness of the fellowship at the end of the academic year and the Fellow will submit a final report on the learning experience to AIEA.

The award will include a stipend of $2,000 to be provided to the Fellow's home institution, to defray travel costs and other related expenses of the Fellow and perhaps the Mentor, at the Fellow's discretion. It would be expected, but not required, that this sum might be augmented or perhaps matched by the Fellow's home institution. Note that the stipend cannot be used for AIEA membership or AIEA Conference attendance/travel.

Benefits to the Fellow

The AIEA Presidential Fellows Program provides participants with the opportunity to:

  • Observe how an experienced Senior International Officer and his/her institution address international education challenges and solves problems.
  • Participate with a knowledgeable Mentor in structured week-long campus site visit at the Mentor 's institution.
  • Learn about national and international issues and how they affect individual campuses through the mentor relationship
  • Become a member of a national network of Fellows who serve as resources throughout one's career.

Every Fellow is expected to:

  • Engage in a Mentor/Fellow relationship with a Senior International Officer which may include participating in senior level decision-making meetings at the host institution.
  • Respect the confidentiality of all information learned at the host institution
  • Observe the leadership styles of individuals at the host institution, their effectiveness, and how they interact with one another.
  • Design an individualized Plan of Action for the week-long site visit to the Mentor's campus.
  • Maintain current AIEA membership for the duration of their Fellowship. 
  • Remain in an SIO position for the duration of their Fellowship year (and alert the AIEA Secretariat if this status changes). 

Through this program, Fellows experience a unique opportunity to immerse themselves briefly in the day-to-day activities of their host institutions, earn the trust of their Mentor(s) and that of other administrators and faculty, and maximize learning opportunities.

Program Components

Plan of Action

Once the Fellows have been matched with Mentors, Fellows are to design an individualized Plan of Action jointly with their Mentors for the week-long site visit. The plan should outline at least 2-3 key objectives and how these objectives will be achieved including immersing oneself in the campus visit, engaging in the Fellow/Mentor relationship, working on a specific issue(s) identified in the Statement of Purpose, and reading professional literature on that issue(s). Fellows and Mentors are encouraged to use the Standards of Professional Practice as a starting point for identifying goals or topics of interest. The Plan of Action should also include a budget outlining anticipated expenses, and a statement of support from the Fellow's institution. The Plan of Action is to be submitted to AIEA at [email protected] within one month of being paired with a mentor. Upon receipt of the Plan of Action, AIEA will issue a portion ($1500) of the stipend to the Fellow's institution. The Fellow's stipend should be used to cover travel only for site visits and cannot be used for membership dues or for conference registration or other conference expenses.

The Campus Visit

This experience enables Fellows to observe firsthand how another institution and its senior international officers lead the institution in its international endeavors.

Final Report

As part of this program, the Fellow will need to write and submit a final report to AIEA . The report should include a description of the Fellow's experience, a discussion of how the key objectives were achieved, and how the Fellow will use this experience in his/her work in the future. Upon receipt of the final report, the final portion ($500) of the stipend will be sent to the Fellow's institution.

Annual Conference

AIEA Presidential Fellows are strongly encouraged to attend the AIEA Annual Conference to meet with other Fellows, Mentors and colleagues. A special Fellow-Mentor Reception is always held at the conference, hosted by the AIEA President and Board. 

Stipend Information 

The Fellow's stipend should be used to cover travel only for site visits and cannot be used for membership dues or for conference registration or other conference expenses. Stipend checks are only payable to the Fellow's institution. Upon receipt of the Plan of Action, AIEA will issue a portion ($1500) of the stipend to the Fellow's institution.  Upon receipt of the final report, the final portion ($500) of the stipend will be sent to the Fellow's institution.

Application Process

Interested applicants should submit their CV, Statement of Purpose, and a list of 3 references and contact information to AIEA by May 1 through the online application form: 2020-2021 AIEA Presidential Fellows Application. The references should have knowledge of the applicant in his/her position as SIO. The Statement of Purpose should include the following:

  1. Description of candidate's institution
  2. Description of candidate's position, role within the institution and responsibilities/scope of the candidate's position
  3. The knowledge, skills, and advice the candidate desires to obtain from the mentorship (including those identified or informed by the AIEA Standards of Professional Practice)
  4. The issue the candidate wishes to address in the Action Plan 

The candidate can include mentor/institution suggestions but this is not necessary, and there is no guarantee that the candidate will be matched with those suggestions.

Deadline: May 1

Selection Criteria

Fellows are SIOs at their institutions and will be selected based on the following:

  1. Need and perceived benefit
  2. Promise/potential
  3. Quality of statement and application materials

Preference will be given to those candidates who have been in their current role as senior international officer for less than 3 years. Candidates must be current AIEA members.

Key Dates

May 1: Application Deadline for AIEA Presidential Fellows Program
Summer: Fellows are selected and matched with Mentors
Fall/Spring: Fellows visit Mentors
February: Fellows and Mentors attend AIEA Annual Conference (and invitation-only reception)
Following May: Final report due to AIEA