Dialogue of the Americas

Dear international educators from the Americas:

On behalf of the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA), the Asociación Mexicana para la Educación Internacional (AMPEI), and the Consortium of North American Higher Education Collaboration (CONAHEC)  we invite you to apply to be a participant in the Dialogue of the Americas, a retreat of senior international officers modeled on the highly successful AIEA Ghost Ranch Seminars and the AIEA-EAIE Transatlantic Dialogues. This third edition of the Dialogue of the Americas will take place October 31 and November 1 in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, just before the 2011 AMPEI conference. It will bring together international educators from the Western Hemisphere to discuss common issues and challenges in international education and cooperation in the Americas. To get an idea of the issues to be discussed, please visit the AIEA website at www.aieaworld.org (events). We are confident that the Dialogue of the Americas will give us all a unique and exciting opportunity to meet, share thoughts and ideas, and prepare for a common future.

The Dialogue of the Americas will take place at the Hotel Westin in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. For more information on the hotel, please visit their website at http://www.westinslp.com.mx/. A series of rooms has been reserved for the participants for the days of the meeting. If you should like to arrive early in order to enjoy a relaxing weekend on this historic site, please contact the hotel directly.

The conveners for the Dialogue of the Americas are:

Francisco Marmolejo, Assistant Vice President for Western Hemispheric Programs at the University of Arizona and Executive Director of CONAHEC, fmarmole@email.arizona.edu

Andrew R. Gillespie, Associate Provost, International Programs at Auburn University, arg0014@auburn.edu

Thomas Buntru, Director of International Programs at Universidad de Monterrey and current president of AMPEI, tbuntru@udem.edu.mx

Darla Deardorff, Manager of International Programs at Duke University and Executive Director of AIEA, d.deardorff@duke.edu

Francisco Marmolejo and Andrew Gillespie will be the facilitators of the retreat. The participants will play a very large role in determining the agenda by proposing topics for discussion. We anticipate that critical trans-American issues will be at the forefront, as we focus on collaboration, competition, exchange, mobility, comprehensive internationalization, campus initiatives, pedagogy, learning outcomes, research, and degree structures, among others. The overall goal of the Dialogue of the Americas is to bring us all together to establish strong professional networks that are built on trust, shared experiences, and common goals. Perhaps the most important aspect of the retreat is the opportunity to meet with engaged colleagues in an inspiring environment, where we will be able to freely share information and experiences, engage in constructive dialogue, brainstorm new concepts, and dream of a common American future in the true, continental sense of the word.

The deadline for signing up for the Dialogue of the Americas is 28 October 2011. In order to sign up, please contact any of the conveners at their e-mail address. Applications will be accepted via e-mail until all participants are selected. We ask interested colleagues to include in their application a short statement of the reasons why they wish to participate in the retreat and to indicate three topics they would like to discuss. Once you have been confirmed as a participant, you will receive further materials on the schedule and a request to submit a brief bio-sketch for distribution to the other participants.

The registration fee for the Dialogue of the Americas is USD 200. Participants are expected to cover airfare, hotel, and meals on their own.

We look forward to having you with us at the Dialogue of the Americas and to two days of stimulating and enriching discussions. For any further information and in case of doubt, please contact any of the conveners.