Erica Nikolaisen, Program Manager for Education Abroad, has been selected as a Fellow for the 2022-2023 U.S. – Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) University Connections Initiative (UCI). The UCI is part of a White House program announced during the U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit in May 2022 to re-affirm the United States’ commitment to Southeast Asia and to underscore the importance of U.S.-ASEAN cooperation in ensuring security, prosperity, and respect for human rights. UCI will bring together leaders from diverse colleges and universities in the United States and ASEAN for a series of trainings, in partnership with the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA). Spanning the 2022-2023 academic year, these professional development and networking opportunities will promote sustainable international academic partnerships and the two-way exchange of students, scholars, and researchers among U.S. and ASEAN higher education institutions.

Erica will travel to Washington, D.C. in February 2023 for training and to attend the annual conference for the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA), the only association dedicated exclusively to leaders in international education. The five-day training will include workshops and networking events. U.S. and ASEAN Fellows will also participate in virtual incubator sessions in the spring and summer of 2023 to follow up on connections made through the initiative and to develop and implement partnerships. The fellowship concludes with an opportunity for NMSU to apply for microgrants to pursue partnerships with ASEAN institutions and to establish new education abroad programming in Southeast Asia that complements degree programs for NMSU students.