Internationalization Summit

2025 Summit Schedule

There is increasing attention to questions of how speech and expression are negotiated, supported, and limited, particularly in historically pluralistic societies. Higher education institutions in such regions are often sites generating both innovative and hegemonic approaches, thought and systems. Many have argued that a primary role of international education is to bridge gaps between perspectives, providing opportunities for embracing greater tolerance and acceptance of diverse worldviews, values, and beliefs. But, how are we doing in this effort? How should those in international education engage with these issues? What are the challenges or opportunities presented in questions of free expression? This summit explores various global perspectives on these issues of how international education intersects with ideas of free expression.

8:00-8:30 AM Registration & Breakfast
Please click on the expanding lists below for details on each session.

• 8:30-9:30 AM Opening Remarks and Panel Discussion

  Opening Remarks: 
  Mary Clark, Provost, University of Denver
  
  Panel Discussion
  Title: Who gets to speak and who gets heard? Free expression and the internationalization of Higher Education.  
  
  Panelists:

  

• 9:40 - 10:30 AM Session 1

  Title: Internationalizing the Higher Education Curriculum through Strategic Partnerships at Morgridge College of Education
  Presenters: 
  Laura Sponsler, University of Denver
  Session Focus: Teaching, Curriculum, and Pedagogy                Room # 2600
  
  This session will explore the internationalization of the higher education curriculum through the lens of a newly introduced Comparative International Higher Education course at the Morgridge College of Education (MCE). The course, taught in Fall 2025, aimed to broaden the predominantly American-focused MCE curriculum by integrating international perspectives, leveraging DU’s strategic partnerships. This initiative responded to growing student interest and the evolving demographics at DU. The session will feature insights from the faculty member on comparative education methodologies and presentations by students on their learnings from studying higher education in Finland, Kazakhstan, South Africa, and India. Participants will gain strategies for approaching comparative education globally, appreciate the internationalization efforts at MCE, and hear student reflections on the benefits and challenges of this curriculum transformation.
  
  Title: Seen and Not Heard
  Presenters: 
  Vanessa Johnson, University of Glasgow
  João Ponciano, University of Glasgow (joining online)
  Session Focus: Education Abroad or Away                                    Room # 1600
  
  Seen and Not Heard was a traditional English way of telling off children. How can we make sure changing our strategy does not result in our students being unseen and unheard? What agency do we have to change our processes for the advantage of our different cohorts? This session will present two reflective case studies from the University of Glasgow looking at how we needed to change our processes for different cohorts of students. The first case study is looking at the onboarding process for articulation and dual degree students from partner universities at the University of Glasgow. The second case study is looking at the assessment and feedback processes in the delivery of teaching and learning at Glasgow College – University of Electronics Science and Technology of China. We will then invite participants to share examples of changing internal processes to deliver successfully on new strategic initiatives.
  
  Title:  Language as Survival: Nigerian Graduate Student Narratives about Education and Expression
  Presenters: 
  Alfred Owusu-Ansah, University of Denver
  Chijioke Fidelis Izuegbunem, University of Denver
  Nonye Ahumibe, University of Denver
  Toyin Alli, University of Denver
  Session Focus: Education Abroad or Away                                    Room # 1700
  
  Speakers on this panel focus on the theme of survival in the world, especially as it is connected to language. Nigerian graduate students studying at DU  know how vital it is to draw on their multiple languages as they navigate American higher education, especially the flexibility, adaptability, and multi-dimensional thinking that their languages afford. We will read an excerpt from a short story that centers on rigidity and its downsides as a foreground for our discussion and delve into areas like linguistic dominance, diverse classrooms and different cultural backgrounds, and how linguistic flexibility as a survival skill can facilitate individuals’ successful navigation of different spaces. Also, we comment on language as central to survival in the international space since it shapes identity, mediates power and determines access to opportunities in both professional and academic settings. 
  
  Title: Academic freedom vs. educational best practices: what happens when students ask for better pedagogy?
  Presenters: 
  Samuel Kohlenberg, University of Denver
  Session Focus: Teaching, Curriculum, and Pedagogy                Room # 1800
  
  Imagine you are a professor, and your students do not seem to want to do the sort of work that you found formative in your education. You feel conflicted: how do you balance your students’ disinclination to do the coursework with your responsibility to make sure that they get what they are supposed to out of your course? Now imagine you are a student. As you look at a syllabus, you realize that you have time to either do the assignments as directed or to learn the material, but not both. You resign yourself to checking the boxes you will have to check to pass the course. This roundtable session will draw on foundational concepts supported by literature in evidence-based education as a starting point to facilitate a dialog around the stakeholders in higher education as they relate to the competing forces that shape course design, instruction, and evaluation.

• 10:40-11:30 AM Session 2

  Title: To Speak and Get Heard: Fostering Linguistic Diversity and Internationalization at the University of Denver
  Presenters: 
  Kamila Kinyon, University of Denver
  Nebert Kamoto, University of Denver
  Samantha Tshibanda, University of Denver
  Francisca Aguirre Beltran, University of Denver
  Ynosh Ilagan, University of Denver
  Session Focus: Teaching, Curriculum, and Pedagogy                Room # 2600
  
  Navigating unfamiliar academic expectations while also negotiating between two or more languages is a common experience for international students when studying abroad just as it is for many students of immigrant background. But despite the challenges involved, it is important to be cognizant of the many assets that multilingualism holds, both personally and professionally to the individual speaker and, more broadly, to institutions of higher learning. As a springboard for a roundtable discussion, presenters will share insights from their oral history project “Multilingual DU: Connecting Students and Faculty,” funded by an IRB approved 2023-25 Faculty Research Fund grant. The goal of this session is to envision new pedagogical and curricular practices that would benefit multilingual students, the international community, and the university. Multilingual speakers and writers must be empowered to draw on their rich linguistic repertoire to speak, write, and get heard. 
  
  Title: Teaching the Teachers: Enhancing Faculty and Staff Support for International Students
  Presenters: 
  Karlye Enkler, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
  Session Focus: Teaching, Curriculum, and Pedagogy                Room # 1600
  
  International students bring diverse perspectives that enrich higher education, yet they often struggle to have their voices heard due to language barriers, cultural differences, and institutional structures. This session will explore effective strategies for faculty and staff to better support international students in and outside the classroom. Based on real-world experiences and workshop feedback from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS), the session will discuss best practices for inclusive teaching, fostering cross-cultural communication, and creating welcoming environments for international students. After reviewing the outcomes and lessons learned from our workshops, participants will be encouraged to share their own experiences, brainstorm strategies they have implemented, and discuss the dynamic between faculty and staff in supporting international students. This interactive discussion will allow attendees to reflect on institutional collaboration and develop new approaches to strengthening their support networks.
  
  Title: Innovation and Good Practice in Internationalization@Home – The Case of the International Seasons of the University of Pecs, Hungary
  Presenters: 
  Istvan Tarrosy, University of Pecs
  Session Focus: Campus Internationalization                                Room # 1800
  
  The session introduces the audience to the unique innovation of the University of Pecs: the 'International Seasons' annual series of intercultural events, which has been running since 2017, when the university celebrated the 650th anniversary of its foundation (basically, higher education in Hungary started in 1367 in the City of Pecs). The International Seasons fosters the internationalization@home efforts of the institution as part of its Internationalization Strategy, which has resulted in a genuinely international university (out of the total 25,000 students, 5,500 come from 140 countries and study at BA, MA, PhD levels in the 100+ English-taught degree programs). The multi-award winner Seasons covers around 80 different intercultural programs throughout the calendar year, including the development of a university cookbook project, which has allowed students to interconnect via culinary culture and heritage. All these will be presented in detail.
  
  Title: Teacher Preparation: What's Helsinki Got to Do with It?
  Presenters: 
  William Anderson, University of Denver
  Betsy Leonard, University of Denver

  Session Focus: Teaching, Curriculum, and Pedagogy                Room # 1700
  
  This session examines three key insights from an educational visit to Helsinki, Finland, and their potential impact on shaping a teacher education program. We will explore critical aspects of the Finnish school system—integrating foreign students, fostering student independence, and supporting adult learners—and discuss how these principles can be effectively adapted to American teacher preparation programs. Through discussion and demonstration, participants will gain a deeper understanding of how these strategies enhance teacher development and improve student outcomes.

• 11:40 AM-12:30 PM Session 3

  Title:  International Scholarship in Grad School from Palestine to the Philippines
  Presenters: 
  Kareem El Damanhoury, University of Denver
  Madeleine Lebovic, University of Denver
  Haydee Ducay-Fajardo, University of Denver
  Runchao Liu, University of Denver
  Session Focus: Global and/or International Research and Scholarship             Room # 1700
  
  The session includes two research presentations on Palestine and the Philippines. The first project compares Al Jazeera (AJE), the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Deutsche Welle (DW), and France 24’s (F24) reporting on healthcare attacks during the first four months of the 2023-2024 Israel-Gaza War. It uses a mixed-methods approach and critical discourse analysis to examine sourcing, lexical choices, and storytelling in news reporting. The second explores how Igorots, an Indigenous group in the mountainous region of the northern Philippines, use content creation to reclaim their identity. Using critical discourse analysis and the indigenous Filipino method, pakikipagkwentuhan (storytelling or informal conversations), it examines the sociocultural context that shapes current representations of Igorots, the dominant themes present in the Facebook video content of Igorot content creators and discusses the misrepresentations and misconceptions about Igorots that continue to affect them today.
  
  Title: International Student Employees and Workplace Communication
  Presenters: 
  Elise Goss-Alexander, University of Denver
  Tarini Sharma, University of Denver
  Theresa Johnson, University of Denver
  Session Focus: Engaging Cultural Diversity at Home                 Room # 2600
  
  Speakers on this panel focus on the theme of survival in the world, especially as it is connected to language. Nigerian graduate students studying at DU know how vital it is to draw on their multiple languages as they navigate American higher education, especially the flexibility, adaptability, and multi-dimensional thinking that their languages afford. We will read an excerpt from a short story that centers on rigidity and its downsides as a foreground for our discussion and delve into areas like linguistic dominance, diverse classrooms and different cultural backgrounds, and how linguistic flexibility as a survival skill can facilitate individuals’ successful navigation of different spaces. Also, we comment on language as central to survival in the international space since it shapes identity, mediates power and determines access to opportunities in both professional and academic settings.
  
  Title: Bridging Borders: The Power of International Students in Short-Term Study Abroad  
  Presenters: 
  Jill Lohmiller, University of Colorado Denver
  Andrew Wingfield, University of Colorado Denver
  Session Focus: Education Abroad or Away                                    Room # 1800
  
  Short-course study abroad programs provide immersive experiences that challenge students to think globally. When international students join these cohorts, the impact is transformative. This session will explore how integrating international students into short-term programs enhances cross-cultural exchange, deepens discussions with diverse perspectives, and fosters global professional networks. By examining past courses from CU Denver, we will showcase how these mixed cohorts amplify learning outcomes for both international and domestic students. International students gain firsthand exposure to different academic and professional environments, while domestic students develop intercultural competencies that are critical in today’s workforce. Attendees will gain strategies for recruiting and engaging international students in short-course study abroad programs and learn how to maximize the benefits for all participants. This session is ideal for short-course faculty directors, study abroad administrators, and international admissions teams.
  
  Title:  Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Global Academia: How are indigenous voices and knowledge systems represented and valued in internationalized HE?
  Presenters:
  Lawrence Orgunsanya
  Session Focus: Global and/or International Research and Scholarship            Room # 1600
  
  The integration of indigenous knowledge systems into global academia presents both opportunities and challenges for higher education institutions. This proposal outlines a summit focused on examining how indigenous voices and knowledge systems are represented and valued in internationalized higher education. Key explorations will include the integration of indigenous knowledge in international curricula, the application of decolonial approaches to academic knowledge production, the protection of traditional knowledge in international contexts, and the utilization of indigenous research methodologies in global academia. The presentation will facilitate discussions on the necessity of incorporating indigenous perspectives into educational frameworks, thereby promoting epistemic justice and cultural sustainability. It will also highlight the importance of recognizing indigenous methodologies as legitimate and valuable forms of knowledge production.