This semester five staff members from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Office of Global Affairs took part in the inaugural Global Affairs Leadership Cohort (GALC), a professional development effort aimed at building leadership capacity and cross-functional collaboration within the unit.
The initiative included a mix of self-paced training and facilitated group discussions. Cohort members joined biweekly meetings with Assistant Vice Chancellor Maegan Stevens-Liska and Global Affairs directors to examine their roles in advancing Nebraska’s global priorities. As part of the experience, they also completed NAFSA’s International Education Professional Certificate (IEPC), an international training focused on compliance, agile leadership, and accessible programming.
As a capstone, the cohort facilitated the Global Affairs Summer Conference on July 31, where each member led a session aligned with their professional interests and learning. Presenters and topics included:
- Julius Owusu Afriyie, International Student Success Navigator, and Juan Carlos Gutierrez, Assistant Director, International Data & Compliance – Data and International Education (co-presenters)
- Sook Young Jun, Global Experiences Coordinator – Storytelling and Husker Student POWER
- Renae Ninneman, Global Experiences Coordinator – Cultural Intelligence Conversations
- Connor Willingham, Assistant Director, International Student & Scholar Office – Risk Management in Practice
While the 2025 Global Affairs Leadership Cohort concluded with the July conference and final presentations, the initiative marked a structured effort to support professional development and enhance international education efforts within the university.
