Office of Global Engagement Attends Biregional NAFSA Conference
From left to right, Office of Global Engagement team members Matthew Birch, Diana Strelczyk and Patricia Sagasti Suppes at the 2025 Biregional NAFSA Conference. Strelczyk was the Region X Rising Professional Award recipient.
Galloway, N.J. – The Office of Global Engagement (OGE) attended the 2025 Biregional NAFSA Conference held Oct. 14–17 in Philadelphia. Team members Patricia Sagasti Suppes, Diana Strelczyk, Matthew Birch and Jocelyn Gray participated in sessions and networking opportunities with international education professionals across the region and around the world.
Strelczyk, assistant director of Education Abroad at Stockton, was recognized with the Region X Rising Professional Award. The honor is presented to NAFSA members who have worked in international education for fewer than five years, have demonstrated commitment through professional or volunteer activities, and are active in regional or national NAFSA initiatives.
The recognition was a complete surprise to Strelczyk. She shared, “I did not know my colleagues from Stockton and Prairie View A&M had written letters for my nomination and kept it a secret for months. It is always rewarding to be recognized for my hard work and accomplishments, but it would not be possible without the support of my colleagues in OGE and collaborators from around campus. I want to thank the team for all their help along the way.”
Why is global learning important for students, even if they don’t study abroad?
Diana Strelczyk:
🌎I have worked in higher education for almost 20 years, with the last 14 here at Stockton. During this time, I have served a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, administrators and community partners in my roles with Athletics & Recreation, Service-Learning, Continuing Studies & Adult Education, and now Global Engagement.
In my experience, education abroad is the most impactful experience a student can have in their undergraduate career. As a high-impact practice—and in an ever-connected global world—education abroad provides an opportunity for all Stockton students to experience life-changing growth personally, academically and professionally. My only regret is that I wish I had known about the opportunity to study abroad when I was an undergrad. Now I have made it my mission to inform all Stockton students of their potential to do so.
When asked which international education initiative on campus has felt the most meaningful to her in light of this recognition, Strelczyk said, “I am most proud of my ‘Certificate in The Standards of Good Practice in Education Abroad’ from The Forum on Education Abroad. This specific certification has allowed me to better advise students on study abroad opportunities, train faculty and staff in advocating for education abroad programs through our ‘OGE Champions Program,’ and to update various internal systems such as administrating Faculty Led Programs. While I have achieved this credential, it will serve the university community in a much broader way.”
Sagasti Suppes, director of the OGE, taught a NAFSA CEP (Core Education Program) workshop at the conference titled, “Risk Assessment and Crisis Management in Education Abroad Programming.” As a certified member of NAFSA’s Trainer Corps, she teaches workshops about once a year.
“There are seven workshops I can teach, and this is one I've done several times. The workshop takes participants on a deep dive through a scenario, and they analyze what should have been done differently and how education abroad programs need to be structured to mitigate risk,” Sagasti Suppes said. “Teaching this is helpful for me to review our own risk management practices at Stockton. We are currently reviewing and updating our procedures, so having had this recent review of best practices as I was preparing to teach the workshop is very timely.”
Additionally, Sagasti Suppes co-presented in an interactive session called "I’m Still Standing: Telling Our Stories as International Educators," which used storytelling to reflect on the presenters’ career journeys.
“Since this is a volatile time in higher education, and especially in international education, my co-presenters and I felt that it's a good time for colleagues to take a pause and see where they are and how to prepare for anything that comes along,” she reflected. “We had a lot of positive feedback, with colleagues thanking us for helping them take an opportunity to pause and reflect in the middle of many sessions that are mostly focused on dealing with current challenging situations.”
Sagasti Suppes also noted that the Office of Global Engagement is still in a post-pandemic rebuilding phase, with a focus on amplifying participation in education abroad and developing stronger programs to support international students.
“We are also increasing engagement with scholarship and with supporting the faculty in their international endeavors. Now that the university's strategic plan has been published, we are working on completing our strategic plan,” she said.
“One thing we're really looking forward to is International Education Week, which is the week of Nov. 17-21, so keep an eye out for upcoming announcements,” Sagasti Suppes added.
Reported by Mandee McCullough
Photo submitted
