Collegial Conversations, April 2007

Through these conversations NAFSA hopes to target the best practices and experiences of some of international education's preeminent leaders. Every month the Chief International Education Leaders Network will ask one of its subscribers to answer the following three questions. Over the coming year we hope to see many unique and thought-provoking answers.

Ambassador Tibor P. Nagy, Jr.

Nagy has been Vice Provost for International Affairs at Texas Tech University since 2003. Previously he was "Diplomat in Residence" at the University of Oklahoma, after postings as Ambassador to Ethiopia and Guinea. He also served as Deputy Ambassador in Nigeria, Cameroon, and Togo after assignments in Zambia, Seychelles, and Washington DC. Nagy arrived in the US as a political refugee from Hungary, and received his B.A. from Texas Tech and M.S.A. from George Washington. His awards include commendations for helping prevent famine in Ethiopia; supporting the evacuation of Americans from Sierra Leone during combat; and helping end the Ethio-Eritrean War.

View the Archived Discussion!

What is at the top of your strategic planning list?

To further campus internationalization - by maximizing exchanges in both directions: i.e. attract more internationals to Texas Tech University and send more TTU students and faculty abroad.

What are the most difficult challenges you face today to carry out your international mandate?

TTU has only recently acquired a truly international orientation. As a result, we are trying to catch up in some areas (e.g., "study abroad" participation rates and international student numbers) to the levels other institutions achieved years ago. This means providing more services in both areas (e.g. "one stop shop" for faculty who have never taken a group abroad, or "moral support" for undergraduate international students) just when budget resources are becoming scarcer. While we are applying several innovative techniques - such as becoming a passport issuance agency - to increase available resources, we still have much to do to achieve our strategic goals.

Reflecting on your past experience, what advice, resources, favorite Web site, etc., would you most like to share with your colleagues, or those aspiring to become an chief international education officer?

Having come to TTU after a long diplomatic career, and with only brief exposure to academia (my one year as Ambassador-in-residence at Oklahoma), my perspective may be different from that of my colleagues. I believe some international experience is essential for anyone directing international programs - not only to appreciate the cultural issues faced by Americans abroad and internationals in America, but to comprehend fully the overwhelming implications of globalization in today's world. We sometimes forget that higher education is America's fourth or fifth largest "export" -- so those of us who bring international students to the US contribute significantly to our nation's economy.

In addition, as I learned representing the US overseas, those internationals who study in the US have an overwhelmingly positive view of our nation -- so maximizing international student numbers has national security implications. Given today's international environment, I believe security/safety/health related information is critical, so I highly recommend the following Web sites: US Department of State, Overseas Security Advisory Council, and "Real" Post Reports. The best outfit I have found for strategic/geopolitical forecasting (even better than some classified US Government services) is Stratfor. And of course, some of the best information related to international education issues is the Institute of International Education.