David WickWhen I joined the 2012 Annual Conference Committee as Workshop Chair I had no idea how much excitement would build far in advance of the 2012 Annual Conference in Houston, TX. As a committee, we have enjoyed thinking about how to infuse the theme of Comprehensive Internationalization: Vision and Practice throughout the conference content. These efforts have generated lists of suggested topics from all of NAFSA's content areas. We hope that this theme will create an opportunity for international educators from around the world to engage in discussions about how to interpret and implement ideas from NAFSA's recent publication Comprehensive Internationalization: From Concept to Action.

We have also developed resources to facilitate proposal development. A recording of our session on proposing content for the conference is freely available online. To link the proposal process more directly with content development we redesigned the forms to request a detailed outline of sessions and workshops. We hope that this approach will make it easier for proposal writers to articulate their ideas and for reviewers to identify excellent content during the proposal selection process.

In addition to these efforts, each of us on the team is prepared to work with proposal writers on their drafts. We can share our perspective on the committee's goals for the conference, suggest co-presenters, and provide insights into the review process. I look forward to hearing from those of you who are preparing proposals and to helping you develop excellent proposals for an engaging conference.


David Wick, EdD, is the workshop coordinator for NAFSA’s 2012 Annual Conference Committee. He is also the coordinator of study abroad services at San Francisco State University (SFSU), a minority-serving institution with over 30,000 students. He earned his BA in French, German, and dance at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota and his MSE in educational theory and practice at Arkansas State University-Jonesboro. He recently received his EdD in higher education leadership from SFSU for his research on equity in education abroad. David has presented numerous sessions and workshops at NAFSA conferences and has held a variety of leadership positions including most recently serving as Trainer Corps Preparation Program trainer, chair of the NAFSA Academy, and poster fair organizer for the fair Enhancing Learning Before, During, and After Education Abroad. In March 2011 he was recognized as NAFSA's 2011 Advocate of the Year for acting as a stalwart advocate for international education at the state and federal levels of government.