Committee: Education Abroad Regulatory Practice (EA RP) Committee 
Position:   Country Coordinator, Consular Affairs Liaison (CAL) Subcommittee
Term Dates: Two-year term, renewable for one term (maximum of 4 years) 

The CAL Subcommittee of the EA RP Committee is charged with developing relationships with visa officers at international consulates in the United States to clarify visa and immigration procedures for U.S. students studying abroad via NAFSA’s website and EA Visa Help platform.  The CAL Subcommittee is seeking country coordinators to assist subcommittee consular affairs liaisons and facilitate contact with the appropriate embassies in Washington, DC, for Italy, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The country coordinator will be appointed by the chair of the CAL Subcommittee. There is an additional country coordinator to assist with visa questions for regions in the rest of the world.  The focus of these relationships will be mutual assistance. NAFSA staff will work with the subcommittee chair and the country coordinators to establish contacts with embassy staff across the United States with whom subcommittee members can liaise on visa and immigration issues.

Position updated June 2019

Applications are not currently being accepted.
Major Functions and Responsibilities
  • Initiate, sustain, and enrich working relationships within the consulates.
  • Respond to requests for assistance from colleagues regarding student visa matters (via NAFSA’s EA Visa Help tool, the EA KC Discussion Forum, and SECUSS-L).  
  • Monitor information and identify changes in visa policies and procedures keeping the subcommittee chair and NAFSA staff informed. Work with NAFSA staff liaison to post confirmed information to the NAFSA web site and to the EA community.  
  • Recruit and appoint (in conjunction with subcommittee chair) regional consular liaisons as needed for the country for which you are responsible.
  • Identify training needs of subcommittee members and work with the subcommittee chair and NAFSA staff to provide that training.
  • If attending a NAFSA regional conference, chair and/or present the education abroad visa session.
  • Lead quarterly conference calls with liaisons from your country group.
  • Meet with the subcommittee at the annual conference during the preconference period and present at the annual conference visa session, if possible.  
  • Participate in the CAL strategy meeting in Washington, DC, (travel and per diem provided by NAFSA).  
  • Assist with other related duties as requested by subcommittee chair.

All NAFSA leaders are expected to foster an inclusive environment and seek to learn and understand the multicultural perspectives of the committee/team, our constituents, and stakeholders to align with the NAFSA Diversity and Inclusion Statement. An expression of leadership in this area includes:

  • Engaging the committee/team to identify and implement strategies for increased personal outreach, recruitment, and onboarding for all, especially diversity-focused and underrepresented groups
  • Increasing accessibility and participation from underrepresented groups, individuals, and institutions
  • Expanding educational content within the committees’ purview through intentional outreach and recruitment of diverse presenters and institutional types in partnership with various NAFSA groups

 
NAFSA: Association of International Educators is a professional association driven by its Strategic Plan as established by the Board of Directors.  The success of the association depends on the productive engagement of three key constituencies: the Board, member-leaders, and staff.  Member-leaders are advocates for the association’s mission, vision, values, diversity and inclusion, and ethical principles. They align their work closely with the Board through its vice presidents and with staff to carry out the Strategic Plan. Member-leader roles are guided by objectives assigned by the Strategic Plan, by outcome accountabilities outlined in the Standing Rules, and by position descriptions for specific roles.

Relationships
  • This position collaborates closely with other NAFSA leaders to enhance work efforts across the association.
  • This position partners closely with the NAFSA staff partner assigned. Effective relationships reflect and include responsiveness to phone calls/e-mail correspondence, timely delivery on responsibilities, open communication and mutual respect among other characteristics.
Commitment
  • Estimated four to six hours per month to participate in position responsibilities.
  • Expected attendance on subcommittee quarterly calls and contributions to cross-collaborative projects.  
  • Attendance at EAR RP pre-conference meetings at the NAFSA annual conference in May.
  • Current NAFSA membership throughout the length of volunteer service. 
Qualifications
  • Ability to communicate with colleagues and government officials in a collegial and diplomatic fashion.
  • Detailed knowledge of visa procedures for students studying abroad from the United States, and the country for which you are assigned.
  • Demonstrated expertise in education abroad.
  • Ability to work effectively with a team in an outcomes-based environment.
  • Willingness to adopt organization-wide perspectives.
  • Knowledge of visa country’s language is essential.
  • Institutional support for this volunteer commitment.
  • Willingness to adopt organization-wide perspectives and EA RP strategic priorities
  • Willingness to adopt association priorities and perspectives on volunteer development and management
  • High strategic planning, management, networking, and delegation experience
  • Strong coordination, analytical, oral and written communication skills
  • Ability to work effectively with a team and with NAFSA staff in an outcomes-based environment
  • Manage unconscious bias in the assessment and decision-making process
  • Ability to meet the volunteer commitment outlined and planning calendar deadlines