GlobalEd Columnist
Dr. Sora Friedman has worked in the field of international education (IE) for more than 35 years, focusing on the preparation of new professionals in the field, IE management training, exchange program management, public diplomacy, and international policy advocacy. She joined the SIT Graduate Institute faculty in 2005, having served as an adjunct faculty member for three years before that. She is responsible for teaching, advising, and serving as chair of SIT’s master’s degrees in International Education.
In addition to her work at SIT, Dr. Friedman is often sought out as a consultant and peer reviewer to various professional training programs and journals. She is the recipient of the 2015 NAFSA Region XI James Leck Award for Distinguished Service. Previously, she served on NAFSA’s chair-streams of the Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship Knowledge Community (2018-2020) and the New England region (Region XI, 2013–2015), a member of CIS Abroad’s board of advisers (2008–2015), and chair of NAFSA’s Trainer Corps (2011–2012) and Training Coordination Subcommittee (2008–2010). Before joining SIT, Dr. Friedman taught at George Mason University and the University of Pennsylvania’s Lauder Institute, in Mexico and Chile. She has lived in Bolivia, Colombia, and England, and is fluent in Spanish.
In my work as a professor and as a volunteer with various professional associations, I am often asked about the best ways to jump-start a career in international education. While there are as many paths as individuals working in the field, here are a few suggestions that have proven effective to my students and mentees…
I was recently talking with a colleague about the state of the field of International Education (IE). We were reflecting on how we still hear stories about higher education senior administrators who are unaware that our field IS an academic discipline unto itself. It seems that they are often thinking “Who amongst my senior leaders…
What does it mean to practice International Education? Being married to an attorney (now retired after many years), I’ve had many conversations about the concept of “practicing” one’s profession. According to the American Bar Association, “the ‘practice of law’ is the application of legal principles and judgment with regard to the circumstances or objectives of…
