The World Wise Podcast

This episode’s guest is someone that many have known for her longstanding leadership in international education, but some of us might not have known her as a businesswoman, a political leader, a caregiver, and as a newly minted author. Marlene M. Johnson was the Executive Director and CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators for almost two decades and prior to that was Minnesota’s firs...

Within the broader national conversation about undocumented students and dreamers, there’s a group of students who are almost invisible and who don’t get sufficient attention yet whose experience is a complex interplay of race and immigration in America. The topic for this episode is Black undocumented students and the guest is Dr. Felecia Russell, the author of the new book, Amplifying Black Undo...

Season 4 of the World Wise podcast kicks off with a conversation about African international students, film-making, and storytelling! Until some years ago there were no personal narratives about international students or the complexities of the student and immigrant journey. But this type of storytelling is important because it helps add context to the numbers and statistics that we are all famili...

In this episode, I return to one of my favorite topics: gender issues except that this time around, we focus on global women’s health issues and particularly reproductive issues. This episode’s guest is very special because she has not only impacted the lives of thousands of girls and women around the world, but she is also a former international student from India. Zubaida Bai is the president an...

If you’re someone who has aspired to study in the U.S. then you’re probably familiar with the range of admissions tests you likely had to consider or take. These might include the TOEFL , or the Test of English as a Foreign Language, to assess someone’s English proficiency for university study, immigration and more, and that is accepted by more than 10,000 organizations in 130 countries, including...

In this episode we explore the continuing global gender gap in STEM fields when it comes to studying engineering and pursuing STEM careers. Globally, women make up only 28% of the workforce in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and it doesn’t get any better at the country level: in the U.S., the figure stands at only 24%; at 17% in the European Union; 16% in Japan; and 14% in India....

The World Wise podcast is back after a brief summer break! This episode focuses on student migration and mobility, a topic that we have often covered on this show. Today's guest, Dr. Stephanie K. Kim , offers a very different perspective, and in this conversation with her we move between Berkeley, California, and Seoul in South Korea to better understand how international students—mainly South...

Why are immigrants drawn to entrepreneurship? The statistics are quite staggering: according to the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) , immigrants have launched over half of America’s startup companies valued at $1 billion or more, and almost 80% of America’s unicorn companies (privately-held, billion-dollar companies) have an immigrant founder or an immigrant in a key leadership role...

Research shows that children and youth who are exposed to global ideas at a younger age are more likely to be globally engaged and to study abroad as adults. Shaping global mindsets and global citizenship needs to begin early. This episode’s guest is David Janes , Executive Director of the Global Citizens Initiative , a nonprofit whose programs and resources empower young global citizens around th...

This episode features Dr. Fanta Aw , the new Executive Director and CEO of NAFSA : the association of international educators. A highly-respected academic and nonprofit leader and scholar, Dr. Aw reflects on her global personal and professional journey and how these multifaceted experiences have prepared her exceptionally well to take on her new role and advance the field of international educatio...

The World Wise podcast celebrated its one-year anniversary last month, in March 2023. In this episode I give you a brief peek behind the scenes on what it has felt like to launch the podcast; the power of stories and storytelling; and--most importantly--things I have learned from my guests about the broader field of international education. These in-depth conversations over the past year have both...

In honor of Women’s History Month in the US and International Women’s Day which was in early March, this episode focuses on three women leaders in international education who share their advice on careers and leadership. The episode also includes a historical look at some of the earliest women international students who came to the U.S. in the 1800s, including Anandibai Joshee from India and three...

When we think of the movement of students and migrants we usually think of their motivations—what drives them and why they move. We think of money and financing, we think of visas, we think of all the universities and countries who want to attract them. But we often don’t talk about the role that someone’s degrees or credentials play in their ability to actually cross borders and be recognized for...

In this week’s episode, we focus on a group of dreamers in the U.S. who have lived in the country for most of their lives yet have no clear path to permanence or citizenship in the country. The episode’s guest is Dip Patel , the founder of an organization called Improve the Dream which advocates for this group of young people known as “Documented Dreamers.” It turns out that many people do not kno...

The World Wise podcast returns with its third season and also has a new look and feel. Season Three launches with an episode with Jamil Salmi , the perfect guest to inspire us and help us kick off 2023 by staying focused on some of the biggest issues in higher education globally, including how inequalities in education continue around the world despite greater access to technology, and how univers...

In this final episode of Season Two of the podcast and on the occasion of Martin Luther King Day, we go on a journey to India to understand how MLK was inspired by Gandhi and India. Despite this profound connection between the two countries, MLK and the Civil Rights Movement are barely discussed in Indian classrooms, and many Indian international students arrive in the U.S. without a solid underst...

Dr. Aditi Paul began her journey in the U.S. as an international doctoral student from India and although she struggled initially with the demands of her program, she quickly turned her life around to become a star academic researcher who became known for studying online dating on US campuses. Aditi uses her multidisciplinary background in computer science and communication studies to examine the...

It is the end of 2022 and the world’s eyes and ears are tuned to the middle eastern nation of Qatar where the 2022 World Cup is currently taking place. This episode takes us on a global journey that spans Mexico, the U.S., India and ends in Doha in Qatar. But it’s not about soccer; it’s a journey about education. The episode’s guest is Francisco Marmolejo whose expansive, global career in internat...

On November 15, 2022, the world’s population was supposed to reach 8 billion people and is projected to reach almost 10 billion in 2050. Much of this growth will be concentrated in just eight countries of which five are in Africa. In fact, countries in sub-Saharan Africa will likely contribute to more than half the growth anticipated through 2050. To frame this in both demographic and educational...

Art can play a profound role in opening our eyes, minds, and hearts to the world, and to understanding ourselves and those around us. This is also the reason that artists have often been a key part of cultural and educational exchanges between countries, enabling the sharing of ideas across border. This episode's guest is Dr. Navina Haidar, Chief Curator for Islamic art at the Metropolitan Museum...

This episode is a must-listen for anyone who is interested in the field of international higher education or has studied it in some shape or form, perhaps by taking a class or by being a scholar-practitioner whose work draws both on the study and practice of international higher education. Today’s guest, Professor Philip Altbach , is widely known as the “founding father of the field of internation...

Chinese students have always been a source of fascination for universities and countries around the world. What motivates these students and how best to attract them? Are their numbers increasing or dwindling? This last question is important because Chinese students are the largest group of globally mobile students, and the ebb and flow of their numbers can have a positive or negative impact on un...

To celebrate Welcoming Week 2022 , a week when communities and organizations across the entire country come together to recognize America’s diverse heritage and to reaffirm that everyone is welcome here, today's conversation focuses on one of the largest immigrant groups in the U.S.: Asian Americans. This episode's guest is Dr. Neil Ruiz , associate director of race and ethnicity research at the P...

In this first episode of Season 2 of the podcast, I had the opportunity to sit down with Kamal Ahmad , the Founder of the Asian University for Women , and learn about the mission of the university and how it has become a global model for educating some of the most disadvantaged young women in Asia and beyond—including Rohingya refugees and students from Afghanistan. The university was founded on t...

Season 1 of the podcast draws to a close just as India--my country of birth--is poised to celebrate its 75th anniversary of independence from British Rule on August 15. But while this day is marked by much pomp and celebration, it is also a moment to pause and remember the price of this freedom: the Partition of India and Paklstan and the millions of lives that were lost, the thousands that became...