Ravi Shankar has served as the president and chair of NAFSA’s board of directors since January 2019, the culmination of decades of involvement as a NAFSA member and member-leader. Bringing his deep experience in international education, Shankar reflects on 2020 and what’s in store for the field for 2021 and beyond—including how NAFSA’s revised Strategic Plan frames the organization’s vision for the future.
Shankar says the updates, which center on three themes of educate, advocate, and innovate, were considered and made in real time as COVID-19 swept the globe, rendering profound effects on international education. Currently the assistant vice provost and director of international services at the University of Rochester, Shankar will end his term the president and chair of NAFSA’s board of directors this month. (Read the story.)