2024 International Scholars Workshop

Dr. Katsumoto is an Assistant Professor at the University of Southern Mississippi. His research interests include international education, with a particular focus on international student success, internationalization of curriculum, and global university rankings. He received his M.A. in International Educational Development from Teachers College, Columbia University, and his Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Leadership Studies from the University of Iowa. His research has been published in various journals, such as AERA Open, Compare, Journal of College Student Development, Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, and Journal of Studies in International Education.

Dr. Katsumoto is an Assistant Professor at the University of Southern Mississippi. His research interests include international education, with a particular focus on international student success, internationalization of curriculum, and global university rankings. He received his M.A. in International Educational Development from Teachers College, Columbia University, and his Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Leadership Studies from the University of Iowa. His research has been published in various journals, such as AERA Open, Compare, Journal of College Student Development, Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, and Journal of Studies in International Education.

Dr. Bodine Al-Sharif currently serves as an Associate Professor of Higher Education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and was recently awarded as a Saudi Fulbright Research Scholar. Her research focuses on student identity development, international and global education, and issues of social justice and advocacy within higher education. She intentionally engages in critical qualitative research to explore the unique experiences of minoritized and marginalized populations in higher education globally. Her research has been published in The Journal of Higher Education, Journal of International Students, Higher Education Quarterly, Journal of College and Character, and Journal of Education Human Resources.

Katie Koo is an associate professor in student affairs at the University of Georgia. Her research and practice focus on underrepresented students’ collegiate experiences, mental health issues, and adjustment, including international students’ psychological well-being and racially minoritized students' unique experiences and challenges. As a former international student and as a former licensed professional counselor, Katie is passionate about supporting international students’ adjustment and mental health through her research and practice. Katie is an executive board member for the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Council for International Higher Education and a co-chair for the ASHE International Scholar Workshop. Herresearch on race and racism, Asian American college students’ experiences, international students’ psychological well-being and adjustment, and mental health assessment for minoritized students has been published in top-tier journals in the fields of education and psychology, such as Journal of College Student Development, Review of Higher Education, Journal of International Students, Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, and International Journal of Advancement for Counseling.

Dr. Nicholas Stroup serves as Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs at Ohio University. His research centers on graduate and professional education, international higher education, and contemporary theories of socialization. He holds a Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Leadership Studies from the University of Iowa. Prior to doctoral study, he worked in several student affairs administrative roles, primarily supporting graduate and professional academic programs. His scholarly work has appeared in publications including Higher Education, Journal of Higher Education, Review of Higher Education, and Journal of Diversity in Higher Education.

Dr. Michaela Dengg is an international scholar from Germany specializing in international higher education and intercultural studies. Specifically, her research interests lie with international students in the U.S. and how they navigate daily life and thereby confront challenges related to their multi-faceted identities, such as race, nationality, and culture. In her research, she uses critical and poststructural frameworks, which culminated in her dissertation dissertation “Same, Same but Different: A Critical Post-Intentional Phenomenology on the Lived Experiences of White International Graduate Students from Europe in the United States," where she critically explored the harmfulness of whiteness in international higher education.

Dr. Kanggeon Kim is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on understanding the dynamics of genetic material within individual human cells, with the goal of advancing the development of effective therapies for challenging human diseases.

Naoko is a doctoral candidate in the College Student Affairs Administration program at the University of Georgia, where her research focuses on disability and mental health among students with disabilities who study abroad. Previously, Naoko worked as a student affairs professional and educator for 10 years, spending the majority of her career as a mental health counselor supporting college students and international students in Japan.

Dr. Jeongeun Kim is an Associate Professor of Higher Education at the University of Maryland. Dr. Kim's scholarship focuses on how institutions of higher education use their autonomy to organize strategies for revenue generation and resource allocation to remain competitive. Her research examines how policies related to the financing of postsecondary education affect access, affordability, and quality. Her work also addresses how changes in the organizational policies and practices of colleges and universities would impact stakeholders, including the students and faculty at those institutions.

Melissa Whatley, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Higher Education at the College of William and Mary. Her research applies mixed methods and advanced quantitative approaches to explore policies and practices that diversify both who accesses international education and the outcomes of these opportunities, especially within the context of US community colleges. She has published her research widely in journals such as Higher Education, the Journal of Higher Education, and Research in Higher Education.

Dr. Katsumoto is an Assistant Professor at the University of Southern Mississippi. His research interests include international education, with a particular focus on international student success, internationalization of curriculum, and global university rankings. He received his M.A. in International Educational Development from Teachers College, Columbia University, and his Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Leadership Studies from the University of Iowa. His research has been published in various journals, such as AERA Open, Compare, Journal of College Student Development, Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, and Journal of Studies in International Education.

Allison Kranz, JD, LLM, "The Nerdy Immigration Lawyer," provides strategic immigration planning to address the visa, work, permanent immigration, and citizenship goals of her clients. She exclusively practices U.S. immigration law and is Principal Attorney with Lodestone Legal. Allison has advised Fortune 500 companies, and her global immigration practice focuses on finding self-sponsored solutions. She works with professionals, startups, experts and students in obtaining visas, green cards and citizenship. Allison has been recognized as an Elite Lawyer for excellence in the field of immigration law and named a Women in the Law Award winner by Lawyer Monthly Magazine.

Dr. Faustina Mensah is a Success Advisor at Ohio University. She advocates for student retention and is passionate about improving outcomes for vulnerable populations. Dr. Mensah dedicated her dissertation to investigating innovative solutions to support foster youth in higher education, utilizing cutting-edge methodology and theoretical frameworks. With a commitment to empowering marginalized voices, Dr. Mensah strives to inform policy and practice, enhancing academic and personal success for non-traditional students. Beyond research, Dr. Mensah demonstrates leadership through active engagement in campus initiatives, fostering collaborative environments, and promoting inclusivity.

Dante J. Salto is Associate Professor of Higher Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He holds a PhD and an MSc in Educational Administration and Policy Studies (Higher Education concentration) from the State University of New York at Albany (SUNY). His research focuses on studying higher education policy from a comparative and international perspective, mainly on issues at the intersection of quality assurance, regulation, and privatization. He received the SUNY Presidential Distinguished Dissertation Award and prestigious Fulbright and Organization of American States fellowships. He is a PI and co-PI in several projects, one of them funded by the Spencer Foundation.

Dr. Katsumoto is an Assistant Professor at the University of Southern Mississippi. His research interests include international education, with a particular focus on international student success, internationalization of curriculum, and global university rankings. He received his M.A. in International Educational Development from Teachers College, Columbia University, and his Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Leadership Studies from the University of Iowa. His research has been published in various journals, such as AERA Open, Compare, Journal of College Student Development, Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, and Journal of Studies in International Education.

Dr. Bodine Al-Sharif  currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Higher Education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She has experience as both a faculty and administrator. Her research focuses on student identity development, international and global education, and issues of social justice and advocacy within higher education. Specifically, she explores the lives of individuals who define themselves as living between worlds at the intersections of multiple constructs of identity and dominant power structures within higher education. She intentionally engages in critical qualitative research to explore the unique experiences of minoritized and marginalized populations in higher education globally. Her research has been published in The Journal of Higher Education, Journal of International Students, Higher Education Quarterly, Journal of College and Character, and Journal of Education Human Resources.

Katie Koo is an associate professor in student affairs at the University of Georgia. Her research and practice focus on underrepresented students’ collegiate experiences, mental health issues, and adjustment, including international students’ psychological well-being and racially minoritized students' unique experiences and challenges. As a former international student and as a former licensed professional counselor, Katie is passionate about supporting international students’ adjustment and mental health through her research and practice. Katie is an executive board member for the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Council for International Higher Education and a co-chair for the ASHE International Scholar Workshop. Herresearch on race and racism, Asian American college students’ experiences, international students’ psychological well-being and adjustment, and mental health assessment for minoritized students has been published in top-tier journals in the fields of education and psychology, such as Journal of College Student Development, Review of Higher Education, Journal of International Students, Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, and International Journal of Advancement for Counseling.

Dr. Nicholas Stroup serves as Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs at Ohio University. His research centers on graduate and professional education, international higher education, and contemporary theories of socialization. He holds a Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Leadership Studies from the University of Iowa. Prior to doctoral study, he worked in several student affairs administrative roles, primarily supporting graduate and professional academic programs. His scholarly work has appeared in publications including Higher Education, Journal of Higher Education, Review of Higher Education, and Journal of Diversity in Higher Education.