Staff Spotlight: Alexis Jones, Director of 程序开发 Initiatives at CEA CAPA

Alexis Jones supports CEA CAPA’s institutional partners’ internationalization efforts through identifying program and course needs. 作为项目发展计划的主管, she implements new program opportunities based on academic discipline and geographic location. Alexis earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s degree in teaching English as a second language from the University of Kansas (KU). She found her passion for international education when she participated in a 佛罗伦萨留学项目. 后来，她在墨西哥教英语，这激发了她 追求宝博体育事业.  

你的学术领域和/或兴趣是什么?  

在我之前担任堪萨斯大学副主任期间, 我在KU领导了“测绘留学专业”计划. This collaborative project fully integrated study abroad programs into the college experience and academic curriculum for students in all degree programs. This initiative identified major-specific study abroad opportunities, 制作咨询材料和资源, and developed targeted strategies promoting study abroad engagement. These efforts mirror my academic area of focus today as the Director of 程序开发 Initiatives. That is why I am interested in asking questions like “Why aren’t specific courses enrolling well?以及“机构合作伙伴需要哪些课程。?” 

你的专业背景是什么?  

I earned my bachelor’s degree in psychology and my master’s degree in teaching English as a second language from KU. Unlike most 宝博体育宝博体育 同学们，我在大学生涯即将结束时宝博体育了. At that point I already planned on teaching English to high school students in Monterrey, 毕业后的墨西哥. 也就是说，我对 宝博体育工作 很早就开始了，但我不知道我的职业道路会走这条路. 在国外教了几年书之后，我回到了美国.S. 开始在母校从事高等教育工作. I started my career with a lot of student-facing and academic advising roles in student services. 这是我说的其中一件事, “我会试一试，看看结果如何,，并在那里待了近15年! I served as the Assistant Dean for Recruitment and Retention for the KU School of Engineering and Associate Director for the KU Office of Study Abroad. 在我最后一次在留学办公室工作的时候, 我在课程设置和教师倡议方面密切合作, 我是怎么知道CEA CAPA的. 

你在cea capa工作多久了? 你都扮演过什么角色? 

I have worked at CEA CAPA since September ‘17 and transitioned to the 项目开发组 in July ‘21. I started on the 机构关系组 as the Regional Director (RD) for central states where I collaborated with key stakeholders like study abroad advisors, administrators, and faculty on campuses to develop custom and faculty-led programs. 

在高层次的概述中，你的团队有什么独特之处? 

我认为PDEV团队最独特的地方是, 这也是我加入CEA CAPA的原因, 当我们创建新的项目和课程时，这个想法是什么, 我们不是在真空中做这件事. We're intentional and often offer step-by-step assistance with institutional partners or a group of partners. If they ask us if we can develop their new idea or say that they really need this specific course but it’s not the right term or not taught in English, there is lots of problem solving when it comes to taking ideas and seeing how they fit with other partners. It’s important we get creative with problem solving skills that are sustainable and create access for all majors to ensure it works for other partners, schools, and students. 我觉得我们能一起成就这么多事是很特别的! 

WHAT DO YOU THINK MOST OF YOUR COLLEAGUES ARE SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT YOU? 

What comes to mind first when asked this is that I am a true introvert. 以我的研发背景, people are surprised when I say this because of my outgoing personality since I enjoy talking to people all week. 另一个令人惊讶的故事与我对弗洛伦斯的爱有关. This is the city I feel connected to the most because it’s where I started and where I am now. In fact, I went to the CEA CAPA Florence Center in 2018 during our Fam Trip to Florence and Rome and thought the buildings and scene looked so familiar. 我看了看街对面，你知道吗? 几年前我在国外学习的语言学校就在那里.  

你认为留学领域的未来是怎样的?

I think our future is undoubtedly positive despite challenges we face in the field of study abroad. 2020年改变了一切, the thing we’ve seen coming out of this is that a lot of what students and partners are looking for is completely different from four years ago. Partners and other providers come to our organization because we proved that we can face those challenges. Coming together as CEA CAPA is exciting because we’re sharing resources and ideas. I work with institutions and partners that are more responsive to our renewed dialogue with schools that ask, “什么是新的，我们能创造什么?” Computer science and data and business analytics are trending topics, so we’re open to exploring course development in those areas as we look for the next place where CEA CAPA should go. 

Interested in partnering with CEA CAPA on a new destination or program? 向你的 CEA CAPA机构区域主任 today.