Student and Employee Professional Development Videos and Projects

The Maryland International Education Consortium (MIEC) and Maryland Community College International Education Consortium (MCCIEC) announce their 2025 conference in Panama on the theme Global Education for All. 

This year’s conference explores issues of access to global education among diverse student populations. Parallel goals of the conference are to (1) refine faculty leader skills for study abroad/experiential education, (2) explore Panama’s potential for study abroad in numerous disciplines, and (3) facilitate sharing expertise and collaborating statewide to maximize the scope, scale, and depth of global learning opportunities available to students across Maryland. 

Panama is an ideal site for the conference’s multi-disciplinary approach due to its key role in global transportation and trade, fascinating ecological and multicultural environments, and ease of communication in English. 

Conference participants will engage in sessions and workshops led by skilled peers and experienced international educators, a multi-disciplinary practicum on program design and leadership, and networking activities. 

Conference topics will include: 

• Matters of access and DEI in study abroad and experiential learning
  Accessible programming via on-campus / domestic global learning, e.g.: 
  • COIL: collaborative online international learning
  • Virtual international partnerships
  • Globalized courses and co- curricular activities
  • Domestic study away programs
  • Professional development 
• Innovative approaches to study abroad / experiential education
• Creating multi-disciplinary programs
• Faculty leader development for study abroad / experiential learning
• Organizing a program in the context of Panama 
• Collaborative opportunities available within the consortia 

Session and workshop proposals should fit within a 45-minute time frame and focus on a topic aligned with one or more of the bulleted conference topics above. Discussion/ interactivity is encouraged. 

Submit your proposal online by October 1 (priority deadline) or October 6 (pending available seats). You may expect notification of proposal status via email within three business days of submission. 

Abstracts of proceedings may be made available online after the conference. 

(Note: Proposing a session is optional.) 

TUESDAY, JANUARY 7 

Depart from BWI airport for Panama City, and upon arrival transfer to the hotel by private van. Check in to the hotel, begin to explore the city, and enjoy a group welcome dinner. 

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8 

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Then depart for the Panama Canal, and begin studying the canal with an IMAX about its fascinating history as an engineering and construction marvel that changed the face of international trade when it opened in 1914. Watch ships navigate through the Miraflores locks and consider the canal’s importance to US and global trade. After visiting the canal, discover the city's Old Town, a UNESCO world heritage site, and learn about its historical fusion of architectural styles: Spanish and French colonial, US, and more. Lunch is on your own. In the afternoon, participate in conference sessions in the meeting room, and end the day with a group dinner. 

THURSDAY, JANUARY 9 

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Then depart for the Gamboa rainforest, an important paradise of biodiversity. Upon arrival, ascend through the canopy on a tram ride and watch for birds, butterflies, and monkeys. Then visit an embedded wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center to learn about its work as a sloth sanctuary. Finally, experience a boat ride on Gatun Lake, an artificial lake formed with the construction of the Panama Canal, and contemplate its intersection of history, nature, and engineering. Lunch is on your own. Participate in conference sessions at the meeting room, and then enjoy a group dinner. 

FRIDAY, JANUARY 10 

Start the day with breakfast at the hotel. Then depart for an Emberá indigenous village to learn about the culture, history, food, and customs of the Emberá people, who have lived deep in the Panamanian rainforests for centuries. Lunch is on your own. In the afternoon, participate in conference sessions in the meeting room, and end the day with a group dinner. 

SATURDAY, JANUARY 11 

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Then depart for a local university to learn about Panama’s education system. After that, visit the ruins of Panama Viejo, the original capital of the country. Established in 1519 as the first European settlement on the Pacific Ocean, the city flourished before being attacked and burned in 1671 by the Welsh pirate Henry Morgan and a small army of 1,400 men. Lunch is on your own. In the afternoon, participate in conference sessions in the meeting room, enjoy some free time, and end the day with a group farewell dinner. 

SUNDAY, JANUARY 12 

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Check out of the hotel and transfer to the airport by private van. Fly home to BWI airport.

The program fee is $2,350 per person (plus $450 if booking a single room). A detailed cost breakdown is available on request. 

Limited seats may be available for guests (same rate and registration process) if space is available. Please indicate in the registration form if you wish to bring a guest. 

Included in the conference fee are round-trip airfare via BWI airport, double-occupancy accommodations, ground travel in Panama, conference activities, entrances, all breakfasts and dinners on site, local guides, and tips. 

Participants are responsible for travel to and from BWI airport, their passport and any other travel documents needed, lunches, free-time pursuits, travel insurance (if desired), and incidental expenses. 

See the sidebar at right for the payment schedule. An alternative payment plan may be available upon request. 

On-site program liaisons/trainers from the two consortia will be Asia King, Program Manager for Global Learning Abroad at the University of Maryland, College Park, and Dr. Azar Etesamypour-King, professor and global education coordinator at the Community College of Baltimore County. The group will also have a full-time local guide from Hart Travel Partners and access to 24/7 emergency service. 

Partial refunds may be available for cancellation prior to 59 days before departure (details available upon request). 

1. Register herenew window by October 6, 2024, as long as seats remain. Applicants will receive confirmation of registration and instructions for next steps within one business day. 
2. Participants will make payments and complete registration (including providing passport information) with travel provider Hart Travel Partners via links in the registration confirmation message. 
3. The first payment of $1,000 is due by October 6, 2024. Submitting the first payment secures your participation in the conference. 
4. The remaining balance of $1,350 (double room) or $1,800 (single room) is due by November 6. Failure to pay on time may result in cancellation of participation. 

Need a roommate? Mark the box when you register and we will try to match you to save you costs.