Hilary Landorf wins NAFSA award for international education

FIU's Hilary Landorf is the recipient of the 2022 NAFSA International Education Award for Leadership and Collaboration. NAFSA is the association of international educators, one of the world’s largest organizations promoting global education and exchange.

Landorf is the founding executive director of the Office of Global Learning Initiatives and associate professor of international and intercultural education in the Department of Educational Policy Studies at FIU. Her expertise centers on visioning, developing, implementing and assessing the policies and practices of global learning efforts in higher education.

She oversees FIU’s university-wide initiative, Global Learning for Global Citizenship, which was awarded NAFSA’s 2021 Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization as well as the Institute of International Education’s 2016 Heiskell Award for Internationalizing the Campus. Through this initiative, more than 150,000 FIU students have participated in global learning courses taught by more than 1,100 faculty across all disciplines.

Landorf’s work has played a critical role in making FIU a sought-after leader in international education and global learning. One of her nominators wrote, “Hilary Landorf is a consummate professional. She is not only knowledgeable and highly skilled when it comes to international education, but she is also one of its most passionate advocates. Hilary knows that an international experience can change the trajectory of a student’s life, just as she knows that a robust international education program can transform an institution.

"Hilary is able to straddle the theoretical with the practical, making her one of the most productive international educators I have come across.”

“The Cassandra Pyle Award is a tribute to the power, resilience and community of all who believe in and support internationalization," Landorf said. "For me, internationalization is not optional, but essential to fulfilling the ultimate purpose of higher education.

She added: "And the greatest reward of being an international educator? It’s getting to collaborate every day with dedicated colleagues to expand minds, create an environment in which people listen to and respect other viewpoints, and where we strive together for collective well-being.”

The NAFSA award honors the contributions of an international educator to international exchange on a global scale. The award is given in honor of the late Cassandra Pyle, known worldwide as a champion of international relations and a leader in fostering better international understanding through collaboration. Pyle was president of NAFSA from 1978 to 1979.