Consortia and Professional Organizations

The Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA) is composed of institutional leaders engaged in advancing the international dimensions of higher education.

The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) is a research, policy, and advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening and advancing the work of public universities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. APLU maintains a strong focus on international education.

Aurora was formed in 2016 as a consortium of European research-intensive universities (including several UMN partners) deeply committed to the social impact of their activities, and with a history of engagement with their communities. Aurora aims to harness their institutions' academic excellence to influence societal change through research and educational activities, and ultimately to contribute to the achievement of the sustainable development goals. The University of Minnesota became the first global member in 2023.

The Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) is the nation’s preeminent model for effective collaboration among research universities. For more than half a century, these world-class institutions have advanced their academic missions, generated unique opportunities for students and faculty, and served the common good by sharing expertise, leveraging campus resources, and collaborating on innovative programs. The BTAA maintains a Senior International Office Executive Group, of which the UMN senior international officer is a participant.

IIE is a global not-for-profit that designs and implements international education strategies and program services. They work with governments, policymakers, educators, and employers across the globe to prepare students and professionals for the global workforce. IIE administers the national Open Doors report on international student mobility/exchange. The GPS Alliance manages the University's institutional membership.

With more than 10,000 members, NAFSA is the world's largest nonprofit professional association dedicated to international education. NAFSA and its members believe that international education and exchange—connecting students, scholars, educators, and citizens across borders—is fundamental to establishing mutual understanding among nations, preparing the next generation with vital cross-cultural and global skills, and creating the conditions for a more peaceful world.

The GPS Alliance maintains a group membership, which allows for lower annual dues for individual members associated with the University of Minnesota. Individual members still pay for their own membership dues. Contact global@umn.edu for more information.

The New University in Exile Consortium is a globally expanding group of colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, the Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Each institutional member is committed to hosting at least one threatened scholar every year. The Consortium works with scholars individually and together to try and lessen the profound sense of dislocation that exiled scholars suffer and adversely impacts their intellectual and personal lives. In the past year, the Consortium has expanded its mission to include finding placements for threatened Afghan and Ukrainian academics, students, and artists at Consortium member institutions.

The Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration is an alliance of American college and university leaders dedicated to increasing public understanding of how immigration policies and practices impact students, campuses, and communities. The Alliance supports policies that create a welcoming environment for immigrant, undocumented, and international students on our campuses. UMN Interim President Jeff Ettinger is a member of the Alliance.

Scholars At Risk is an international network of institutions and individuals whose mission it is to protect scholars and promote academic freedom. By arranging temporary academic positions at member universities and colleges, Scholars at Risk offers safety to scholars facing grave threats, so scholars’ ideas are not lost and they can keep working until conditions improve and they are able to return to their home countries.

The University of Minnesota Twin Cities is a member of United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI), an initiative that engages institutions of higher education with the United Nations in supporting and contributing, through research and education, to the realization of the Organization’s values, goals, and mandates—namely through the Sustainable Development Goals and the ten UNAI Principles. Opportunities are available to anyone at the University to engage with the United Nations and find global partners.

For more information:

• Sign up for UNAI newsletter.
• School of Nursing: Contact Teddie Potter at tmpotter@umn.edu.
• Sustainable Development Goals: Contact Karen Brown at kbt@umn.edu.
• General Information: Contact global@umn.edu.