According to the AIEA(Association of International Education Administrators) the term Senior International Officer (SIO) is used to describe individuals within an institution of higher education who are charged with leading and facilitating the institution’s comprehensive internationalization efforts. SIOs are not the head of a singular functional area, but are those leading comprehensive internationalization at their institution.

Depending on the institution, an SIO might be:

• The director or executive director of an office with full-time international responsibilities
• The vice or assistant vice provost focused on international themes
• On smaller campuses, this may be a professor, dean, provost, or even the president

SENIOR INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS IN THE USG

Senior International Officers in the USG may refer to the Report of International Activities 2014-2017 for Recommendations put out by the USG International Education office. These include:

• Ensure that each campus has an appointed officer for the System Council of International Education and that this individual is present and involved in the council. Additionally, SIOs are welcome and encouraged to attend the SIO lunch hosted during the bi-annual SCIE meetings
• Facilitate/create an Internationalization plan, which includes metrics and timelines for each goal
• Ensure that SIOs are aware of and advocate for all international activity on each campus
• Be knowledgeable of AIEA’s Standards of Professional Practice
• Participate in all USG International Education office initiatives (e.g. CASSIE, the USG’s Department of Education grant data requests)
• Apply for internal (USG), and external funds to maximize your internationalization efforts (e.g. International Education Grant)