In the twenty years since the last edition of this publication, much has changed in the world of international education, and indeed, in the world in general. What has not changed is the ongoing need for clear and consistent communication between the sponsor, program managing organization, and educational or training institution. Although information sharing and communication has been facilitated and sped up by e-mail and the Internet, there is still a need for each partner in the sponsored student equation to understand the roles of the other partners and how to best work together, so that sponsored student programs can run smoothly. Host institutions still grapple with how to make the third-party billing process easier, and still desire more information from the sponsors and program managing organizations in order to better understand the policies and details of the programs they fund and administer. It is also an ongoing challenge for sponsors, program managing organizations, and host institutions to keep up to date with changes in which programs are being offered, who is managing them, and changes in personnel and policies at all institutions. Maintaining close communication with key contacts at all three institutions and sharing best practices with each other in the sponsored program administration community remains as important today as it was a quarter-century ago.
Collaborative Partnerships: Building Effective Sponsored Student Programs
