If you hadn’t already seen our announcement about the IIE SIO of the Year nomination deadline of Monday, January 19, 2026, then this is a friendly reminder. Thanks to those who have already submitted and shared! For those in progress of nominating or could help us remind colleagues, we appreciate your time this week to make sure all nominations are completed and submitted by the deadline.
Each year, the Institute of International Education (IIE) awards one distinguished Senior International Officer who has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in the field of international education. Candidates for the IIE SIO of the Year Award should demonstrate the
- Has developed a widely embraced understanding of international education and engagement as important to the mission and goals of the institution(s) where they have served as SIO.
- Has fostered multi-faceted, strategic international programming that has had significant impact across the institution(s) where they have served as SIO.
- Has built effective administrative structures, procedures, and policies for supporting international work across the institution(s) where they have served as SIO.
- Has made demonstrable, significant, or innovative contributions to the field of international education.
- Has demonstrated a commitment to mentoring new professionals and broaden access to the field of international education.
- Continuously updates and expands their knowledge of the theories, methods, and best practices of global learning.
Nominations may be submitted on behalf of an individual or self-nominated, along with the nominee’s current CV and one letter of recommendation (email to membership@iie.org), by the deadline of 11:59pm ET on Monday, January 19, 2026. Note: While we are using the IIENetwork membership email, nominees/nominators do not have to be current members.
We encourage nominators to immediately communicate with recommendation letter contact(s) so they have time this week to provide you/IIE with their letter. If you are communicating with IIE, we will respond during our business hours this week (Monday – Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm ET). IIE will be closed on Monday the 19th in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. We will initiate review of submitted nominations promptly on the 20th.
To learn more about this award and its past winners, visit the website.
We thank you for your consideration to nominate and share this opportunity with your network!