Studying abroad can be a major component of many students’ college experience, but how can universities move beyond the traditional model to create partnership-driven experiences that drive entrepreneurship and innovation?
That was a question brought forth by ҹɫÊÓƵ’s Chief International Officer Mehmet Tosun at a session at this year’s Association of International Educators (NAFSA) conference, one of the largest international education gatherings in the world.
Chief International Officer Mehmet Tosun represents the University at a session at NAFSA 2026.Tosun’s presentation in the session "Innovative Education Models for Tomorrow's International Students and Scholars" examined how institutions of higher education can better connect students with industry leaders, entrepreneurs and global networks. Rather than treating entrepreneurship as a standalone discipline, Tosun said, it must be integrated across disciplines. Entrepreneurship must be a key theme underlying all learning and each international collaboration.
The University of Nevada has attended NAFSA for many years, a conference that brings thousands of educators, researchers and international leaders from around the world together.
For the University, the conference served as an opportunity to strengthen partnerships, build new ones and advance initiatives that create new opportunities for students and faculty.
“Engagement at NAFSA reinforces our University’s global mindset,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Jeff Thompson. “Our presence there also advances the University’s role in addressing complex challenges that extend beyond the state of Nevada and even the U.S.”
One idea echoed throughout the week-long event: higher education's future will be based on building stronger collaborations across borders.
“As we expand our global engagement in the University, our interest is to build transformational partnerships,” said Tosun. “NAFSA meetings provide an excellent platform for building bridges. It is also great to spend time with a cadre of individuals from around the world who believe in the power of international education and work very hard towards an internationalization goal in their institutions.”
Another topic at the conference was a challenge that universities worldwide are facing: the gap between technical expertise and entrepreneurial readiness. Innovation increasingly depends on global perspectives, and institutions of higher education are being called upon to create learning environments that help students transform their ideas into impactful solutions.
For the University of Nevada, those discussions align with efforts to expand global engagement opportunities across the institution. From international research collaborations to new approaches in entrepreneurship education, the University continues to invest in partnerships that connect Northern Nevada to the world.
"As we prepare students to lead in an increasingly interconnected world, international engagement must be woven into the undergraduate experience." – University Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Hillary Procknow.
Students on a recent Nevada Global Business trip earned credits for their academic-driven experience. "As we prepare students to lead in an increasingly interconnected world, international engagement must be woven into the undergraduate experience,” said University Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Hillary Procknow. “Expanding our global presence not only opens doors for our students to learn, research and collaborate abroad, but also brings new ideas, diverse perspectives and cultural experiences to Northern Nevada. Those connections make our classrooms stronger, our campus more vibrant and our graduates better prepared for the future."
The University’s participation in NAFSA 2026 underscores a simple but powerful belief: some of the most important work happening in higher education today begins with a conversation between people willing to learn from one another.
And in Orlando, those conversations stretched across continents.
