Daniel Solomon
Harnessing the strength of global experience to empower students through international education
MY JOURNEY
Thank you for visiting my website.
My name is Daniel Solomon and I am originally from the Chicago suburbs. I was fortunate to grow up in an environment where road trips to see and experience other regions of the United States were encouraged. Starting from the age of 10, a different direction was picked almost clockwise resulting in visits to the Mid-Atlantic, South East, South, South West, Mountain, and Prairie states.
At the age of 13 I took part in a spring break faculty-led homestay program to Paris and Madrid with my junior high school. This was my first travel outside of the United States, and learning how to overcome language and cultural barriers was an influential experience in developing my intercultural competency and empathy. Three years later, at the age of 16, I traveled with a childhood friend to visit his relatives in Tokyo. This was an experience of navigating and respecting diverse customs while exercising independence in an international setting. During my undergraduate years I participated in a summer study abroad program, based in London at the American Intercontinental University campus in Marylebone. While based in the UK, and taking courses in advertising and telecommunications, I took advantage of the opportunity to experience and learn about the cultures and history of various sites within Great Britain and Northern Europe.
On campus at Bowling Green State University (BGSU), I was involved with various student organizations. I designed volunteer campaigns as the chair of the service committee for the Honors Student Association, participated as a peer mentor for incoming freshmen, represented the university as a Student Ambassador, encouraged school spirit by managing the ice hockey committee of the Falcon Spirit Team, and hosted a weekly radio show on WFAL-AM. Most of my efforts, however, went into the University Activities Organization. As a committee member, and ultimately a director, I led teams of students to organize various aspects of campus programming including volunteering, ticketing, marketing, and hospitality for major comedy festivals and concerts. I made this experience a professional one and, after graduating from BGSU with a Bachelor of Science in Technology, I spent the large part of the 2000's working in guest service management at live entertainment venues.
Furthering my international experience was never far from my mind. In August of 2009 I left my position as Event Coordinator at a 10.000 capacity arena and accepted a five-month community service position in the diverse community of Ramla, Israel. This was the first step in a plan to live and work in several global locations. From October 2009 – through May 2014 I lived in Israel, New Zealand, and Australia while traveling to neighboring countries and regions. That experience changed my personal and professional goals and led me to enroll in the M.A. in International Education Management degree program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS). I completed the degree program in December, 2017.
Since starting on this professional path, I have partnered with several international education organizations in the U.S. and abroad, volunteered at regional and national conferences, visited study centers in Madrid to observe orientations and experience diverse instructional and support models, and worked in Valparaíso, Chile completing project work within the Intercultural Learning division of CIEE.
I am currently a program manger in the Office of International Education at the University of Denver. I am excited to be in a position working directly with students as they fulfill their international education goals and dreams. I work with amazing international partners in my portfolio of programs, and I collaborate with wonderful DU faculty and staff in the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences towards strengthening curricular integration. In my previous role at Clemson University I worked primarily with faculty to design, implement, and assess meaningful international academic and intercultural experiences. I also managed the Clemson in Rome programs which provided an opportunity to advise students from predeparture through reentry, something that I continue to draw from in my current role.
I believe that any well designed program, regardless of location, can result in significant gains in intercultural sensitivity. In addition, increased intercultural understanding can lead to a more positive, rewarding, and safe international experience for our students.
Check out this interview I gave regarding my practicum experience in Chile, conducted for CIEE's Intercultural Learning Newsletter and picked up by the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.
Intercultural Learning Intern/Consultant
CIEE
Valparaíso, Chile
2017 - 2018
• Performed research and analysis for outcomes reporting, including IDI data and course evaluations
• Designed community building measures including digital resources for intercultural learning articles, activities, and student projects in addition to the intercultural learning newsletter
• Created learning outcomes, course design, and assessment measures for intercultural & experiential learning initiatives
• Conducted intercultural learning market research and competitor analysis
For a more complete picture of my professional experience please view my full resume or visit my LinkedIn profile.
EXPERIENCE
Program Manager
OIE
University of Denver
Denver, Colorado
2021 - Current
•Guiding students through the international education process from pre-departure through re-entry. Responsible for approximately 250 outbound students in AY 2022-23.
•Relationship management for internal and external stakeholders including a portfolio of programs in 9 countries and curriculum integration for departments within Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.
•Supports Internationalization through delivery of IDI individual and group debrief sessions.
NAFSA Region II EAKC Rep
NAFSA UK CAL
2022 NAFSA Annual Conference LAT
IDI Qualified Administrator
Program Manager
PHCEA
Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina
2018 - 2021
•Coordination of faculty communication and support for 35+ faculty-directed programs and the program proposal and renewal process, including programmatic and fiscal processes, creation and presentation of themed workshops and training materials, managing student applications in Terra Dotta, liaising with program partners and vendors, and implementation and analysis of post program assessment towards continuous improvement.
• Management of the Clemson In education abroad programs including recruitment, preparation, on-site activities, re-entry programming, and assessment for both program participants and faculty leaders. Creation and management of program budgets and coordination with on-site partners and vendors. Increased enrollment, curricular integration, and program value year over year.
• Supports Global Engagement and the larger Clemson community in increasing intercultural sensitivity through delivery and feedback of Intercultural Development Inventory assessments and facilitation of a 1-credit Cross-Cultural Awareness course.
• Supervision of undergraduate and graduate student workers supporting Clemson In and faculty-directed programs.
EDUCATION
MA International Education Management
Middlebury Institute of International Studies
2016 - 2017
Practical coursework in the field of international education focusing on program design & assessment (including risk management), marketing & recruitment, intercultural competency development, and an understanding of diverse educational systems and international education program types.
•See below for project examples
Summer Intensive Language Program
2016
Spanish language acquisition in an intensive 8-week program equivalent to one academic year of language instruction. This program gave me the base I needed to take Spanish courses integrated into the graduate degree curriculum, participate in a j-term course in Madrid, and ultimately accept a practicum position in Chile.
BS Visual Communication Technology
Minor: Marketing
Bowling Green State University
1999 - 2003
The curriculum allowed me the flexibility to earn a minor in marketing, with clusters in management and telecommunications, while initially working towards a career in video production. I completed three internships in post-production, telecommunications, and marketing settings. My work with the University Activities Organization (UAO) took me on a different path after graduation as I focused on live entertainment management.
Extracurricular Activities:
•University Activities Organization; Director & Concert Committee Chair
•Honors Student Association; Service Committee Chair
•Falcon Spirit Team; Ice Hockey Committee Chair
•WFAL-AM; Show Host
•University Ambassador
•Honors Student Peer Mentor
•Phi Eta Sigma & Golden Key; Member
Summer Education Abroad
American Intercontinental University - London
2002
Coursework in advertising and telecommunications.
As with most students, my time in London was my first independent international experience. I had studied British Literature and UK history, and I fell in love with London and its multiculturality. I had never been in a place where seemingly everyone was accepted as a Londoner and groups of people in the street were integrated as opposed to segregated by skin color or place of origin.
Countries/states of residence/education Countries/states visited
1995: Jr. High Spring Break Program to France & Spain
1998: Tokyo/Kyoto trip with childhood friend & homestay
2002: Summer Education Abroad at AIU-London.
2009-2010: Community Service in Ramla, Israel 2010: Logistics Coordinator in Jerusalem. Travel to Egypt and Jordan
2011-2012: New Zealand Working Holiday Visa
Winter 2012/2013: Backpacking through South East Asia Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Singapore
2013: Australia Working Holiday Visa (3 months Perth, 3 months Sydney, 6 months Melbourne, 1 month travel through Tasmania, South Australia, Northern Territory, and Queensland)
2014: Trekking in Indonesia
2014: Travel through Western Europe The Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, UK, and Norway
2016: Travel to Costa Rica
2017: J-Term Course in Madrid & SW Roadtrip
2017: CIEE Intercultural Learning Practicum in Valapraíso, Chile
International Experience
QUICK ID
Website
Follow me on social networks