Leise received the award for his dissertation research study titled, “The Role of University Structures and Cultures in Internationalizing Higher Education.” His study provides practitioners creating internationalization strategies with a reflexive approach that lends to a right-fit strategy based on a university’s particular internal and external context.

“Being selected as the recipient of the Marjorie Peace Lenn Research Award is humbling and makes the endeavor of writing a dissertation all the sweeter,” said Leise. “My goal in researching internationalization strategies was to allow for reflection on how we engage in this important work. It is my hope practitioners and scholars are able to apply lessons learned from this research to deepen our commitment to ethical, thoughtful and impactful internationalization.”

The Majorie Peace Lenn Research Award encourages scholarly research on international education, student mobility and recruitment and is open to both undergraduate and graduate students who have completed their research within the last year of applying.

“As the landscape of challenges and opportunities confronting higher education continue to evolve, internationalization will continue to play a determinant role in an institution’s success,” said Leise. “For me, this study was one way to contribute to the conversation about higher education internationalization, broadly, and how thoughtful, right-fit internationalization strategies can contribute to a university’s contributions locally, nationally and globally.”

Leise defended his dissertation in September to earn his doctorate from the School of Education’s Division of Educational Leadership. He said he chose to earn his doctorate at the state’s flagship university because of the “program’s combined focus on and expertise in higher education administration and leadership” and the flexibility USD offered him while working a demanding full-time job.

As the award recipient, Leise will present a summary of his research at a plenary session at AIRC’s annual conference in Phoenix, Arizona, on Dec. 8. He also received a cash prize of $500.

Leise began his career at USD as the first study abroad advisor and has since worked across all areas of international higher education for over a decade. He earned his bachelor’s degree in German studies from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2005 and his master’s degree in German and European studies from Georgetown University in 2008. Leise currently serves as the director for international admissions at South Dakota State University.

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