International Education Leadership During COVID-19: An Interview with Dr. Wing-kai To

Dr. Wing-kai To has been involved in international higher education in the United States for more than two decades. He is the inaugural Assistant Provost for Global Engagement at Bridgewater State University since July 2018. Prior to this role he was a Professor of History and Academic Director in the Minnock Institute for Global Engagement. As the Senior International Officer, Dr. To is responsible for overseeing international operations such as partnership and exchange agreements, global academic programs, study abroad, and international student and scholar services. He has led numerous travel courses with students, coordinated global learning opportunities, and developed international partnerships for more than fifteen years. His work with Association for International Education Administrators (AIEA), NAFSA-Association of International Educators, and the American Council on Education (ACE) have involved projects and participation in the Senior International Officer Academy, Internationalization Laboratory, Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), and Community of Practice for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. During the pandemic he has played a major role in implementing virtual exchange and COIL in the United States. For other professional roles he was a Fulbright Scholar to Hong Kong and Mandela Washington Exchange Fellow to Uganda and Cape Verde. He was also a consultant for the Chinese emigrant letters archives in China that were inscribed in the United Nations Memory of the World Register. His publications focus on virtual international exchange, history of Chinese and Japanese students and migration in the United States, as well as contemporary Asian American communities.