VCU news

By Amelia Heymann

Twenty years ago, Jill Blondin, Ph.D., was a tenure-track art history professor at the University of Texas at Tyler. She decided to lead a study abroad program to Italy.

That trip – “a little unwittingly,” she admitted – ended up being her entry into international education. And Blondin certainly didn’t foresee it as a steppingstone to her current role: associate vice provost for global initiatives in Virginia Commonwealth University’s Global Education Office.

“It was hard for me to think about being in the role I am now,” she said, “only because it’s a big role.”

Blondin initially came to Richmond in 2013 to lead VCU Globe, a living-learning student program focused on world engagement. Over her decade on campus, she has helped reimagine and dramatically expand VCU’s commitment to global education and the student experience – and her accomplishments have been noticed off campus, too: Blondin recently was honored by the Institute of International Education with its 2023 Senior International Officer of the Year Award.

“From the day Jill arrived, she has been a tireless and compassionate leader and advocate for international learning and for our international students,” said VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D. “As VCU attracts more international students, we are grateful for her guidance and uncommon expertise. I have the privilege of working with her directly as we recruit students from around the world and can confirm that Jill is an asset to VCU. I can’t imagine anyone more deserving of this global recognition.”

Blondin emphasized that the award reflects how well GEO staff members play their roles. When she became SIO, she established a new organizational structure. Among its elements, the office’s global learning department is responsible not only for outbound global learning opportunities, like study abroad, but also for providing support to international students at VCU. Blondin said at many universities, these components would be handled by separate departments, but VCU’s approach allows management of people and programs on a holistic level.

“Global learning is really about the student experience and student support. It’s not really about, ‘Are you an international student, or do you want to study abroad instead?’” Blondin said. “It’s trying to find the best way and optimize the support that we provide to students, regardless of what their needs are.”

Stephanie Tignor, director of global learning at VCU, co-nominated Blondin for the Institute of International Education award, which was determined by a panel of industry peers. Tignor said she looks beyond numerical metrics when assessing Blondin’s value – from her leadership qualities and mentoring to her sense of humor.

"She has extraordinary charisma that resonates with people and draws them in,” Tignor said. “She’s just done so much for international education at VCU in the relatively short period of time that she has served as the SIO.”

Cydni Gordon, a former VCU Globe student and current master’s candidate in Latin American studies at Stanford University, added her voice to the award application. Gordon said she has benefited from Blondin’s guidance for almost a decade, and Blondin is the reason she has worked in international education.

“I am not the only student who has benefited from her guidance and commitment – I can easily name a dozen other VCU alumni alone,” Gordon said.

Paulo Zagalo-Melo, Ph.D., associate provost for global education at Western Michigan University, co-nominated Blondin for the award. He met her through the Association of International Education Administrators’ Peer-Learning Circles, a program started in 2020 that connects members to share experiences and navigate the pandemic’s challenges. He called Blondin one of the best professionals he has known in his 30-year career in international education.

“Like many charismatic leaders, she is what I typically call a ‘trust magnet’ – people easily gravitate toward her and trust her,” Zagalo-Melo said. “This implicit trustworthiness, combined with her high emotional intelligence, provides her with an amazing skill set she uses wisely for the advancement of VCU’s global engagement, as well as toward the SIO profession and the associational networks she is a member of.”

Reflecting on her professional path, Blondin said it was a leap of faith to leave her tenured position in Texas to lead VCU Globe, but she had faith in the program.

It ran for nearly 10 years under her leadership before ending in 2022, and the experience revealed how international education could infuse VCU’s mission while broadening the worldview of students. From it “we had the opportunity to create the global learning unit, to reimagine what global could be at VCU,” she said.

Blondin, who also was named one of PIE Insider’s 50 Voices of North America for 2023, will receive her SIO award at an industry conference in February. She appreciates the recognition – and what it says about her colleagues and VCU as a whole.

“I feel very thankful that people have noticed the work that I’m doing and that my team is doing and, frankly, what VCU’s leadership overall is doing to help international students, to increase the number of students studying abroad, and to provide more global learning opportunities,” Blondin said. “I would say that the awards are a testament to all of the things that we’re doing together.”