As USjournal.com celebrates its 15th anniversary online, we glance in the rear-view mirror, and look ahead through the broad front windshield to our next 15 years:

• Early 1990s: Launched a print magazine dedicated to international student recruitment
• April 1996: Uploaded magazine content to the domain USjournal.com
• Spring 1998: Stopped printing magazines, and expanded our multi-lingual capabilities
• March 2000: Transferred ownership of the company to Cheryl Darrup-Boychuck
• January 2003: Yahoo! en Espanol awarded estudiosUSA.com, our Spanish sister site, its Education Site of the Year
• Mid 2000s: Explored hot topics such as Precision Marketing and Measuring Return on Investment
• 2007-2011: Cheryl serves in various NAFSA leadership positions, such as Network Leader for Marketing and Recruiting, and Editorial Board Member for International Educator magazine

So, what's next? Plenty. Our next 15 years will focus on improving the efficiency and integrity of the international admissions process. In particular:

• We remain committed to generating qualified inquiries and generating ideas for our deliberately limited number of advertisers. Our core services will continue to evolve; for example, our robust reporting structure reflects the most current trends and preferences of our student users.
• Developing global standards in international student recruitment is gaining momentum, specifically with regard to determing the financial capacity of prospective students. Stay tuned to learn more about our world-class working group that is rising to the challenge.
• Harvard Business Review's article about Robert S. McNamara in its December issue (hbr.org) evokes practical implications for international educators' quest to measure Return on Investment: Not every conceivable complex human situation can be fully reduced to lines on a graph, or to percentage points on a chart... Recent advances in "complexity theory" bode well for integrating the critical human element into the equation.
• Economic development is freedom, and conversely, without it, there is no freedom. -- Amartya Sen, Nobel Prize-winning economist, nobelprize.org. We recognize that a solid education, especially in developing nations, leads to economic development and prosperity. Let's figure out how to deliver that practical education.
• Our carbon footprint has been minimal since we stopped printing magazines 13 years ago. In 2005, we bought an 80-acre farm in Osceola, Pennsylvania, used primarily for growing trees and vegetables. We'll continue to explore -- and act positively on -- sustainability issues.

• 26-28 May, Vancouver
  ICEF Vancouver Workshop: icef.com
• 31 May at 2:30 pm, Vancouver
  Working with Agents: nafsa.org/annualconference
• 1 June at 3:45 pm, Vancouver
  "Sufficient Funds" -- Determining the Financial Capacity of Prospective Students: nafsa.org/annualconference
• October and November, various locations
  Select NAFSA Regional Conferences: nafsa.org/nafsaregions

Education Trade Mission to Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hanoi: 3-8 April 2011. Led by Francisco J. Sanchez, the U.S. Department of Commerce Under Secretary for International Trade, this mission will introduce U.S. Higher Education representatives to international students and university and recruitment partners in two of the hottest markets in Asia. All appropriately accredited U.S. higher education institutions are encouraged to apply, although we see the best opportunities for success for undergraduate studies, community colleges, and English language programs. Each of the three stops will include a student recruitment fair. There will also be options for meetings with local universities interested in partnerships, high school visits, and meetings with recruitment agencies.

• Cost: $2,930 for all three stops (exclusive of travel and lodging)
• Application Deadline: 14 January 2011
• More info: export.gov/industry/education
• Contact: Bernadette.Rojas@trade.gov
• Contact: Joan.Kanlian@trade.gov
• Contact: Debra.Rogers@trade.gov