Biography: Elizabeth Wandschneider is the assistant director for finances and operational management in the Office of Study Abroad. As such, she supervises the Business Manager and oversees financial transactions for the office, including program budgets, student financial transactions and the office’s operational budget. She also supervises the Office Manager and oversees the daily operational strategy to ensure the implementation of important initiatives and priorities. In partnership with the Office of International Health & Safety, she is responsible for the development and maintenance of OSA-specific health, safety, security and risk management protocols, including student conduct issues.

Elizabeth has taught in five different universities and published on data collection issues around post-program student evaluations. She has presented at numerous regional and national/international conferences on topics ranging from group dynamics in study abroad programs to exchange agreements. In addition, Elizabeth is certified to administer both the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) and the Beliefs, Events and Values Inventory (BEVI). Each fall semester, she offers a three-credit introductory course through the College of Arts and Letters on cultural difference and study abroad.

Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada, Elizabeth's international experiences began as a high-school student in 1982, when she was awarded an all-expenses-paid month-long trip to Germany through a competitive worldwide competition organized by the PAD (Pädagogischer Austauschdienst). She received her PhD in German Language and Literature from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario in 1995. She moved to East Lansing in 2000 to work at MSU's Office of Study Abroad as a program coordinator and became a proud US citizen in 2016.

Biography: Ms. Laura B. Wise is the career development manager with International Studies and Programs at Michigan State University (MSU). Her position focuses on the career and professional development that prepares students to be competitive candidates for internships and long-term employment.

Previously, Ms. Wise worked for the Michigan House of Representatives as well as at MSU’s Office for International Students and Scholars where she was an international student advisor and experiential learning coordinator.

Ms. Wise holds a bachelor of arts in philosophy and a bachelor of science in communications from Grand Valley State University and a master's of higher, adult, and lifelong education from MSU, which she completed in 2010.