Louis Berends, PhD, Dean & Vice President of Academic Partnerships

Dr. Louis “Lou” Berends comes to CEA CAPA from Syracuse University where he most recently held positions as Director of Strategic and International Partnerships, and Director of Academic Programs under the Provost’s Office. Under Lou's leadership, Syracuse Abroad increased study abroad participation and is ranked highly as a national leader in study abroad. Lou has worked extensively in international education at U.S. universities and providers of global education since 2000. He holds a Ph.D. from Loyola University Chicago in cultural and educational policy studies with a concentration in comparative and international education.

Additionally, Lou studied at Brunel University (Uxbridge, UK), the University of Oxford (St. Catherine's College), as well as in Rome, Italy, and has visited and conducted research in numerous countries. Lou is a first-generation college student and also comes from a low-income background and as a result is a strong advocate for increasing access to global learning for all under-represented students. Furthermore, Lou has presented many papers in various settings including Harvard's Graduate School of Education, the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES), the Forum on Education Abroad, and NAFSA (among others).

Lou’s recent publications include being a contributing author in the book from the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) entitled, Mentored Undergraduate Research in Global Contexts: Integrated High-Impact Practices for Student Success (2024), and book co-editor with Dr. Kate Patch, SIO at Grinnell College, on high-impact educational practices, Undergraduate Research Abroad: Approaches, Models and Challenges (2020). Lou serves on Wake Forest University’s Center for Research on Abroad and International Student Engagement (RAISE) and is the current Chair of the Forum on Education Abroad’s Research Advisory Group.