Hi! I'm Tara Harvey.

I’m the founder of True North Intercultural. Given the diversity and complexity of today’s world, intercultural competence—the ability to engage effectively, appropriately, and authentically across all kinds of cultural difference, local and globally—has become a critical skill. Drawing on my extensive background in higher education and international exchange, along with significant study and practical experience in intercultural teaching and learning, I work with faculty, staff, and higher education institutions to develop both their own intercultural competence and their capacity to facilitate students’ intercultural learning. (Scroll down the page to see a more extensive bio in the Media Kit section.)

I welcome opportunities to engage with faculty, staff, and leaders who are interested in building intercultural competence in higher education. If you’re looking to collaborate, please read through the information below and fill out the inquiry form further down the page.

Some of my favorite ways to collaborate include:

DEI & Global Education: Intercultural Learning as a Bridge

Global education and diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) work share many common objectives. And yet, traditionally these efforts have remained quite separate in higher education. In this session, we explore why that separation exists and how intercultural learning may serve as a bridge.

We’ll address some common assumptions, misconceptions, and questions about what intercultural learning is and isn’t, and how it intersects with global education and DEI work. In addition, participants will learn a developmental framework that can be used to foster intercultural learning in local and global contexts.

Building Intercultural Competence in Higher Education: The What, Why & How

Most colleges and universities now recognize the importance of preparing students to live and work in a diverse world. Institutional mission statements and strategic plans emphasize the importance of intercultural competence, cultural humility, cultural intelligence, inclusive excellence, global learning, global citizenship, or similar goals.

Oftentimes, however, there is less clarity and consistency amongst faculty, staff, and leaders about what that means, how it connects to their own work, and how to accomplish these goals.

This session will help participants better understand what intercultural competence is (and isn't) and what developing it entails, why building intercultural competence is so important in higher education today, and how to begin building intercultural competence at their institution or organization.

Intercultural Pedagogy for Transformative Learning Experiences

Opportunities for intercultural learning in higher education abound, both through global education programs and on our increasingly diverse campuses. However, research indicates that exposure to—even immersion in—other cultures does not consistently lead to intercultural development unless intentionally and effectively designed and facilitated to do so. In this interactive session, we’ll explore several key intercultural pedagogical practices and discuss practical ways you can use them to help students develop interculturally.

Inquire About a Collaboration

Tara's Bio: Brief

Tara Harvey, Ph.D. is a highly-regarded specialist in intercultural teaching and learning in higher education. She brings to her work broad experience in international education—including international student services, study abroad, and language learning—and a deep understanding of the intercultural development process. In 2016, Tara founded True North Intercultural LLC to provide high-quality professional development to higher education faculty, staff, and institutions to help them better navigate cultural differences and facilitate students’ intercultural learning (at home and abroad).

Tara's Bio: Full

Tara Harvey, Ph.D., is a highly-regarded specialist in intercultural teaching and learning in higher education. As Founder and Chief Intercultural Educator of True North Intercultural, Tara combines her extensive background in higher education and international exchange with a deep understanding of intercultural teaching and learning to help higher education faculty, staff, and institutions develop both their own intercultural competence and their capacity to facilitate students’ intercultural learning.

Prior to starting True North Intercultural in 2016, Tara taught English in Spain, worked as an international student advisor at Texas A&M and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, taught intercultural courses at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and the Middlebury Institute for International Studies at Monterey, and was the inaugural Academic Director of Intercultural Learning for CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange).

Tara holds a Ph.D. in Comparative and International Development Education from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities; a Masters in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; a Masters in International Relations from the Instituto Universitario Ortega y Gasset in Madrid, Spain; and a Bachelors in Communication Studies from Northwestern University.

In addition to being a Qualified Administrator (QA) of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) since 2008, Tara is an IDI Qualifying Seminar Instructor, Senior Facilitator of the Personal Leadership methodology, and was a faculty member at the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication (SIIC). She lives in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area with her spouse, who is from Spain, and two kids.

Images

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