Todd Lee Goen is Director of International Programs and Senior International Officer at Virginia Military Institute (VMI) where he oversees education abroad, international student and scholar support services, grant/program management, and strategic planning and initiatives for campus internationalization.

Goen previously held full-time faculty positions at Christopher Newport University, Purdue University Fort Wayne, and Clemson University, teaching courses in human communication and quantitative research. His previous university administrative leadership includes: Faculty Director for Cultural Communication Competence in Benelux, Internship Director, Public Speaking Coordinator, Chair of International  Studies Advisory  Committee (the oversight committee for campus internationalization), and Vice-Chair of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

Additionally, Goen is an active member of a number of professional organizations. He is currently the Chair- Designate of the NAFSA (Association of International Educators) Academy, following two years as the Region VIII Academy Coach. He is a member of NAFSA’s Trainer Corps, and an IDI Qualified Administrator. He routinely volunteers as a judge and parliamentarian for speech and debate tournaments, and with community organizations to improve their intercultural relations.

Goen’s research interests focus on interpersonal and family relationships and their intersections with nonverbal behavior and intercultural contexts. His scholarly accomplishments include over seventy-five presentations, and service as journal, conference, and grant reviewers. His published works appear in Communication Research Reports, Family Science Review, and the Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, and Perspective.

Goen is an Honors College Graduate with a BA in Computer Science, French, and Vocational Ministry from Harding University, holds an MA in Communication from the University of Arkansas, and completed all coursework toward a PhD in Communication from the University of Georgia. He is the 2020 recipient of SSCA’s John I Sisco Excellence in Teaching Award and the 2022 recipient of NAFSA’s Lily von Klemperer Award for supporting and strengthening professional development in education abroad.

 

Instructor: English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies

Patricia Hardin assumed the position of Assistant Director of International Programs on July 27, 2015. Prior to her work in International Programs, Patricia taught for many years Italian and German language, culture and literature courses at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), James Madison University (JMU) and Washington & Lee University (W&L). She has also served as the Program Director for the VMI Berlin, Germany Summer Study Abroad program from 2010-2019. In 2021, Patricia developed the Engineering Summer Study Abroad program in Rome, Italy in conjunction with John Cabot University in Rome.

Patricia has extensive international experience. She was born in Romania, where she spent the first ten years of her life, then relocated to Germany where she completed high school. After high school, she moved to the US to study at Wake Forest University as a foreign student on an F 1 visa. While at Wake Forest University, she participated in a semester study abroad experience in Venice, Italy.

Patricia received her M.A. in Germanic Languages and Literatures from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and has also completed coursework towards her PhD in Germanic Languages and Literatures at UIUC.

Her research interests lie primarily in the area of 17th century German emblems and foreign language pedagogy.

In her current position in the Office of International Programs, she serves as the primary study abroad advisor and works also in the area of International Student Services.