Keeping watch as Hokies travel the world

If a protest erupts overseas, a border closes without warning, or a traveler loses a passport thousands of miles from home, someone at Virginia Tech is already paying attention.

That work happens quietly, every day, across dozens of countries where Hokies are studying, researching, teaching, and building partnerships. It’s supported by systems that track university-sponsored travel worldwide, assess emerging risks, and coordinate guidance when conditions shift — often before a situation reaches the headlines.

On any given day, Virginia Tech has students, faculty, and staff traveling or living abroad for study, research, conferences, and partnerships, often in places where conditions can change quickly.

At the center of that effort is Elizabeth Morrison, who serves in the Global Education Office, part of Outreach and International Affairs. Morrison is the university’s primary point of contact for safety and risk management, helping travelers prepare for international work and providing real-time support when health or security concerns arise. She carries the university’s emergency phone at all times, ready to offer immediate guidance and help coordinate next steps.

Morrison also chairs the Global Travel Oversight Committee, a cross-university group that evaluates destination risks and helps determine when and how university-supported travel can move forward safely. Together, the committee and the Global Education Office help ensure that global learning, research, and engagement remain possible — even in an increasingly complex and unpredictable world.

With professional experience spanning seven countries and years supporting U.S. citizens through consular services abroad, Morrison brings both global perspective and steady judgment to a role that often matters most when plans go awry.

Whether preparing for a semester abroad or a short research trip, Morrison hopes Hokie travelers know they don’t have to navigate global uncertainty alone.

What does your role involve, and what do you wish every Hokie traveler understood about safety and risk management?

When people hear “risk management,” I think they assume we prefer to say “no,” or that we want to wrap people in bubble wrap. In reality, this role is about helping travelers understand, acknowledge, and mitigate the specific risks of their destination.

As faculty, students, and staff engage globally — through research, teaching, study, and partnerships — that work doesn’t happen only in Virginia. Every destination has a unique security profile, with its own opportunities and challenges. Strong safety and security planning is what makes high-impact experiences like study abroad and international research feasible.

Our goal is to support travel, not prevent it — and to make sure travelers are informed, prepared, and never navigating a difficult situation alone.

You’ve lived in several different countries and worked in many roles overseas. How did those experiences shape your approach to global safety?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been drawn to other cultures, languages, and intercultural learning. I pursued a master’s degree in international and intercultural management because I believe deeply in the transformational power of experiential education.

When my husband joined the Foreign Service, our family moved overseas, and my priorities shifted to learning new languages, meeting everyday needs, and raising three sons in multiple countries. Along the way, I worked in consular sections in places like Dublin, Amsterdam, and Accra, adjudicating visa and citizenship applications and supporting American citizens during crises.

Over the years, I’ve lived in Ecuador, Armenia, Syria, Honduras, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Ghana. Those experiences taught me how rewarding international life can be — and how essential smart security planning is to make it sustainable. They also gave me a realistic understanding of both the capabilities and limitations of U.S. embassies, which is important when helping travelers plan responsibly.

This role feels like a return to the path I started on — with a renewed focus on supporting others as they explore the world.

What has living abroad taught you about adaptability — both culturally and during challenging moments?

Culturally, I learned very quickly that hospitality looks different everywhere. Being from Alabama, I thought I understood hospitality — but Syrian hospitality, for example, is on another level. You don’t really mean “no” until you’ve declined food or coffee at least three times. And you learn not to compliment a Syrian’s scarf or jewelry unless you’re prepared for them to offer it to you.

In terms of navigating challenges, one experience stands out. My family was delayed at a border crossing while trying to meet my mother at an airport in Jordan. She didn’t speak Arabic, didn’t have a cellphone, and there was no airport Wi-Fi. Through a network of relationships — a friend who happened to be traveling through Amman that day — she was met at baggage claim and cared for until we arrived.

That experience reinforced the value of relationships, asking for help, and being prepared — including something as simple as keeping your phone charged while in transit.

What advice would you offer to Hokies preparing to travel internationally?

Read, listen, and learn as much as you can about the place you’re going. Say yes to invitations. Try the local food, music, and sports. Observe people and daily life. And get enough rest.

Never grow tired of the beauty and diversity of the world — or of the insights you gain from the people you meet along the way.