Reflections on Dr. Bradley Rink

By Martha Johnson and Laurie Black ​

On Tuesday, April 21, our global community lost a true icon and trailblazer in education abroad, Dr. Bradley Rink. Bradley was an exceptional academic and scholar practitioner before the concept existed.  He impacted the lives of countless students and professionals, sharing his inquisitive mind, inclusive engagement, and warm sense of humor. 

​Bradley graduated from St John’s University in Minnesota in 1990. He went on to receive a Master of International Administration degree from SIT Graduate Institute (School for International Training) in 1995 and obtained an M.A. in Geography from the University of Vermont (UVM) in 1998. During his time at UVM, he led student groups to Africa, where he eventually met his husband Kenny and established his life.  ​

​He received his Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Cape Town and eventually joined the Department of Geography, Environmental Studies, and Tourism at the University of Western Cape in 2015. While on the faculty, he received the National Excellence in Teaching and Learning Award from the Council on Higher Education (South Africa)/Higher Education Learning & Teaching Association of Southern Africa. 

Bradley held roles with both CIEE and SIT, and while his own scholarship was in geography, he was a dedicated advocate for the academic and professional development of the field of education abroad. 

Bradley engaged with The Forum on Education Abroad early and was influential in the evolution of the Forum’s growth and programmatic offerings. 

He helped develop The Forum’s Professional Certification Program in 2014 and was in the first cohort of certified professionals. He later helped to redesign the certification workshops after the release of the 6th edition of the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad in 2020. 

Bradley was part of The Forum’s Trained Facilitator Team, as well as acting as a Certification Assessor and QUIP Peer Reviewer. He served as a Curriculum Committee member and as a peer reviewer for Frontiers. 

He was a devoted champion of education abroad in the Global South/less common destinations. For these reasons, he provided a review for The Forum’s Voices from the South book, where he was quoted on the back cover. 

We had the pleasure of calling him a friend, and the three of us collaborated on a workshop called “Challenging the Lens” at several Forum conferences. His ability to draw others into a complicated dialogue was one of his particular gifts. 

Our field is better because Bradley was a part of it, and all of us who had the privilege of knowing him are better for it. He will be profoundly missed. 

Martha Johnson and Laurie Black ​