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Luchen Li
Leadership in International Education. Steinbeck Scholar & Professor of English, Humanities, and Cultural Studies
Professional Background
Luchen Li is a distinguished academic and administrator known for his extensive contributions to internationalization and global engagement in higher education. As the Dean of the Office of Global Services at Northeastern University, he has been instrumental in developing and executing institutional strategies that foster comprehensive internationalization and promote global engagement. His leadership extends across various interdisciplinary and inter-collegiate programs, demonstrating his commitment to enhancing educational experiences for students and faculty alike through collaborative partnerships.
In his previous role as the Associate Provost for International Programs at the University of New Hampshire, Luchen played a pivotal role in steering the university's global initiatives. He initiated and led successful programs focused on international enrollment, and his work has greatly influenced curricular innovation, language acquisition, study abroad opportunities, international internships, and faculty-student exchange programs. His efforts have significantly contributed to the academic and cultural diversity on campuses and within communities.
Throughout his career, Luchen has held important positions at prominent institutions, including serving as the Associate Dean of Global Programs and Professor of American Literature and Cultural Studies at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, and as Director and Professor at Kettering University. His versatile experience in educational administration and academia underscores his ability to effectively lead and inspire a diverse group of students, faculty, and staff.
In addition to his administrative accomplishments, Luchen is an accomplished scholar in English, Humanities, and Cultural Studies. He is currently a Professor in these fields and serves as the President of the International Society of Steinbeck Scholars, indicating his significant engagement with literary studies. Luchen has authored numerous books and articles that contribute valuable insights into literary and cultural studies, reflecting his passion for exploring and analyzing complex texts and cultural phenomena.
Education and Achievements
Luchen Li completed his studies at the University of Oregon, where he cultivated a strong foundation in the humanities. His academic journey has led him to explore various aspects of literature and cultural studies, honing his expertise and preparing him for a lifetime of teaching and research. Through his dedication to both education and scholarly inquiry, he has garnered respect and recognition in the academic community.
His involvement with internationalization efforts has been highlighted by his experience as a Primary Designated School Official (PDSO) and a Responsible Officer (RO) in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). This role has equipped him with specialized training in risk management and federal export control regulations, further enhancing his ability to navigate the complexities of international education.
Achievements
Luchen's notable achievements include successfully initiating and implementing programs that promote international enrollment and collaborative research. His foresight in curricular innovation has fostered an environment where language acquisition flourishes and students have access to rich, transformative study abroad experiences. Additionally, through his leadership in international internships, dual-degree, and dual-major programs, he has prepared countless students for global citizenship.
His presidency in the International Society of Steinbeck Scholars exemplifies his dedication not only to education but also to preserving and promoting literary heritage. As an author of various works in literary and cultural studies, Luchen has made significant contributions to understanding the intersections of culture, society, and literature, earning him a reputation as a thought leader in his field.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Clay encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Clay work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Clay is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
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Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.