Sharpen intention.

Recognize context.

Harness community.

Who We Are

Intentional Education Consulting is an experienced thought partner and service provider for education-oriented institutions and professionals. We are strategic scholars and community-builders with experience in academic administration, international partnerships, curriculum design, student affairs, residential life, and faculty development.

What We Do

We offer strategic planning, research, program design and assessment, project management, and professional development training for institutions, administrators, instructors, and education-oriented professionals across education, philanthropy, and corporate contexts. We enhance communication and collaboration among stakeholders, prioritizing community, belonging, and purpose. Our ultimate aim is to contribute to intentional, inclusive, and transformative education of all types and for all students.

Why “Intentional” Education?

Our institutional and educator development strategy revolves around a core principle: start by understanding, and encouraging educators to reflect upon, their own intentions. We employ the same approach to academic administration, student advising, and program design: encouraging clients to locate their ultimate aims and intentions, and work together to develop strategies for success. In our interactions with administrators, instructors, and students, we center the individual before us, letting research-based ‘best practice’ inform but not overshadow the client and their distinctive institutional context. We are not the pedagogy police! We are not here to proselytize or reprimand. Scholarship on what works in a particular institutional and national context may not be as applicable in other terrain. Our goal is to help institutions achieve goals specific to their contexts, opportunities, and constraints.

 

Areas of Expertise

 

International, Inter-Cultural Education

Access, Inclusion, and Belonging

Student Support and Empowerment

Partners and Collaborators

Education Philanthropy • Education-Oriented NGOs, International Organizations, and Non-Profits • Colleges and Universities • Academic Departments and Centers • Academic Deans and Deans of Faculty • Advising Directors • Centers for Teaching and Learning • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leaders • Student Success Offices and Deans of Students • Residential Education Directors • Individual Faculty and Students

We are excited to deliver customized services to meet your needs. Please contact us to discuss your context and how we might be of service. 

Publications and Speaking Engagements

 
 

Diversity and Inclusion in Global Higher Education

“This edited volume of contributions provides rich insights and practical strategies for cultivating diversity and inclusion in diverse settings in Asia and beyond. This volume addresses issues in terms of inclusive pedagogy, curriculum design, and institutional leadership... a reliable source that can be utilized as a training tool for effective design and implementation of inclusive pedagogy, curriculum leadership, and strategic institutional innovations in promoting accessible and inclusive higher education. By offering valuable resources, this volume inspires both new and experienced educators to reflect on their pedagogical practices and take actions to enhance their innovative teaching, curriculum design, and leadership through greater awareness of their specific contexts."

- Jing Mao, Book Review for Journal of International Students.

Selected Chapters

Inclusive Pedagogy and Universal Design Approaches for Diverse Learning Environments

Diversity, Inclusion, and Context in Asian Higher Education

Other Writings and Speaking Engagements

 

About the Founder

Catherine Shea Sanger 

Dr. Catherine Shea Sanger is an international consultant, educator, and social scientist. She has held leadership roles in global education, faculty onboarding and professional development, curriculum design, inclusive pedagogy, student support and advising. In 2021, Dr. Sanger founded Intentional Education Consulting, offering broad consulting services to colleges, universities, corporate foundations, and other education-related institutions. She has consulted for colleges, universities, and corporate foundations on projects in Mainland China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Australia, and the United States. Prior to launching Intentional Education Consulting, Dr. Sanger was Director of the Centre for Teaching and Learning and Senior Lecturer in Global Affairs at Yale-NUS College, a collaboration between Yale University and the National University of Singapore. She is co-editor and author of Diversity and Inclusion in Global Higher Education: Lessons from Across Asia (Palgrave, 2020) and contributor to Teaching Civic Engagement Globally (American Political Science Association, 2021), Chronicle of Higher Education, Times Higher Education, and Faculty Focus. She holds a PhD in International Affairs from the University of Virginia and pursued undergraduate studies at Wellesley College and the London School of Economics and Political Science.

TESTIMONIALS

 
Testimonials

“I had the pleasure of collaborating with Catherine on a year-long research project focusing on DEI in the Asia-Pacific region for a client. Her rigorous research skills and ability to take complex data and convert it into a comprehensive, meaningful report for non-technical audiences were instrumental in achieving our project goals. What truly sets Catherine apart is her exceptional analytic skills, strong writing ability, and a commitment to integrity both in process and quality of output. Beyond her technical skills, she's is a pleasure to work with—a great thought partner, takes feedback well, and will go the extra mile to ensure a high quality of output. I highly recommend Catherine and am confident she will bring the same level of excellence to any project she works on.”

— Sheena Agarwal, Chief Partnerships Officer, Myriad USA.

"We worked in concert on several mission critical projects from re-envisioning student advising to working on a sexual harassment policy. She was the consummate professional and managed grace under pressure during even the most trying of circumstances in an extremely culturally/racially/economically/ideologically diverse setting... she excelled in not only developing programmes but also considering how a very diverse, very international faculty would engage with an even more diverse student body."

—Brian McAdoo, Associate Professor of Earth and Climate Sciences, Duke University

“I am very grateful to feel inspired and guided by Kate Sanger who has a real talent for getting to the heart of the matter with great sensitivity, compassion and clarity! Thanks Kate, for working with us so flexibly and with the wisdom of your experience... Truly enjoying the learning journey.”

—Peter W. Roux PhD, Associate Professor in the Educational Development and Learning Center, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Japan

"Few people are as articulate and committed as Kate… I was particularly impressed with Kate’s ability to apply researched best practices in teaching with care and concern for colleagues and students."

—Nancy W. Gleason, Director of the Hilary Ballon Center for Teaching and Learning at NYU Abu Dhabi

"When I first became the Director of our Center for Scholarship and Teaching, Kate was a source of tremendous wisdom and resource in the context of our shared membership in an organization for faculty development leaders. When I reached out for assistance, she responded immediately and thoughtfully. She has extensive experience, energy, and creative capacity, and developed faculty development materials that are invaluable in our field."

—Joan Ostrove, Director of the Serie Center for Scholarship and Teaching and Professor of Psychology at Macalester College

"Kate had the responsibility for initiating a peer observation programme in which faculty talked to each other about their goals as educators, visited each other's lessons and wrote formal feedback. Before the peer observation programme began, Kate organised workshops to ensure that the feedback was constructive, collegial and unbiased... Kate was the first observer of one of my courses. Her comments helped me to become a better teacher. I have used her letter as a template for my own observations ever since.”

—Michael Gastner, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, Computer Science, and Statistics at Yale-NUS College