The Forum on Education Abroad

What a week! We are still basking in the glow of being in community with more than 1,300 international educators at The Forum's Annual Conference 2025 in Toronto, Canada, from March 19-21. This was our first time in Canada for the conference, and it certainly won't be our last! We are grateful for all who were involved in this year's event: Our Annual Conference Committee members (including Committee Chair CJ Tremblay), attendees, presenters, sponsors, exhibitors, The Forum team, and all who played an integral part in making this year's event a success. Let's continue to collaborate and have the tough conversations so that we can innovate and create a better future for the students of tomorrow. There were so many special and important moments at last week's conference--including celebrating our 20th anniversary with Dickinson College, Dr. David Wick (Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey) becoming this year's recipient of the Peter A. Wollitzer Advocacy Award, and Meg Ramey, PhD (WorldKind) winning the first-ever InnovateEA pitch competition--and we will share lots more soon! Until then, browse these photos to enjoy just some of the highlights from this year's Annual Conference. See you in Nashville next year for #ForumEA26! #ForumEA25 #annualconference #torontoconference #educationabroad #areyouin #internationaleducation

?? Exciting News! A WorldKind Win! ?? We’re thrilled to share that WorldKind won The Forum on Education Abroad’s inaugural InnovateEA pitch competition. 1000+ education abroad professionals gathered in Toronto, Canada last week for our field’s annual conference, and Kathleen Burt, Ph.D. and I were incredibly honored and humbled to receive the vote of confidence of our colleagues who cast their ballots for the most innovative idea at the closing ceremony. Taking home the literal big check with seed funding for our “Belonging and Wellbeing” module is a huge boost in making our next WorldKind dream a reality, but let’s find a way to make all the innovative ideas shared there a reality because we have many innovative colleagues with great ideas including: ? Liam Kelly (CulturaGo)'s "Holistic & Access-Driven Assessment: Study Abroad Career Development ROI"--Liam, I’m in 100% agreement that data drives decisions and that better data will be crucial in the coming days for advocating for our field. Thank you for working to empower us all, and I’m looking forward to that catch-up call soon. ? Takeo Suzuki, Ed.D. (The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga)'s "Innovating Mental Health Support Abroad: Using Manga as a Coping Mechanism"--Takeo, we share a love for storytelling and making mental health support more accessible and engaging for Gen Z. I can’t wait to talk with you more about this idea. ? Dan Waite, Lauren Meregalli Ferrer, and Lynell James (Rutgers University) and their "Global Learning Labs: An Emerging Model Addressing Grand Global Challenges"--Dan, I admire your work to create more access to global learning and your collaborative approach to tackling global problems. If we can support you in any way, please let me know. ? Asia King and D'Kiya Bynum (University of Maryland-College Park)'s "Seeing Me: Self-Definition through Study Abroad"--Asia, it was a privilege to share the stage with you again. I’m a huge fan of your model that empowers agency and student voices throughout the program development process. I can’t wait to see your model replicated across campuses. As Emily Merson, one of the inaugural innovation mentors, said when introducing the competition, “If we’re serious about change and innovation, we must be more proactive and make a greater commitment to innovators and entrepreneurs.” (Thanks to The PIE for capturing that great quote). So, I’d like to say a HUGE thank you to AIFS and CEA CAPA Education Abroad for doing just that in partnering with the Forum and sponsoring this first competition and the seed funding. THANK YOU! Finally, thank you to Melissa Torres, President of the Forum, and to Nicole R. Stokes, (PACIE Global proud!), for doing such a great job hosting. #InnovateEA #InnovateEA2025 #ForumEA2025 #WorldKind P.S. Thanks to Kelly M. Holland and Emily O'Callaghan ?? (IEAA-SF) for capturing some of these great photos! P.P.S. LinkedIn cut off my post, so thanks continued in the comments below.

Dr. David Wick of Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey was honored at The Forum on Education Abroad as the winner of the Peter A. Wollitzer Advocacy Award. #advocacy #studyabroad #forumea25

“If we’re serious about change and innovation, we must be more proactive and make a greater commitment to innovators and entrepreneurs,” asserted Emily Merson at the InnovateEA Pitch Competition at the closing luncheon at The Forum on Education Abroad annual conference in Toronto. #educationabroad #innovation #FORUMEA25 #areyouin

Today is the day! Following five-minute TED-style talks from our finalists, our first InnovateEA pitch competition winner will be announced at the Closing Celebration of The Forum’s Annual Conference 2025! https://lnkd.in/gckZCf5a What's more, conference participants will be the ones to vote for the most innovative idea and select the winner in real time. Are you in? Our 2024 finalists are: ? Belonging and Wellbeing | Meg Ramey, PhD, WorldKind ? Global Learning Labs: An Emerging Model Addressing Grand Global Challenges | Dan Waite, Lauren Meregalli Ferrer, and Lynell James, Rutgers University ? Holistic & Access-Driven Assessment: Study Abroad Career Development ROI | Liam Kelly, CulturaGo ? Innovating Mental Health Support Abroad: Using Manga as a Coping Mechanism | Takeo Suzuki, Ed.D., The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga ? Seeing Me: Self-Definition through Study Abroad | D'Kiya Bynum and Asia King, University of Maryland – College Park Special thanks to all our finalists and be sure to join us today to hear their pitches and vote for the first InnovateEA winner! #ForumEA25 #annualconference #torontoconference #areyouin #innovationEA #innovateEA

Special thanks to The PIE for being our official media partner for The Forum on Education Abroad's Annual Conference 2025! We are grateful for their support and coverage of this year's conference. Be sure to follow them on LinkedIn for additional highlights from #ForumEA25. #annualconference #educationabroad #internationaleducation #mediapartner

It's hard to believe that Day 3 of The Forum's Annual Conference in Toronto is already here! https://lnkd.in/eeTQ86hr Today's schedule brings more Concurrent Sessions, more dedicated Exhibit Hall hours, more Poster Sessions, and a Closing Celebration Luncheon you won't want to miss: At the Luncheon, we'll announce this year's Peter A. Wollitzer Advocacy Award recipient, honoring an exceptional leader whose contributions have advanced diversity, equity, and inclusion in education abroad. This individual has inspired countless colleagues and set a new benchmark for fostering inclusive and impactful global learning experiences. https://lnkd.in/g2z9q-TN Then, attendees will participate in The Forum's first-ever InnovateEA pitch competition! Five finalists will each deliver a compelling 5-minute TED-style talk, presenting their bold and creative ideas for advancing education abroad. The audience will vote for the most innovative idea and select the winner in real time. Are you in? https://lnkd.in/gckZCf5a We'll also announce the winner of our free registration giveaway to this summer's first Beyond Polarization Residency in Denver. Join us to be eligible! It all begins at 8:30 a.m. ET--see you then #ForumEA25 participants! #areyouin #annualconference #torontoconference #internationaleducation #educationabroad

Honored to hear Gilman Program impact stories from Scott Palmer, Tryphene Bulape, and Meghan Mason at today’s Luncheon: The Forum Community Celebrates the Impact of the Gilman Program at The Forum’s Annual Conference! #SaveGilman #SaveECAFunding #educationabroad #internationaleducation

“What you do here, counts out there,” stated Mariam Raza, Ed.D., applying the Conestoga College motto to a discussion on strategies to ensure students gain the highest ROI from international experiences, particularly in power skill and intercultural competence development linked to career readiness. This data-driven session was led by CulturaGo CEO Liam Kelly, who was joined onstage at The Forum on Education Abroad annual conference in Toronto, with Raza and University of Michigan’s Miranda Roberts & Alexis Wren from Costa Rica Global Learning Programs. #careerreadiness #powerskills #interculturalcompetence #studyabroad #internships #globaled #forumea25 #roi

The Forum on Education Abroad CEO & President Melissa Torres welcomed annual conference delegates to a luncheon celebrating the deep impact of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program. The Gilman Program is administered by the U.S. Department of State and offers financial support to students with limited resources, enabling them to study or intern abroad while gaining essential skills that contribute to national security and economic growth. #educationabroad #forumea #forumea2025 #gilman #gilmanscholar #studyabroad #internships