The Summer, Fall, and Academic Year 2021-2022 Application is open! Deadline is January 20, 2021 at 12pm (noon) EST
The Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) invests in deserving U.S. undergraduates who are least likely to study abroad. More than 100 volunteer reviewers read applications each cycle. In partnership with them, FEA considers financial need, demographic factors, and academic plan and preparedness to decide scholarship recipients.
Financial Need is determined by the FEA Financial Aid Form we provide when you begin an application.
Demographic Factors that are considered include minority background, first-generation college student status, and community college experience.
Academic Plan and Preparedness is determined by your essays, unofficial transcript, and letter of recommendation.
Create an account and begin your application: APPLY NOW
To be eligible for an FEA scholarship, you must be:
U.S. citizen or permanent resident
Currently enrolled as an undergraduate at a college or university in the U.S. (graduate students are not eligible)
Study abroad program must be eligible for credit at the student’s home institution
Study abroad program must be at least 4 weeks (28 days) in country/countries
What you’ll need
Complete the application form online
Print the Financial Aid Form and bring it to your university’s financial aid office. Someone from that office should complete the form and give it back to you for your to upload to your online application.
Upload your unofficial transcript to your online application.
Submit the name and email of your recommender. After your recommender submits your letter of recommendation, you must go back into the application to click submit.
Make sure ALL application materials are uploaded and submitted before the deadline to be considered for an FEA scholarship.
If you have questions or need further support with this scholarship or have other study abroad related questions, please reach out to the Office of International Affairs at internationalaffairs@chatham.edu.
The Open Doors 2020 Data Release were released on November 16. Watch the VIDEO RELEASE here. Representatives from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Institute of International Education released findings from the 2020 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange.
IIE’s commitment to diversity and inclusion has been central to our mission and we continue to practice and reaffirm that commitment in our programming throughout the world. Join a panel of IIE team members from across our global offices moderated by Mary Karam McKey, Head of IIE’s Corporate & Foundation Programs. Panelists will explore regional considerations around DEI as well as incorporating it into program design and implementation. Panelists and locations include:
Ethiopia Abebe, Lead, Ethiopia and Sub Saharan Africa (Addis Ababa)
Jonathan Lembright, Head, Southeast Asia (Bangkok)
Nichole Johnson, Director, Private Sector Program Development (NYC)
Evgenia Valuy, Lead, Evaluation and Learning (NYC)
Michelle Pickard, Director, Gilman International Scholarship Program (Houston)
Akta Sawhney, Senior Program Specialist (New Delhi)
Exchange alumni contribute to society in positive ways and, shaped by their lived experiences, become leaders who are working to address the world’s most pressing challenges. Michelle Dass Pickard, IIE’s Director of the Gilman International Scholarship Program, will be joined by alumni of various leadership development and exchange programs who will discuss the need for these programs in light of current challenges, the importance of DEI in programs, and considerations to ensure that the benefit of the exchange experience does not end with the individual participant.
NAFSA INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION WEEK CAMPUS CONNECTION
Our Future: The Next Four Years, 1:00pm- 2:30pm ET
Examine the outcome of the 2020 U.S. election and how it will impact international education, diplomacy and engagement with the world.
Tuesday, November 17
Social Justice & International Education: Exploring the Intersections, 10:00am- 1:00pm ET
Wednesday, November 18
NAFSA Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization Presidential Panel and Award Recognition, 1:00pm-2:30pm ET
Recognize the achievements of the 2020 NAFSA Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization winners and join us for a live Presidential Panel.
Thursday, November 19
Perspectives on Engaging Today’s Students, 1:00pm ET
Friday, November 20
Fall 2020 NAFSA Research Symposium: A Critical Discussion of Theories, Methodologies, and Practices in International Education, 9:30am-1:30pm ET
I was hoping to hear, as in years past, reflective stories delivered by our Chatham domestic and foreign students. In previous International Educational Symposiums, students would relay their various challenges they’d had to overcome in their chosen country to study, as well as highlights of their stay. Highlights usually included the lifelong friends they’d established, teachers and classes that had helped to improve their skills and broaden their horizons, and places they’d had the chance to visit.
This year, although some reflections presented resembled those in the past, many highlights had a very different color and energy compared to previous ones. On a similar note, the mountains that needed to be summited were steeper and more dimly lit. Yes, perhaps fewer friendships were forged, but the strength and supportiveness of those friendships seemed to surpass those from previous years. Yes, many of the classes were hybrid or fully virtual, and yet students seemed to invest more time honing academic skills, independent learning, reading, in addition to perfecting creative talents and athletic skills.
All of this and more, despite the uncertainty that this year has wrought on all of us, our families, and friends. I was deeply touched by the talks our students gave, moved by their ability to see the beauty in a time where others might not, moved by their level of reflection and stamina to move forward when others might feel a malaise or paralysis. Actually I assume the students who gave their talk during IEW feel many of the same fears and hesitation the rest of us feel, but they’ve managed to rein in the negativity to keep moving forward. That’s why the IEW talks this past week seemed especially precious and why I’ll always treasure their inspiring messages.
I’d like to give a heartfelt thanks to all of you awesome students, including Hiroki, Miku, Hanna, Walker, and Lerlina, who openly shared your hearts and minds with us.
Ready to change the world? Apply for the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship, a full scholarship to study abroad with a cohort of student leaders from around the country.
The Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship was founded to empower students of color with a transformative experience abroad, much like Frederick Douglass was inspired by his travels. All program fees are covered, as well as airfare.
This year’s cohort is co-sponsored by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs to commemorate the 175th anniversary of Douglass’s four-month journey around Ireland. You’ll be based in Dublin and visit other cities where Douglass campaigned, while meeting with government leaders and social justice activists.
The application is open to first-, second- and third-year students who have a GPA of 3.0 or higher and are from ethnic backgrounds typically underrepresented on study abroad programs.
This opportunity is offered by CIEE, a student exchange organization whom Chatham partners with. As a next step, start your application at www.CIEE.ORG/FDGF. (If you enter your name and email, you’ll receive updates before the February 14, 2021 deadline.) All eligible students who submit an application also qualify for a $1,500 scholarship towards any CIEE summer program.
Chatham’s Office of International Affairs (internationalaffairs@chatham.edu) is available to support students and answer questions related to this opportunity as well as other study abroad scholarships and post-graduation fellowships.
In celebration of International Education Week (IEW) please check out popular music from all around the world! Song links are included below so you can enjoy these global artists.
Song Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTFtOOh47oo
Country: Canada
Song Name: Laugh Now Cry Later
Artist:Drake
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 04: Drake attends the “Top Boy” UK Premiere at Hackney Picturehouse on September 04, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Dr. Linh Phung wrote this reflection to inspire her students to write their own reflection on their experience during COVID-19. She shares it here with the hope to hear more stories and reflections from others.
Life-changing news came in droves in the week of March 9, 2020. Restrictions on gatherings were announced at the university earlier in the week. The IELTS workshop that I had spent so much time arranging was effectively cancelled. The much anticipated TESOL Convention, where thousands of English teachers would meet to share ideas and get inspired, was called off. On Thursday, after I finished teaching, I gathered my books and work computer to bring home, considering the high chance of not being able to return to work the following week. Then it all became clear on Friday, March 13. We were in “lockdown.” Every “non-essential” worker, not only at Chatham, but in many parts of the state, was ordered to stay at home. The daycare was closed, and my 18-month-old baby was also ordered to “shelter in place.” My husband and I congregated at home with laptops, monitors, and phones on the dining table, trying to work while the baby did everything but allow us to work. What just happened?
New COVID-related vocabularies broadcast on the air and though social media became everyday lingo: positive cases, contact tracing, social distancing, self-isolation, lockdown, and so on. Life had no choice but to go on, but in a much smaller and restricted manner in the physical space of home. In my English Language Program (ELP), some international students were recalled home while others were understandably disappointed with the move to virtual learning and physical confinement. “This is not the study-abroad experience that we signed up for” was the sentiment that many stated. The program carried on with 20 hours of English instruction on Zoom, offered conversation hours and games on Zoom, and gathered for the End-of-Term Celebration on Zoom. There were undoubtedly frustrations, challenges, and Zoom fatigue, but there were also highlights of what was inspiring and heart-warming as we came to terms with the new reality. One such highlight was what students wrote in their submissions to the ELP Writing Contest: words of hope, unity, care, and living life in the moment as well as the humor of “staring straight in the eyes” of the virus with a stern warning that “you can’t divide us.” All of these gave me the positive energy, going into another semester of virtual classes with the determination of making instruction better for students. There is no choice but to persist, is there?
End-of-Term Celebration
With students taking classes from four countries in vastly different time zones in the summer, the summer classes were challenging time-wise, yet diverse and exciting. Overall, I had a stellar group of students, and in the end, I think the semester was a success with students appreciating what they learned from the Reading course and the “Science of Wellbeing” course on Coursera that we were all enrolled in. To me, the “Happiness” course as we called it was a highlight of the summer as we learned about what really matters for our subjective happiness, the fallacies of our mind, and simple-to-understand-but-difficult-to-implement strategies to boost our happiness. Connecting with others, being kind to others, expressing gratitude, and focusing on the here-and-now are not only strategies supported by a large body of happiness research, but also, I think, ones that bring us together as social beings and help us look deeper into ourselves as individual beings. I’m still far from turning those strategies into sustainable habits, but I have some hope that by making these small changes, I can better maintain my mental health and live a more meaningful life.
Being serious with other TESOL leaders
Now being well into the fall semester without any hope of Covid-19 going away anytime soon, I’ve also come to appreciate the silver linings of a world less restricted by physical barriers. Apart from teaching my usual lessons to college students, I have conducted countless virtual conversation hours for students of all ages. I’ve presented on Facebook live to nearly a thousand viewers. I’ve attended far more conference presentations than in any normal year. I talk with colleagues from all over the world on a weekly basis. I’m collaborating on research with friends and colleagues. I’ve found my professional life expanded. If happiness means having a pleasant life, an engaged life, and/or a meaningful life, I’m certainly having a more engaged work life and feeling good about it.
Fall 2020
The world is now hoping for a vaccine that can be efficiently distributed so that we can soon get back to our normal life: A life with concerts, gatherings, hugs, and kisses that no technologies can simulate. A life when we can go out to lunch with colleagues, visit places with students, and exchange small talks in hallways and on campus walks. However, I also wonder about the lasting impacts of the new ways of teaching, working, communicating, and conferencing during Covid on the future of my work and professional life. Some questions come to mind.
What elements of virtual teaching, assessment, and student services will likely stick around?
To what extent will university staff go back to work in the office and continue to telework?
What are the benefits and challenges of both options? What will encourage more productivity and engagement?
Will colleagues from near and far still gather to share ideas across borders or will we retreat back to our local networks?
Dare to make predictions? Please leave your comments!
DHS Proposal to eliminate D/S
On September 25, 2020, a proposed rule was published to the Federal Register that would, if finalized, impact students and scholars on F and J visa status. The proposed rule seeks to eliminate D/S (duration of status) for these visa types, and instead implement date-specific admission. This impacts many aspects of international student and exchange visitor programs, including: limitations on how long a student can study, reduction of the F-1 grace period, required extension applications, and impacts on employment authorization, to name a few.
It is important to note that the proposed rule isnot finalized. A period of public comment recently closed on October 26th. Members of the Chatham community, including OIA, submitted comments opposing the proposed rule change.
Additional information on the proposed rule change, as well as current updates, can be found on the NAFSA interest site.
USCIS Fee Rule injunction (important for those filing OPT applications)
On September 29, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a nationwide preliminary injunction and stay on implementation of the 2020 final USCIS fee rulein its entirety. New fees and form versions associated with that rule that were to be required on October 2, 2020, as well as all other aspects of the rule, are now on hold while the injunction is in place. Read the court’s order.
Based on the court injunction, USCIS is blocked from implementing the fee increase and new forms. As you are preparing to file an OPT application, or STEM-extension application, you will be able to use the current fees ($410) and the current form (issued 8/25/20) for your I-765 application.
OIA will keep you updated on the outcomes of these items. If you have any questions, please contact us at InternationalAffairs@Chatham.edu
