Category Archives: Announcement

Announcement, Education Abroad

Important Update to Chatham’s Travel Approval Policy

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An update to Chatham’s Travel Approval Policy now makes some travel to USDOS Level 3 and 4 locations approvable beginning with summer 2022 programs.

Please review the below policy carefully and reach out with any questions about how this may affect you and your program choice or a pending application. If you had previously delayed making plans it is not too late to apply for many summer and fall programs abroad.

Updated Travel Approval Policy 03.03.22

In line with peer institutions and in response to recent changes in Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations for COVID-19 mitigation, beginning with summer 2022, Chatham’s Travel Approval Policy has been updated.

Chatham’s Travel Approval Policy covers any travel for which a student is receiving academic credit for their activity abroad (coursework, internship, fieldwork, research, etc.). The policy states that students will be approved for travel to locations that have a US Department of State (USDOS) Travel Advisory of Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions or Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Applications to travel to locations that are Level 3: Reconsider Travel or Level 4: Do Not Travel for COVID-19 only will be reviewed and may be approved on a case by case basis. The designation for Health Risk (H) and information on COVID-19 risk will be stated at the top of a location’s Travel Advisory, along with any other risk factors. Locations that include any other risk factor (except Health for COVID-19 only) of Level 3: Reconsider Travel or Level 4: Do Not Travel will not be approved. Students should review the USDOS Travel Advisory Level of their travel location and contact the Office of International Affairs with any questions.

Students approved to travel to a Level 3: Reconsider Travel or Level 4: Do Not Travel location will be required to 1) sign an Acknowledgement of Risk and Release Related to the Level 3 or Level 4 Travel Advisory and 2) to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19; boosters are highly recommended and may be required for entry into certain countries. It is each student’s responsibility to monitor and be aware of entry requirements, including vaccine documentation, mandatory quarantine, testing, masking or any other restriction as detailed by country and local authorities.

Please note that US DOS Advisory Levels change often – please check the USDOS Travel Advisory listing regularly for any updates.

Students may apply to programs abroad that include other risk factors as designated on the USDOS Travel Advisory, including in Level 3 and Level 4 locations and be conditionally approved by Chatham, however, if the location’s Travel Advisory Level does not exclude Level 3 or Level 4 risk factors other than Health for COVID-19 by 60 days prior to the program start date, they will not be approved. It is not recommended that students make nonrefundable deposits or plans that cannot be changed until fully approved by Chatham.

As of today, some countries that could be approved under the updated policy include: Japan, Germany, Greece, France, Costa Rica, Brazil, Spain, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ireland, Italy. United Kingdom, Jordan, Morocco, Argentina, South Korea, Taiwan and Australia. These countries are Level 3 or Level 4 for Health (H) and may have other risk factors that do not exceed Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution). Please review the USDOS Travel Advisories to check other locations and to confirm advisory levels and risk factors.

Please contact internationalaffairs@chatham.edu with any questions.

Announcement, Education Abroad, Events, International Education Week (IEW), International students, Local resources, Opportunities, Reflection, Student experience

International Education Week (IEW) 2021

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Join Chatham University and the US Department of State/US Department of Education for International Education Week (IEW) 2021 as we celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide! The theme of the week at Chatham University is Engaged Resilient Global. 

Events for this week include:

Monday, November 15, 5:00 PM

Join Chatham’s Vira I Heinz (VIH) Scholarship Program 2021 cohort for the Finding Resilience Roundtable. This presentation focuses on a discussion regarding finding resilience and motivation in unprecedented events and lost opportunity. Community resources based around arts, crafts, and mental health will be shared! Join via Zoom at https://chatham.zoom.us/j/98351013633

Tuesday, November 16

Connect with an international student today! Did you know that students from 29 different countries are studying at Chatham this semester?  The top five countries are Canada, Mexico, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and China.  All of our international students have so much to share and can broaden your perspectives. Please take the time to say hello and see what you can learn today.

Wednesday, November 17

Explore the international opportunities available to Chatham students. Chatham students can participate in a variety of programs, ranging from Chatham field experiences of just a few weeks to summer internships and study abroad to exchange and partner semesters and even a full academic year abroad! Learn more at https://chatham.edu/academics/international-programs/education-abroad.html .  Financial support and scholarship opportunities are also available.

Thursday, November 18, 3:00 PM-5:00 PM

Support your classmates at Chatham’s IEW Symposium, held in the Carriage House Main Lounge from 3:00 PM-5:00 PM.  Our student presenters will deliver Ted-style talks and make poster presentations on the theme of Engaged Resilient Global and the audience will vote on the best two presentations to be awarded gift card prizes.

Friday, November 19

Pittsburgh has so much to offer! Round out this year’s IEW by learning more about local, global organizations, including Global Links, GlobalPittsburgh, World Affairs Council, and many more.  Check out these organizations and more resources to see how you can engage locally at the below links: https://theglobalswitchboard.org/  https://www.ucis.pitt.edu/global/category/topic/international-organizations

 

We hope you enjoy IEW 2021.

Please email internationalaffairs@chatham.edu or stop by our offices in Falk Hall, lower level for more information.

Announcement, Deadlines, Education Abroad, Opportunities, Scholarships

Fully Funded Summer 2022 Study Abroad – CLS Program

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The application is now open for the 2022 Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program. The CLS Program is a fully funded study abroad program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State that provides intensive overseas language and cultural immersion and is open to U.S. students enrolled in all degree programs at Chatham. The deadline to apply is November 16, 2021.

Through CLS, students spend eight to ten weeks abroad studying one of 15 critical languages and earn academic credit for their work. The scholarship includes travel expenses, coursework, group excursions, and even a small stipend to cover your daily living expenses. Most languages offered by the CLS Program do not require applicants to have any experience studying critical languages.

The CLS Program seeks participants with diverse interests, and from a wide range of fields of study and career paths; students from all academic disciplines, including business, engineering, law, medicine, science, social sciences, arts, and humanities are encouraged to apply.

Please take a look at the recorded CLS information sessions, including sessions specific to the 15 separate language programs and a session for beginners who may not know where to begin when selecting a language for their application. Recordings of these webinars are available here.

Our office is here to support you in applying for this and other international opportunities! Please reach out to set up an appointment if you’re interested in more information, or want help brainstorming how learning a language could benefit your future career.  Contact us! Office of International Affairs, internationalaffairs@chatham.edu.

Announcement, Deadlines, Education Abroad

Summer 2022 Chatham Field Experiences!

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shows students on a Chatham field experience

Field experience students in Greece, 2019

Chatham Summer 2022 Field Experiences are now open for application! Program options are:

Costa Rica: Biodesign and Sustainability, Prof. Saglinda Roberts

Greece: Discovery Course, Dr. Carrillo and Dr. Lettan

Taiwan: Tunghai Summer Mini-Semester, Dr. Kingsbury and Dr. Tippen

Please click on the above links for program details and application information. The application deadline is 12/3/2021.

Important Notes:

  1. At this time, Summer 2022 field experiences are conditionally approved and will only run if health and safety conditions, including visa and entry restrictions, US Dept. of State Travel Advisory and CDC Travel Health Notice for each location, permit. Chatham does not approve study abroad to US Dept. of State locations with a Level 3 or Level 4 Travel Advisory; or to locations with a CDC Travel Health Notice of Level 3. Restrictions on entry, including quarantine and testing requirements, and other travel conditions may also affect Chatham’s ability to offer these field experiences.
  2. Chatham will announce a decision on if summer 2022 study abroad will be permitted by early January 2022. There is no risk or cost to students in applying for a summer field experience. Deposits for students participating in these field experiences would not be due until after the January 2022 announcement.
  3. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, conditions may require changes to field experience programs, including program dates, cost, facilities, activities, transportation, and itinerary. Students considering participating in these field experiences will need to be flexible, understand the risks of participation, and will be required to agree to health and safety protocols and any restrictions put in place by Chatham, in-country partners, and country, regional and local agencies. Chatham is monitoring travel conditions and is working closely with in-country partners for updates on current protocols, restrictions and health and safety information. Chatham is committed to transparency in communicating information that may affect these field experience programs.
  4. Students may apply their $1,200 study abroad voucher toward any of these field experiences. This one-time voucher is available to each undergraduate student who has 30+ credits, at least 15 of which have been completed at Chatham. Students do not need to apply for the study abroad voucher; it is applied to your Chatham account for the term in which you study abroad, reducing the amount you pay by $1,200. For the Costa Rica and Taiwan field experiences, students completing an International Studies Certificate may apply their $1,800 certificate funding toward the program cost. For more information the International Studies Certificates, please see the Certificate checklists at https://my.chatham.edu/tools/_departments/advising/checklists/ Eligible students should complete the International Certificate verification form and have your International Certificate advisor sign the bottom half of the form. Please submit completed verification forms to the Office of International Affairs, Falk Hall lower level, internationalaffairs@chatham.edu.
  5. Students may apply for Chatham experiential learning scholarships which offer summer funding (application deadline is 2/28/22). These awards are competitive as funding is limited. For  application and more details on Chatham experiential learning scholarships see https://chatham.edu/academics/international-programs/scholarships-and-vouchers.html 
  6. Students who receive Federal Pell grants may be eligible to use Pell funding toward summer programs of 6 or more credits, including the Costa Rica and Taiwan field experiences (please contact Office of Financial Aid for details of your financial aid award) and should consider applying for a Gilman Scholarship for additional funding (there are two application deadlines -10/5/21 and 3/1/22 for summer 2022 study abroad).

Please reach out to the Office of International Affairs, internationalaffairs@chatham.edu with any questions on Chatham field experiences or other study abroad opportunities.

Announcement, Deadlines, Education Abroad, Opportunities

Apply for Funding for a US Passport – Deadline extended!

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Chatham has received funding from the Institute of International Education (IIE) to award up to 25 first-year Pell eligible students with funding for a US passport to study abroad. Pell eligible Chatham students with 0-29 earned undergraduate credits can submit an application.

What is study abroad?

Study abroad is an opportunity to pursue an educational program in a foreign country. Study abroad is available for students in every field of study and the length of these opportunities varies – Chatham students participate in study abroad and internship abroad programs ranging from short-term programs of just a few weeks to spending a whole academic year abroad. Students receive academic credit toward their undergraduate degrees through successful completion of these programs abroad.

What options are available? Is there funding to study or intern abroad?

To review Chatham’s Education Abroad and Field Experience opportunities, please see our website. Chatham students may also study or intern abroad on non-Chatham programs provided they meet Chatham approval criteria.

Many scholarship opportunities are available for eligible students. All Chatham undergraduates can receive a $1200 study abroad voucher to use toward any credit-bearing international experience. Additional funding is available for students pursuing an International Studies Certificate.

Apply now for funding for a US passport (valid for 10 years!)

To apply for funding for a US passport to pursue study abroad during your Chatham education complete this form. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and will close on October 18, 2021 or earlier if all passport funding has been allocated.

Please reach out to the Office of International Affairs, internationalaffairs@chatham.edu, if you have any questions about the passport funding application or opportunities abroad!

 

Announcement, Education Abroad, Opportunities

Fellowship Opportunity: China-U.S. Scholars Program (CUSP)

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The China-U.S. Scholars Program (CUSP) is an exchange fellowship program for Chinese and American scholars and students in the arts, humanities and social sciences to teach, study or conduct research abroad in China, Hong Kong SAR or the US. in 2021-2022. The program will award 48 grants to selected faculty and students. The distribution of grants is anticipated to be roughly equal among Chinese students and scholars traveling to the US, and US students and scholars traveling to China.  The program is funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York, Ford Foundation, Harvard-Yenching Institute, Henry Luce Foundation and Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

The application for the China-U.S. Scholars Program (CUSP) will open on March 1, 2021 and close on April 15, 2021. Programs can range from five to ten months and must take place between August 2021 and May 2022.

Please email CUSP@iie.org to receive a notification once the application is open.

https://www.iie.org/Programs/China-US-Scholars-Program

Announcement, Opportunities

Learn more about the Fulbright U.S. Student Program

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All students and alums are invited to attend an Information Session on the Fulbright U.S. Student Program on Tuesday, March 30, 2021 at 5 PM EST.

This information session is open to any Chatham student or alum with an interest in the Fulbright program, and will be particularly helpful for those looking to apply for the 2022-23 cycle. Speakers will include ambassadors from the Fulbright US Student Program. To attend, please register at the link below and email Fulbright Program Adviser Karin Chipman, kchipman@chatham.edu, with any questions. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides opportunities abroad for U.S. citizens to pursue graduate or professional study, conduct research, or teach English.

Register at https://apply.iie.org/register/3.30General.

For more information see Fulbright_Event_Flyer_Chatham_33021 and https://us.fulbrightonline.org/ 

Announcement, Education Abroad, Scholarships

Apply for Scholarships for International Experiences!

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Jay Jayathilak studied in Cyprus spring 2020.

Are you a Chatham student looking to fund your future study or internship abroad in-person or virtual experiences?  We can help! See scholarship opportunities with upcoming deadlines below.

Gilman International Scholarship – Pell grant recipients can apply for funding toward in-person or virtual study abroad and receive up to $5,000 (or $8,000 if you’re studying a Critical Need Language) to go abroad. The March 9, 2021 deadline application is open for applicants whose in-person or virtual programs start between May 1, 2021, to April 30, 2022 (Summer 2021, Fall 2021 or Spring 2022 programs).

Freeman-Asia Awards provide need-based funding to assist students studying in East or Southeast Asia with the cost of the study abroad program and related expenses, including airfare, basic living costs, local transportation, books, etc.  Check your eligibility and application instructions. Applications due March 30, 2021.

Bridging Scholarship – The Bridging Project is accepting applications from American students who will participate in study-abroad programs in Japan beginning Fall 2021. The deadline for receipt of applications is April 16, 2021. Funding from private foundations, corporations, and individuals has made it possible to award scholarships for travel and living expenses while studying abroad in Japan beginning in August-October of 2021. Bridging Scholarship recipients will receive a stipend of $2,500 (for students on single-semester programs), or either $4,000 or $4,500 (for students on full-year programs).

Inclusive Ireland Scholarships 2021 – Sponsored by Education in Ireland,  these scholarships will offer €3000 scholarships to study for a semester at one of 14 Irish institutions. In order to be considered for the scholarship, you must be currently enrolled as an undergraduate student at a college or university in the United States; identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color); intend to study abroad at one of the participating colleges or universities in Ireland during the Fall 2021 term; and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above. The application will close on April 1st, 2021, at 11:59 PM PST. The application requires contact information and two essay questions.

Fund for Education Abroad supports  US citizen or permanent resident undergraduate students who are underrepresented in study abroad. The application will open July 1, 2021 at 12pm EST for Spring 2022 study abroad programs.

There are several experiential learning scholarships offered by Chatham for summer study abroad.  These include the Glenda Rich DeBroff Memorial Scholarship Fund, the Sally Mercke Heym Award for Cross Cultural Understanding, the Lorin Maazel- Rachel Carson Award for Environmental Field Studies and the Theo Colburn-Rachel Carson Endowed Scholarship for Environmental Field Studies. The application deadline for summer experiential learning scholarships is February 28, 2021.

Two Chatham scholarships are offered to Chatham undergraduates for participation in semester study abroad programs:

IFSA Scholarship— Scholarships of up to $4250 to study abroad for semester in Cyprus (Nicosia), Thailand (Mahidol) or Costa Rica (Veritas).  The deadline to apply for a IFSA Scholarship for Fall 2021 study abroad is March 15, 2021.

Benter Scholarship – Scholarships of up to $5000 to study abroad for semester at any Chatham exchange or partner institution. The deadline to apply for a Benter Scholarship for Fall 2021 study abroad is March 15, 2021.

Additionally, study abroad vouchers ($1200) and  International Studies Certificate vouchers ($1800) can be applied toward in-person or virtual credit bearing experiences abroad.

For information on approval of in-person mobility during COVID-19, please see the blog post on Study Abroad for Summer 2021 and Future Terms.

Are you looking for information on program options (in person or virtual)?  If you have any questions, or for more information on study abroad vouchers, program options and scholarships contact internationalaffairs@chatham.edu or make an appointment: https://calendly.com/kchipman.

 

Announcement, Education Abroad

Study abroad for summer 2021 and future terms

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On January 22, Chatham posted the following update to its COVID-19 Academics and Calendar page.

Consistent with current Chatham study abroad approval policies, Chatham will approve individual students to participate in mobility-based study abroad for summer and upcoming terms in locations that have a U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory of Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions) or Level 2 (Exercise Increased Precautions) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) COVID19 Travel Health Notice of Level 1 (Low) or Level 2 (Moderate). Virtual study and internship opportunities are available for many locations that do not meet these health and safety levels. Students must submit Chatham’s study abroad application for consideration of any credit-bearing international experience and should contact the Office of International Affairs, internationalaffairs@chatham.edu, with any questions.

What does this mean for students planning to study abroad in summer 2021 and upcoming terms?

Many students have indicated a plan to study/intern abroad in countries that do not currently meet Chatham’s approval criteria. To review the safety levels for your program location, please click on the above links and search for your program location.  Locations with US Department of State (USDOS) Level 3 or 4 and/or Centers for Disease Control (CDC) COVID19 Level 3 or 4, do not currently meet Chatham’s approval criteria, though conditions may change prior to a program’s start date.

Students may still choose to apply for these programs, but Chatham will not fully approve students for mobility-based study or internship abroad unless the program location’s USDOS and CDC levels are reduced. As you may be aware, there is no guarantee that a location’s USDOS and CDC levels would improve to an acceptable level prior to a program start date. If a student’s program location’s USDOS and CDC levels does not improve to USDOS Level 1 or 2 and CDC COVID19 Level 1 or 2 by 60 days before the program start date, Chatham will not approve study or internship abroad to that location. In these situations, students should make alternate arrangements; some options are listed below.

In any case, it is not recommended that students make nonrefundable deposits or definite plans for travel until students receive full approval to participate in a mobility-based study or internship abroad program. It is the student’s responsibility to know and understand their study abroad location’s entry requirements, health and safety policies and protocols of their study abroad destination, any program-specific codes of conduct or other local requirements, as well as the financial and withdrawal policies of their selected study abroad program.

 Other options students may consider include:

  • choose to study abroad in another location that meets approval criteria
  • opt for a virtual study/intern abroad program (for which Chatham study abroad voucher and International Studies certificate funding will be honored)
  • if possible, defer their study abroad to a future term

Please reach out to internationalaffairs@chatham.edu with any questions.

Announcement, International students, Opportunities, Uncategorized

Spring 2021 English Language Program updates!

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The Chatham University English Language Program recorded a short video about the Spring 2021 semester, and the options to study virtually or in-person.

If you are not able to join us for in-person classes, you can still register for the virtual English Language Program for Spring 2021!

Please apply by January 4 to join Spring 2021 virtual classes!

We will also have options to join the English Language Program to study a 7.5 week intensive course from March 4- April 23. Please contact us for more details!

Questions? Contact us at InternationalAffairs@Chatham.edu!