Call for Proposals

Proposal Submission Deadline: August 18, 2025

º«¹úÈý¼¶Æ¬is now accepting session and poster proposals in English, Spanish, and French for Annual Conference 2026, taking place virtually from February 11–12 and in Nashville, Tennessee, from March 11–13. The committee looks forward to receiving your submissions.​​

Telling the Story of Education Abroad

In a time of shifting perceptions about higher education, international educators must rethink how we communicate the value of education abroad. How do we tell compelling stories that resonate across audiences, reflect changing student needs, and respond to global uncertainty?

Join us in Tennessee—the Storytelling Capital of the World—to explore how we can inspire, connect, and advocate for global learning in new and powerful ways. about Tennessee’s rich storytelling tradition before joining us in Nashville.

Continue reading for the official Call for Proposals for Annual Conference 2026 in English, Spanish, and French. As you prepare your submission, be sure to review the Statement of Conference Goals and Objectives for inspiration, and take advantage of the Proposal Submission Resources to help shape a strong proposal.

ENGLISH

Productive engagement across differences is essential in building communities in which we all can thrive, and the education abroad field has long served as a catalyst to bridge cultural divides. Yet perceptions of the value of higher education are shifting, requiring international educators to adapt the ways that we communicate the value of our work.

How do the stories we tell about education abroad need to evolve? How can we connect with different audiences and inspire them to understand the importance of education abroad and the benefits it brings to learners, as well as the home and host communities? How do we make the case for global education in times of instability and constrained resources? 

And how can we do this while addressing changes in student demographics and development; learning to leverage new technologies; and continuing to prioritize student health, safety, and wellbeing—while also managing our own?

Join our education community as we gather in Tennessee—home to the Storytelling Capital of the World—to shape the future narrative of education abroad together.

The committee is especially interested in receiving proposals that cover the following timely topics:
Storytelling as Advocacy: Making the Case for Education Abroad

• Making the case for education abroad to various audiences and stakeholders
• Developing authentic, relatable, data-driven strategies that mitigate risk to individuals and institutions
• Catalyzing change across campus: developing education abroad champions
• Preparing students to tell their education abroad story to peers, families, local communities, and employers

Community and Belonging

• Cultivating institution-wide belonging for all stakeholders
• Building, enhancing, and expanding mutually beneficial partnerships
• Generating collaborations across higher education 
• Nurturing inter- and intragroup dynamics
• Including students as co-builders and co-presenters 

Leveraging Technology for Accessibility, Efficiency, and Effectiveness

• Tech-enhanced cultural immersion
• Adoption of AI to evolve practice for education abroad administrators and staff
• Using technology to tell your story
• Accessible learning abroad: adaptive tech and support for students with disabilities
• Virtual exchange and hybrid models: expanding global learning beyond travel

Funding Solutions

• Mitigating financial risk
• Adapting financial structures
• Navigating uncertainty around federally funded programs for international mobility as well as institutional budgets
• Identifying strategies to access internal and external funding

Health, Safety, Security, and Risk Management 

• Leading abroad with confidence: risk, responsibility, and wellbeing 
• Supporting international students on study abroad programs
• Enhancing mental health, accessibility, and wellbeing for all: students, professionals, faculty
• Recognizing and overcoming burnout

Foundations of Education Abroad for an Evolving Field 

• Identifying pathways to careers in education abroad from across higher ed and beyond
• Capacity-building for underrepresented institution types, including host institutions 
• Exploring innovative approaches to curriculum internationalization 
• Using data to strengthen education abroad: evaluation and assessment 
• Highlighting innovative teaching and learning approaches 
• Advancing the practice and scholarship on education abroad as a high impact practice 
• Implementing the Standards of Good Practice

Spanish

Coming soon!

French

Un engagement productif au-delà des différences est essentiel pour bâtir des communautés où chacun peut s'épanouir, et l'éducation à l'étranger a longtemps servi de catalyseur pour combler les clivages culturels. Cependant, la perception de la valeur de l'enseignement supérieur évolue, obligeant les enseignants internationaux à adapter leurs façons de communiquer la valeur de leur travail. 

Comment nos récits sur l'éducation à l'étranger doivent-ils évoluer ? Comment pouvons-nous toucher différents publics et les inciter à comprendre l'importance de l'éducation à l'étranger et ses avantages pour les apprenants, ainsi que pour les communautés d'origine et d'accueil ? Comment défendre l'éducation internationale en période d'instabilité et de ressources limitées ? 

Comment y parvenir tout en s'adaptant à l'évolution démographique et au développement des étudiants ; en apprenant à exploiter les nouvelles technologies ; et en continuant à privilégier la santé, la sécurité et le bien-être des étudiants, tout en gérant les nôtres ? 

Rejoignez notre communauté éducative lors de notre conférence annuelle dans le Tennessee, capitale mondiale du storytelling, pour façonner ensemble le futur et la narration de l'éducation à l'étranger. 

Le comité est particulièrement intéressé par les propositions portant sur les sujets d'actualité suivants : 

Le storytelling comme plaidoyer pour l'éducation à l'étranger 

• Présenter l'éducation à l'étranger auprès de divers publics et des parties prenantes 
• Développer des stratégies authentiques, pertinentes et fondées sur des données, afin de réduire les risques pour les individus et les établissements 
• Catalyser le changement sur le campus : former des champions de l'éducation à l'étranger 
• Préparer les étudiants à raconter leur expérience d’études à l’étranger à leurs pairs, à leurs familles, aux communautés locales et aux employeurs 

Communauté et appartenance 

• Cultiver l'appartenance de toutes les parties prenantes à l'échelle de l'établissement 
• Construire, renforcer et élargir des partenariats mutuellement bénéfiques 
• Générer des collaborations dans l'enseignement supérieur 
• Nourrir les dynamiques inter et intragroupes 
• Intégrer les étudiants comme co-constructeurs et co-présentateurs 

Exploiter la technologie pour l’accessibilité et l’efficience 

• Immersion culturelle améliorée par la technologie 
• Adoption de l'IA pour faire évoluer les pratiques des administrateurs et des professionnels de l'éducation à l'étranger 
• Utiliser la technologie pour raconter votre histoire 
• Apprentissage accessible à l'étranger : technologies adaptatives et soutien aux étudiants en situation de handicap 
• Échange virtuel et modèles hybrides : étendre l’apprentissage international au-delà des voyages 

Solutions de financement 

• Réduire les risques financiers 
• Adapter les structures financières 
• Gérer l’incertitude pesant sur les programmes de mobilité internationale financés par le gouvernement fédéral et les budgets institutionnels 
• Identifier des stratégies pour accéder aux financements internes et externes 

Santé, sûreté, sécurité et gestion des risques 

• Mener un groupe ou un programme à l’étranger en toute confiance : risque, responsabilité et bien-être 
• Soutenir les étudiants internationaux participant à des programmes d’études à l’étranger 
• Améliorer la santé mentale, l’accessibilité et le bien-être de tous : étudiants, professionnels, enseignants 
• Reconnaître et surmonter l’épuisement professionnel

 

• Fondements de l’éducation à l’étranger pour un domaine en évolution 
• Identifier les parcours vers des carrières dans l’éducation à l’étranger, dans l’enseignement supérieur et au-delà 
• Renforcement des capacités des établissements sous-représentés, y compris les établissements d’accueil 
• Explorer des approches innovantes en matière d’internationalisation des programmes 
• Utiliser les données pour renforcer l’éducation à l’étranger : évaluation et analyse 
• Mettre en avant des approches innovantes d’enseignement et d’apprentissage 
• Promouvoir la pratique et les recherches sur l’éducation à l’étranger comme une pratique à fort impact 
• Mise en œuvre des Normes de bonnes pratiques ​

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Statement of Conference Goals and Objectives

º«¹úÈý¼¶Æ¬seeks to offer an Annual Conference that supports its mission to “cultivate educators* who champion high-quality education abroad experiences that ignite curiosity, impact lives, and contribute to a better world.”  
*By educators, we mean people who facilitate, sponsor, and/or research global learning experiences and education abroad. We understand the term “educator” to include members of educational institutions, organizations, and those who support students while abroad, such as host families and community members.  

Through the Annual Conference, we hope to:  

1. engage globally minded educators as lifelong learners and thoughtful practitioners, 
2. facilitate integrative learning that improves practice and contributes to capacity building,   
3. convene institutions, organizations, educators, and thought leaders to identify and address critical issues impacting the field,  
4. advocate for continued investment in education abroad,  
5. leverage our collective expertise to advance full participation in educationally meaningful education abroad.  

Objectives for Annual Conference 2026:  
1. Expand participation, engagement, and dialogue among the full range of stakeholders in EA. This includes:  

• Soliciting proposals relevant to a range of institution and organization types, including, but not limited to:  
  • International host institutions
  • Community Colleges, technical and vocational education and training (TVET)  
  • Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)  
  • Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) 
  • Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs)  
  • Graduate and professional schools  
• Encouraging proposals relevant to:  
  • On-site staff 
  • Perspectives from the Global South 
  • Faculty [U.S. and Internationally based]  
  • Researchers/scholars [both inside the field of EA and beyond]  
  • Graduate students  
• Supporting and encouraging individuals across a range of roles to develop support networks and skills that enable them to move from practice to scholarship and vice/versa.  
• Ensuring that the balance of conference sessions builds on The Forum’s interest to create a welcoming and responsive climate for all.  

2. Provide learning and development opportunities that contribute to career and leadership development for international educators at all career stages.  
3. Showcase and catalyze opportunities that advance integration of EA across curricular, career, and lifelong learning pathways.  
4. Demonstrate examples of aligned curriculum and systems of support--encourage proposals that illustrate efforts at the course, program, office, organizational, and national levels to 1) expand equitable access to academically-sound and culturally-relevant EA experiences that advance global learning outcomes at the course, departmental or institutional level, and 2) address student well-being and success and/or are otherwise effective in advocating for sustained/increased investment in EA.  
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Proposal Submission Resources

Proposal Guidelines

​Review the Proposal Guidelines for all the details on the submission and selection process. 
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Proposal Template

Use this template to gather information from your co-presenters and prepare your proposal before completing the online form.
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We know that sometimes you have a great proposal idea but may need some assistance rounding out your panel of presenters. To that end, we offer this space to serve as a hub to create connections with interested co-presenters. We hope that this will be a useful tool in creating diverse panels and impactful proposals.​