The Forum on Education Abroad

The Forum on Education Abroad & NAFSA Partner on Sent Letter to Embassy of Spain in Regards to Spring 2026 Student Visa Processing

4/30/2026

The Forum on Education Abroad and NAFSA: Association of International Educators sent a letter to Her Excellency Ángeles Moreno Bau at the Embassy of Spain in Washington, D.C., last Friday to share concerns reported widely by our members throughout the Spring 2026 student visa application cycle, regarding the processing of student visas through its processing partner, BLS International Services Ltd.

Meet the Newly Elected Forum Council Members for 2026

4/23/2026

The Forum on Education Abroad is pleased to announce the results of the 2026 Council elections. Please join us in congratulating the seven colleagues elected to serve on the Forum Council:

Angela Schaffer, Fund for Education Abroad
Asia King, University of Maryland College Park
Brenda Meira, Dublin City University
Daniel Ponce-Taylor, Intercultural Outreach Initiative
Dr. Gayathri Banavara, Community College of Philadelphia
Miko McFarland, Expanish
Vanessa Nichol-Peters, Fashion Institute of Technology

Regional Seminar in London Explores Resilience & Well-Being in Education Abroad

4/23/2026

On Thursday, April 16, education abroad professionals gathered in London, England, for The Forum on Education Abroad’s Regional Seminar, hosted by Notre Dame London and The Association of American Study Abroad Programmes in the UK (AASAP/UK).

The one-day event brought colleagues together for reflection, connection, and shared learning around resilience, inclusive practice, and well-being in today’s education abroad work. This is the second time that The Forum has hosted a Regional Seminar in London.

An Update on U.S. Federal Funding for International Exchange Programs

4/9/2026

Last week, the Administration released its FY27 President’s Budget Request (PBR), which proposes a 68% reduction in funding for U.S. Department of State international exchange programs.

If adopted, these cuts would significantly weaken (or eliminate) many deeply impactful programs supported through the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).

The education abroad community’s advocacy has proven powerful in the past. Just last year, a proposed 93% cut to ECA was met with strong opposition from education abroad supporters nationwide. More than 20,000 messages were sent to lawmakers, and Congress responded by rejecting the cuts and funding exchange programs at $667 million for FY26.

Now, our community must step up again to clearly demonstrate the value and impact of these programs.

2026 Forum Council Candidates Announced

4/3/2026

The Nominations Committee of The Forum Council is pleased to announce the following slate of candidates for the open positions in this year’s election:

Angela Schaffer, Fund for Education Abroad
Asia King, University of Maryland College Park
Brenda Meira, Dublin City University (DCU)
Brian Henry, Southern Illinois University
Cara Lane-Toomey, Where There Be Dragons
Daniel Ponce-Taylor, Intercultural Outreach Initiative (IOI)
Dr. Gayathri Banavara, Community College of Philadelphia
Miko McFarland, Expanish
Vanessa Nichol-Peters, Fashion Institute of Technology

Main Contacts from Forum member institutions and organizations will receive an email with voting information on Friday, April 3, 2026 (please check your spam/junk folders!). If you are the Main Contact and you do not receive the email ballot, please contact us at [email protected]

The deadline to vote in this year’s Forum Council election is 5 p.m. ET on April 17, 2026.

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