Thematic Forums

Thematic Forum Best Practices

Monetary Support & Contributions

AIEA will provide up to $5000 per forum.

• Funds can be used for any of the following:
• One or more meals for participants
• Meeting space (AIEA encourages cost sharing)
• Stipend/travel for outside speaker(s) if appropriate
• To subsidize hotel costs to participants

Funds may not be used to pay for salaries at host institution(s). Unused funds must be returned to AIEA. In the event that the Forum is cancelled all AIEA funds must be returned to AIEA.

Up to $4000 of the award will be distributed prior to the Forum, and $1000 of the award will be distributed after the final report has been received by AIEA.

AIEA Contributions:

• AIEA Endorsement
• Use of the AIEA member-only listserv for advertising the Forum; Forum hosts are responsible for promotion
• Follow-up thank you letters to president of host institution

Selection Criteria

• Forum hosted by an AIEA member at an HEI member institution
• Saliency and focus of the issue/topic for Senior International Officers/Senior leaders advancing internationalization at their institutions
• Marketing plan to reach participants
• Support from host institution(s)
• Reasonableness of budget and cost sharing by host institution
• Transparency of participant selection process
• Support of AIEA goals, benefit to AIEA members, and opportunity for AIEA to gain exposure

Preference will be given to host institutions in different sections/regions of the United States.

AIEA also welcomes thematic forum applications from institutions outside the United States. Well-attended Thematic Forums are often held in conjunction with or immediately preceding or following a local International Education event.

Thematic Forum hosts are encouraged to join with other local HEIs in the planning of forums (including community colleges).

Host Institution Responsibility

• Registration (see details below)
• Selection of Topic
• Design and content of Forum
• Logistics: Arrange/Provide meeting space, meals, speaker(s)- note: it is not required to have a speaker. Format can also include a leadership dialogue among participants

Registration

• Marketing to Senior International Officer (or their international equivalent) as well as other senior leaders advancing international education and global engagement.
• Provide information about hotels if the Forum requires participants to stay overnight
• Have participants complete an evaluation form provided by AIEA (and send these results to AIEA within 30 days of the end of the Forum)​
• Submit final report to AIEA within 30 days of the end of the Forum
• Disseminate knowledge after the Forum as described in proposal
• The host institution is expected to be AIEA institutional member for the entirety of the academic year

Registration Fees

The host institution(s) are encouraged to charge a nominal registration fee within the $50 range to cover additional costs of the meeting, but a fee greater than $100 would require significant justification in the application. Note: the Forum should not be a money-making opportunity for the institution. The expectation is that AIEA funding would help make it possible to hold such an event and cover costs only. Forum costs should be reasonable.

Note: AIEA does not handle forum registrations or payment processing. Host institutions are responsible for setting up a registration system and processing payments.

Application Process

Thematic Forum Proposal: 3-5 page proposal explaining the topic/issue of the proposed workshop and its importance to international educators and global engagement administrators. The proposal should include:

• Forum topic/issue and how this relates to strategic level issues pertaining to SIOs or other senior leaders advancing internationalization at their institutions
• Outline and format of the workshop with the names and titles of facilitator and/or speaker(s) both confirmed and proposed
• Maximum number of participants and participant selection process
• Intended outcomes/takeaways for attendees
• Proposed marketing plan to SIOs and other senior leaders advancing international education and global engagement in the region
• Plans for knowledge capture and dissemination of the Forum results in ways that benefit the larger AIEA membership (i.e. publication, AIEA Annual Meeting presentation, public Forum report)
• CVs for the facilitators/presenters/speakers
• Detailed budget (specifying how AIEA funds will be used specifically plus other sources of funding both in-kind and cash). This budget should be specific and not include estimated lump sums. Please include dollar amounts for estimated in-kind and cash matches, as well as how any participant registration fees will be used to further the goals of the Forum. (remember justification is needed if the registration charge is more than $100 per person)