2020: Navigating a Global Pandemic Education abroad was a canary in the coal
established in May 2020: All students awarded
mine in early 2020, with most FEA Scholars
during the COVID-19 pandemic (at this time,
evacuating their host countries to return home
Summer 2020 through Academic Year 2021-
before the rest of the U.S. fully understood the
2022) who continue to meet all FEA eligibility
implications of the pandemic. The FEA Board
requirements will be granted an extension
convened a Scenario Planning Retreat by May
through Summer 2022. An awardee, regardless
2020, examining the COVID-19 pandemic from
of graduation date, shall be eligible to receive
the perspectives of public health, economics,
their deferred scholarship if their home institution
education abroad, and higher education,
maintains their undergraduate status and they
and determined it was not a matter of whether
earn academic credit for their study abroad.
study abroad would resume, but rather a question of when. The board also determined that the
As part of our ongoing commitment to the
organization was in a strong financial position
well-being and welfare of our students,
to weather several years of uncertainty, and still
FEA continues to require that
execute its mission by allowing students to
awarded students confirm
plan around the pandemic—with virtual global
they will receive credit
programs that met all other eligibility criteria—
from their home insti-
and beyond with deferrable scholarships.
tutions for approved
To that end, the Covid-19 Deferral Policy was
study abroad programs.
Partnership to Assess Impact In mid-2020, FEA partnered with the Global
their adaptability, resilience, and perseverance
Education Lab at The George Washington
and broadened their horizons. After their
University to gather quantifiable data on how
international experiences, scholars frequently
FEA scholarships have impacted our scholars.
reset their goals, obtain additional scholarships
It’s been ten years since we awarded our first
or fellowships, pursue graduate studies, and
scholarship, and it’s time for us to tell a data-
pursue internationally-focused careers. We look
driven story of how FEA has changed the lives
forward to sharing the data from the study, and
of our scholars. Our alumni tell us that the
to continuing partnerships with research centers
opportunity to live and study abroad increased
like the Global Education Lab.
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