INTERNATIONAL ATTENDEES

INTERNATIONAL ATTENDEES: The American Evaluation Association (AEA) welcomes attendees from around the world to our Evaluation Conference to be held November 7-10, 2007 in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. This page is designed to help international attendees learn more about AEA's international outreach, available resources, and ways to make the most of the conference experience. Click on any of the topics below to go directly to more information.

• International Travel Awards

• Letters of Invitation
• International and Cross-cultural Evaluation Topical Interest Groups (ICCE TIG)
• Nametags
• Questions

CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR 2007 AEA INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AWARDS FOR CONFERENCE PRESENTERS: We are pleased to invite professional evaluators living and practicing in developing or transitional countries to submit applications for travel subsidies to attend and present at the 2007 AEA Annual Conference, to be held November 7-10, 2007 in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. Funds are raised through generous donations to a silent auction held annually. This year five travel subsidies of approximately $1,300 each will be awarded. The subsidies may be used to cover actual travel costs, food, the cost of shared accommodations, and the costs of conference registration. All awards are paid out at the conference as reimbursement of expenses. Winners will be announced by June 30, 2007.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: In order to qualify for the AEA International Travel Award, applicants need to fulfill all criteria below: 

• No previous participation in AEA conferences;
• Good fluency in English—able to make a professional presentation and sustain a discussion in English (potential award winners could be interviewed by one of the International and Cross-Cultural TIG Co-Chairs as part of the selection process);
• Submission of complete INDIVIDUAL application (no group applications will be accepted!) including cover letter, budget, and letters of reference;
• Residing and practicing evaluation in a developing or transitional country for at least five years; and
• Propose to present at the Evaluation 2007 conference and have at least one proposal accepted.

The Submission Process: Begin by reviewing the proposal submission guidelines online by clicking here. You may submit a proposal to make any type of presentation focusing on any evaluation topic.

To apply for the travel award, (1) submit the proposal to present, using the regular conference proposal submission guidelines, by the March 16, 2007, deadline, and (2) send an email to Gwen Willems at wille002@umn.edu with the following documents: 

• a cover letter, of no more than two pages, indicating your unique evaluation experience that could be shared with evaluators in similar/different settings and how you expect this opportunity to enhance your work in evaluation in your home country,
• a budget indicating your expected travel expenses,
• two letters of support, one of which must come from, and document your membership in, your local evaluation association (if one exists), and 
• your full contact information: email, telephone, postal address, and work affiliation.

Proposals should be in English, while letters of support may be in a different language (English, Spanish, or French are preferred). Reviewers will rank the candidates based on the quality and relevance of the    proposal(s) submitted by the applicant for presentation at the conference and the quality of the supporting documentation (cover letter and letters of support). 

Application Deadline: Due to an email challenge that blocked some applications, we are extending the travel award proposal deadline to April 13.  Note that an applicant still must have submitted a conference presentation proposal by March 16 and it will have to be eventually accepted to make the applicant eligible for the travel award.  If an applicant already submitted a travel award proposal to the old email address, please re-submit it to the new address ( willgwen@gmail.com) to make sure it is being received.

LETTERS OF INVITATION: For many people, letters of invitation help smooth the visa process and we wish to support international attendees in their efforts to secure the needed travel documentation. However, in order to receive a letter of invitation, the conference organizers must have some assurance that you intend to attend the conference if your travel request is granted. Letters will be issued to those meeting any ONE of the following criteria:

• You have been a member of AEA since prior to 12/31/2005;
• You are scheduled to present at the annual conference;
• You have completed and paid for 2007 conference registration;
• You have won an AEA international travel award;
• You can provide evidence of your work or study in the field of evaluation.

If you require a letter of invitation in order to attend the annual conference, please email (indicate "invitation letter" in subject line) the following information to Heidi Nye in the AEA office at heidi@eval.org.

• An indication of which of the five criteria above you meet, including documentation of your work or study in the field of evaluation if you meet only criteria #5;
• The full address that should appear on the letter;
• The name and title of the person to whom the letter should be addressed;
• Whether you prefer that the letter be mailed or faxed (and provide a fax number if the latter is preferred);
• Any other information that you believe is needed in order to process your request for a letter or to develop the letter of invitation (sample in Microsoft Word).

Letters of invitation will be either faxed or mailed via the United States Postal Service using standard international delivery. Due to the costs involved, AEA cannot send letters of invitation via express mail services. We strongly encourage you to make your request at the earliest date possible. Requests received after October 6th may not be able to be honored. Letters of invitation are sent within three working days of receipt of all requested information. If you have questions about obtaining a letter of invitation, please direct them to Heidi Nye in the AEA office via email at heidi@eval.org or via phone at 1-508-748-3326.

INTERNATIONAL AND CROSS-CULTURAL TOPICAL INTEREST GROUPS (ICCE TIG): The International and Cross-cultural Topical Interest Group focuses on knowledge and information sharing about evaluation in the areas of:

• International settings, policies and programs, with emphasis on developing countries;
• Economic, social, and human development programs and projects;
• Cross-cultural programs and projects.

At the conference, the ICCE TIG sponsors a strand of sessions focusing on their areas of interest. Under each session listed in the program, you can find its TIG sponsor. This is a great way to narrow down selections during the timeslots when you have over 20 sessions from which to choose! The full program will be posted online in September. The full list of TIGs may be found at http://www.eval.org/aboutus/organization/tigs.asp.

NAMETAGS: When you check in at the conference registration desk, you will receive your hardcopy program and nametag that indicates the country from which you hail. The nametag serves as a wonderful networking tool throughout the conference. Having your country shown on your nametag is sure to start up conversation about evaluation, and life, in your part of the world.

QUESTIONS: Please address questions about registration and logistics to Heidi Nye or Kathy Haverty in the AEA office at heidi@eval.org or 1-508-748-3326.

We look forward to seeing you at Evaluation 2007.