For the first time since cancelling all education abroad programs and recalling students in March 2020 in the wake of a then emerging pandemic, Central Washington University officially resumed education abroad activities in January of this year, encouraged by improvement in global conditions, including vaccination rates among the CWU student population and among the populations of students’ more common destinations.

Borrowing best practices from peer institutions across Washington State and the US, CWU developed a supplemental petition process for students seeking to study in destinations with elevated travel advisories from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Department of State (DOS). As much as a decision-making tool for CWU, the intent of this petition is to have students actively engage with and plan for any risks and restrictions at their destination.

Six (6) students received approval to participate in third-party sponsored and bilateral exchange programs, spending a spring semester in such places as France, Italy and South Korea. For some students, such as senior Asian Studies & Spanish dual major Aracely Cohetzaltitla, this was the culmination of nearly two years’ worth of waiting and persistence. Ten (10) students are projected to study abroad this summer, and additional 18 are projected to start their programs this autumn.

Due to the additional logistics and liability associated with them, faculty-directed and other group international travel programs have been more difficult to resume. However, should conditions remain amenable, the first such program could go abroad this autumn.