Deadline Extended: Tuesday, October 15, 2024

IBP AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

• The international participants will feel more at home upon their registration at the AEA conference in Portland;
• The international participants will gain a better understanding of evaluation practice in the US by exchanging with a US-based peer;
• The US-based evaluator will learn more about the state of evaluation in other countries;
• Queries from the international participants to the US-based evaluators regarding conference logistics issues will be dealt with in a timely and non-bureaucratic manner; and
• The initial confusion and uncertainty faced by all new international visitors will be lessened.

The buddy relationship will consist of three phases:

1. Before the conference: In order to take part in the program, fill out the registration form by clicking on the link below (deadline to apply is October 15, 2024). Based on your background and professional interests, Michele will try to pair international visitors and US-based evaluators who seem compatible with each other. Once the individuals have been paired, they will receive each other’s e-mails so that they could touch base by e-mail a few weeks before the conference starts.

If you are an international participant or a US-based evaluator, register for Evaluation 2024, and please complete the IBP enrollment form by October 15, 2024.

2. During the conference: Once the conference starts, AEA will provide opportunities to those enrolled in the IBP to interact not only with their own buddies but also with other pairs of buddies (e.g., during the Poster Exhibit and Meet the Authors opening reception scheduled on Wednesday, October 23, 2023 at 5:30 pm, the Topical Interest Group (TIG) Fair and Reception on Thursday, October 24, 2024 at 6:00 pm, and during the International and Cross-Cultural Evaluation TIG annual meeting). Similarly, the US-based evaluators and the international participants will seek opportunities to spend some time together during the conference (e.g., during lunch breaks, the silent auction or any other AEA-sponsored receptions). The US-based evaluators will also be willing to address any questions that the international participants might have on the conference sessions and logistics.

3. After the conference: The hope is that evaluators enrolled in the IBP program will have fully benefited from the conference by establishing a productive professional link with evaluators coming from other countries.

Important Disclaimer: Remember that this is an informal opportunity to enhance your experience at the Annual Meeting, and it should be an enjoyable experience for both the international visitor and the US-based evaluator. Therefore, individuals enrolled in the program are invited not to present their buddies with resumes or work in progress, and not to expect formal career guidance or introductions to specific scholars in the course of the conference.