 The first annual meeting of the Forum was held in May 2002 with over 150 members in attendance, who approved an Advisory Council (now called the Forum Council).In November 2004, the Forum held its first annual conference in conjunction with the Council on International Educational Exchange annual conference, in Santa Fe, New Mexico with 165 participants in attendance.In 2005 the Forum received recognition from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to serve as the Standards Development Organization (SDO) for the field of education abroad.