DATE: April 3, 2009
TO: College Deans, Department Chairs, and FAU Faculty
FROM: Catherine S. Meschievitz
Director, Office of International Programs (OIP)
SUBJECT: Call for Proposals for Study Abroad Programs in
2009-2010: Deadline – Friday September 11, 2009
The Office of International Programs (OIP) at Florida Atlantic University invites applications from FAU faculty for new or recurring Study Abroad Programs (a SAP) for Academic Year 2009-2010 including intersessions, Spring Break 2010 and Summer 2010. Proposals should be sent to OIP by the close of business Friday September 11, 2009.
Instructions:
1. SAP development is initiated by a member of the FAU faculty. Faculty are encouraged to work closely with OIP as early as possible in the process, to take advantage of OIP expertise and experience in SAP development and management. Complete guidelines and forms for SAPs can be found at www.fau.edu/goabroad. (NEW THIS YEAR – all forms are now fillable PDF format to make it easier to complete and submit.)
2. Faculty planning to develop a new SAP or to repeat a SAP should also notify his/her department chair and college dean of their plans, to get their input and advice. Department chair and college dean approval of the final SAP proposal is required by the stated deadline noted above.
3. The proposing faculty member normally serves as the SAP leader and as the instructor of record in the course under which the proposed program is to be offered. If two faculty members plan to teach on the program, one faculty will be designated as the lead faculty.
4. Faculty should follow the guidelines located at www.fau.edu/goabroad. OIP will discuss the submitted proposal with the SAP faculty leader and review the proposal for its financial and technical feasibility. Special attention will be given to the targeted location and academic program, the budget and its effectiveness, recruitment strategies and likely interested student audiences, and the safety and emergency plan. The proposal may be sent back to the faculty member for revision if necessary, and then returned to the OIP. Any significant changes must be reapproved by the chair and dean.
5. OIP will facilitate final approval of all new or repeating SAPs by the Dean of Undergraduate Studies and the University Provost. Final campus approval is anticipated no later than mid-October 2009.
6. OIP will manage the SAP application process for all SAPs, maintaining all paperwork and regularly updating program leaders and the college dean’s office on SAP enrollments and other relevant information. Particular attention will be paid to the viability of programs, based on enrollments, as the academic year progresses. OIP will work with faculty to promote the programs for student recruitment.
7. OIP will establish with the program leaders, the sponsoring department(s), and the college dean’s office appropriate timelines for program cancellation deadlines, if enrollments prove insufficient.
Please note that OIP will offer faculty a proposal development advice session in the summer. All new faculty leaders are particularly invited to attend. Check the OIP website for the date and time of this practical “how to” session (http://www.fau.edu/goabroad).
If you have questions regarding a SAP for 2009-2010 please do not hesitate to contact OIP. We are eager to help all FAU faculty and colleges create outstanding international learning opportunities for our students.
The Office of International Programs (OIP)
Guidelines for FAU Faculty-Led Study Abroad Programs (SAPs)
2009-2010
I. ACADEMIC ISSUES
1.1 Study Abroad Program (SAP) - A SAP consists of university-credit course(s) taught abroad for a period of time, led by an FAU faculty member. SAPs can range from one week to an entire semester, and can take place in intersessions during the academic year, spring break, and all summer sessions. Faculty may also arrange for a short international program of one week during a regular semester (fall, spring, summer) when the SAP is linked to an ongoing course taught the rest of the time at an FAU campus. SAPs may have classes or Internet sessions before and/or after the period spent abroad. All SAP participants must register at FAU for the course(s) taken abroad, and must pay applicable resident or nonresident tuition to FAU for the classes taken. Non-FAU students or adult learners must register for a minimum of one credit in order to participate in an FAU SAP and are subject to admission by the SAP leader and OIP, on a space available basis.
1.2 Course(s) - The course(s) offered during the Study Abroad Program, SAP, are proposed by FAU faculty members and approved by the faculty member’s Department and College. The syllabi of the course(s) should integrate the overseas travel with structured academic activities designed to enhance student learning. Faculty planning a SAP should remember that a one-credit course requires 15 instructional contact hours of class work or appropriate substitution of field activities and research papers.
1.3 Grading - The faculty member decides on the course(s) grades for students who are enrolled. In many SAPs, participants are required to submit written work such as a project paper. “Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Criteria for Accreditation” relating to credit-hours establishes that students must have at least one calendar week of reflection and analysis for each contact-hour of credit. In other words, final assignments cannot be due in less than three weeks for a three-credit course.
1.4 Program Leader - The faculty member leading the students on the SAP for the course(s) overseas is the Program Leader. If two faculty are teaching on a single program, one shall be designated the lead faculty.
1.5 Program Location - The faculty member proposing the SAP selects the location(s) in consultation with OIP and personal and institutional contacts at the proposed site(s). FAU currently does not approve undergraduate travel to a country where there is a U.S. State Department travel warning (http://travel.state.gov/).
1.6 Student Evaluations - The OIP SAP Evaluation form will be sent by OIP directly to the students upon their return. The results will be shared with the Program Leader.
II. ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES
2.1 SAP Proposal Process - A SAP Proposal should be prepared and submitted to the OIP as early as possible, but no later than the stated deadline for the forthcoming academic year and subsequent summer sessions. OIP provides a proposal form in fillable PDF format which must be completed. Items needed in the proposal include the syllabus, budget (can be estimated), itinerary and travel plans, description of on-site instructional and housing sites, orientation plans, and a safety and emergency plan. Faculty must also provide personal contact information, copies of their passport and photo pages, and must complete and sign waiver of liability and the family and friends disclosure forms. Proposals must be signed by the lead faculty member, and approved and signed by the department chair, and college dean (or dean’s delagee). Once approved by OIP, OIP will then process the SAP proposals and secure FAU campus approval from the Provost’s Office in a timely manner so recruitment can proceed.
2.2 Recruitment and Advertising – OIP will work closely with the SAP faculty leader to develop advertising for the program, once approved OIP provides a flyer template that will be used for marketing purposes. All advertising should include a statement that fees, dates, courses and number of credits to be offered are subject to change. It should also note that tuition is paid to the FAU Cashier at regular resident and non-resident rates. Faculty leaders are responsible for actively recruiting students to their program; OIP will assist the faculty in recruitment activities throughout the fall and spring semesters.
2.3 Safety and Emergency Plan - The Program Leader will submit to the OIP a detailed safety and emergency plan in case of emergencies and information on hotels and sites where he/she can be reached. This plan should anticipate how to proceed in case of a travel, medical, or personal emergency abroad. OIP emergency phone protocol will be included in the plan. Copies of the Safety and Emergency Plan will be provided to all SAP participants. If an incident occurs while abroad, OIP requires the Program Leader to complete and submit an Incident Report Form (available on-line) within 48 hours.
2.4 Disruptive Behavior - Students are required to follow the direction of the Program Leader while on the SAP. Sometimes students engage in behavior that may prevent other students from achieving their educational goals on the SAP. This might involve noisy behavior late at night in the place of lodging or problems related to alcohol abuse. The Program Leader should consider how such a problem would be handled in a class on the home campus in attempting to prevent a recurrence. The Program Leader can call OIP staff for assistance, and can always contact OIP Director Dr. Meschievitz at 561-297-1039 or via email at cmeschie@fau.edu. The Assumption of Risk Agreement form and Disciplinary Form provides for students to be sent home from the SAP in cases of extreme disruption.
2.5 Overseas Contact - It is no required that SAP’s go to locations where FAU has an overseas contact, such as an institution with which FAU has an agreement. However, in these locations logistical arrangements can often me made much more easily. OIP can advise on this aspect of program design.
III. FINANCIAL ISSUES
3.1 OIP Auxiliary Account - The Program Leader is required to use the OIP Auxiliary Account for their SAP, which allows OIP to handle the financial management of the SAP. Students will be instructed on how to pay FAU/OIP for the relevant program fees for the program they have chosen. In addition, students will always pay tuition to the FAU Cashier directly. Faculty will be assisted in all aspects of program fiscal affairs, following procedures established by OIP and the FAU Controllers Office.
3.2 Other Arrangements - Departments or Colleges sponsoring short study tours (i.e. 7-10 days only) may opt instead to deposit such payments in their own accounts. Colleges using their own accounts are responsible for all associated financial transactions and accounting. All SAPs managed directly by a department or college must still be approved and processed in the same manner as other SAPs, and all students must complete and sign the OIP application packet and pay the applicable OIP administrative/insurance fee.
3.3 Budget and Program Costs - The SAP Budget Sheet should be completed and attached to the SAP Proposal. Faculty are encouraged to meet with OIP staff as early as possible to do a draft working budget, to project the financial feasibility of the planned program. In projecting the number of travelers, the Program Leader should be conservative. An OIP budget template will guide the faculty on the items and costs to be likely to be needed over the course of the program. In some cases, some or all of the expenses from the OIP Auxiliary account may be paid to a travel agency, airline, or SAP provider. OIP will advise the faculty on the range of required and optional processes to be used for paying bills overseas. Any surplus remaining at the end of the SAP must be returned to the OIP Auxiliary account (when being used). Remaining funds will be pooled in OIP as a contingency and development fund for existing and new SAPs, to be allocated by the OIP director in consultation with appropriate program leaders and deans.
3.4 Faculty Pay - Faculty stipends for the courses offered in a SAP are paid by the department and college offering the course for credit. The department and the college have agreed to cover the costs of the faculty teaching when they submit the SAP proposal for review and approval, subject to adequate enrollments to allow the SAP to proceed.
3.5 Faculty Travel Expenses - These expenses (e.g. airfare, lodging, reasonable food) are normally covered by spreading the cost over the other travelers. Family members accompanying a faculty leader are personal costs and may not be included in the costs of the program.
3.6 Financial Aid - Students may use financial aid to defray SAP costs. Students going overseas during the summer term must complete a separate Financial Aid Application form from that covering the regular academic year. The application deadline for summer financial aid is usually around February 1. The application must be submitted online. Students should complete and submit the application early because summer funding, other than student loans, is limited and quickly exhausted. Once the student has filed the application and is “in the system”, he or she should bring a copy of the application to the OIP. OIP staff will prepare a memo to the Student Financial Aid Office certifying the cost of the SAP that has been selected by the student. Financial aid is usually not disbursed until about three weeks after a term has begun. This may create cash flow problems for a SAP participant. Students should not rely on financial aid for fronting costs, but rather as a way of reimbursing study abroad expenses already covered by the student.
3.7 Receipts - A cash advance may be provided to the Program Leader to cover personal and student expenses while on the SAP. A receipt book (provided by OIP) and an expense diary are recommended to keep track of expenses. A summary of travel expenses itemized by type and supported by receipts with dates must be presented to the OIP to account for the cash advance. Daily international exchange rates must be used (www.oanda.com) to help tally the costs of the program. Any surplus money must be returned with the reconciliation. The SAP reconciliation must be turned into the OIP within TWO WEEKS of returning to the U.S. since the cash advance must be cleared with the Controllers Office within 30 days of the end of the program. After 30 days cash advances from FAU are considered taxable.
IV. PRE-DEPARTURE AND TRAVEL ISSUES
4.1 Pre-departure Documents - Prior to travel, OIP requires the following information from each participating SAP students:
-Study Abroad Application form (which includes the signed Release and Assumption of Risk Agreement form, and signed Disciplinary Form)
-Unofficial transcript
-Copy of picture page of passport
-Email address the student will check while traveling
-Flight itinerary
Students wishing to audit a course should submit at this time evidence of permission to do so from the Program Leader.
The Program Leader also needs to provide the following additional information (in addition to completing the SAP proposal packet):
-Copy of picture page of passport
-Safety and Emergency Plan
-Family/Friends Disclosure Form (and releases if applicable)
-Emergency contact form
4.2 Pre-departure Orientation - A pre-departure orientation must be held, even if all travelers cannot attend. During the orientation, the Program Leader along with an OIP staff member (if scheduled during normal working hours) will discuss the course syllabus, itinerary, grading procedures, personal safety, local culture, students’ rights and responsibilities, emergency contacts, meeting points, visas, appropriate dress, and behavior during the travel and overseas activities.
• Students should be informed about the State Department Travel site (http://travel.state.gov/). This contains relevant “headlines” and information about the countries to be visited on the SAP. The site provides details of any travel warnings and a Consular Information Sheet which has information on visa requirements, safety and crime, health facilities, appropriate clothing and the location of the U.S. Embassy.
• Students should be informed about the Center for Disease Control site (http://www.cdc.gov/). The Spotlights on the site contain articles of interest. Below this link there is a further link labeled Travelers. Students should be told to follow this link if they have any questions. There is also a link called Traveler’s Health. Students should click on this link and enter the region of the world where they are traveling.
• Students should be reminded to review the benefits and services of the International Student ID Card required from OIP which contains evacuation and repatriation insurance and an emergency worldwide toll free number (www.myisic.com/MyISIC).
• Students should be informed of procedures for making telephone calls when overseas. They can be informed about services that enable them to call home by dialing a local number while abroad and billing their home telephone or a credit card. This service is offered by long distance telephone companies such as: AT&T (AT&T Direct): http://www.consumer.att.com/global/english/away/directservice.html and MCI: http://consumer.mci.com/prepaid_cards/index.jsp. The same company that provides the International Student Identity Card is only one of many other providers selling long distance minutes in advance of travel: http://myisic.isiconnect.ekit.com
• Students and Faculty may call OIP (561-297-2580 or 7-3282) during normal business hours or the FAU Police (561-297-3500) in case of an emergency while traveling.
• International students should be informed that they need to contact the Office of International Student and Scholar Services, ISSS, to obtain appropriate travel documents if visas are needed for any of the proposed overseas locations. The ISSS telephone number is 1-561-297-3049.
• The Program Leader should carry a cellular phone on the trip, and this number as well as any other local emergency contact number, should also be provided at the Pre-departure Orientation. In some cases, there will be an Assistant Program Leader whom the students can contact if they cannot reach the Program Leader while on the trip. The Program Leader is responsible for the SAP group and should be on call for the students at all times. The program leader should supply OIP with their overseas cell number within 24 hours of arrival.
• Students also need to know the cancellation and refund policy for the SAP. All policies are outlined in detail in the OIP application form which students must read, acknowledge, and sign. Typically, students will be refunded most unexpended monies if the SAP is cancelled. There is also a date close to the point of departure beyond which students may not drop out from the SAP and obtain a full or partial refund. This date is set by the Program Leader and OIP. Often, funds must be expended prior to departure to guarantee lodging or airfares.
4.3 TAR – OIP will prepare the FAU Travel Authorization Request, TAR, for the program leader and other FAU teaching staff prior to travel. The TAR certifies that the Program Leaders are on official university business for insurance and legal purposes. The Program Leader will be able to obtain a travel advance of the money encumbered by the TAR equal to 80% for personal expenses and 100% for student expenses. To do this, the Program Leader must sign an Application for Advance on Travel Expenses with OIP. The Travel Desk in the Controller’s Office will only accept this form for processing 10 days before the date of travel. The travel advance will be direct deposited into the program leader’s bank account two to three days prior to the date of travel. (Program leaders of short study tours managed by their college will work on TARs with their college financial offices.)
4.4 Travel Arrangements – The Program Leader is responsible for making appropriate arrangements for his/her travel and the group excursions. Staff at OIP will provide assistance. Program leaders should note that it is not required that FAU’s campus travel agency make the travel arrangements for their personal travel, but they should be consulted on the planned travel itinerary for a quote. Many SAPs use more specialized student travel agencies. A travel agency that specializes in student overseas travel is http://www.statravel.com
V. AVAILABLE FORMS (in fillable PDF format)
Note: You will need Adobe Acrobat to view these forms. Forms may be saved by clicking the Save (diskette) icon in the PDF toolbar or by selecting File, Save As from the Internet toolbar.
- SAP Proposal
- Budget Worksheet
- Student Application Packet
- Program Leader’s Emergency Contact
- Program Leader's Release and Assumption of Risk Agreement
- Family and Friends Disclosure Form
- Safety and Emergency Plan While Abroad
- Incident Report Form
