Study Abroad Advisor

Who’s in Charge?

Running Short-Term Study Abroad Programs

By Jill Holsen

In the January/February 1997 issue of Transitions Abroad, Julie C. Taylor, Study Abroad Coordinator at Ohio Univ., discussed the student demand for short-term study abroad programs and the need for study abroad administrators “to ensure that the integrity of the academic and cultural experience does not suffer when our students spend less time abroad.” As short-term study abroad becomes ever more popular, institutions are faced not only with ensuring academic integrity but also with establishing administrative policies and procedures that safeguard students, faculty, and the institution as a whole.

I work at a public institution with an enrollment of 6,000, where I am the only full-time employee in international programs and responsible for instituting all policies and procedures connected with study abroad. For our students, who for the most part come from small rural communities and frequently have family and work commitments, a one- to four-week study tour or seminar may be the only opportunity they will have to learn in an overseas environment.

Members of our faculty have taken groups abroad for many years, usually with great success. Previously--unless programs were offered as a “field trip” in conjunction with an established course or for continuing education credit--the tours were conducted with little official authorization or recognition. Faculty either ran them from their own departments or came to me and we jointly set them up. Like other campus advisers, I do not want to put barriers in the way of faculty who are willing to use their free time to broaden the experience of students by organizing and leading short-term overseas programs. However, I became increasingly concerned that without institution-wide policies to which everyone taking groups abroad must adhere, faculty were putting themselves and the institution at risk. I’ve found it difficult to convince everyone about the necessity for such policies: “Why change things when they appear to work?”

Nevertheless, I believe advisers must take the lead in insisting that such policies and procedures are instituted. As Paula Spier, dean emerita of Antioch International, says, “A balance has to be struck between entrepreneurial faculty who energize your campus and get things moving, and a need to set institutional controls to prevent chaos.” Working with the deans, the director of continuing education, and with the registrar and financial aid and business offices, I have put together what I hope will be workable and sound policies.

Approval Process

Faculty are required to fill out a continuing education “Course or Workshop Proposal Form,” signed by the department chairperson and faculty dean. The form requires a course description, an outline of goals and objectives, a syllabus with topics and timelines, a list of texts or other academic materials to be used, the evaluation procedures and grading system, an itinerary, and an estimated budget. Requiring authorization by the deans puts the responsibility on them, not me, to decide whether the professor is prepared to lead a group overseas.

Since we are a regional educational center offering other educational opportunities to the community, our deans felt that the general public should be allowed to participate in our study tours on a space available basis. Students registering for credit pay tuition; community members are charged a fee.

Coordination

Once the forms are filled in and signed, the faculty member works with the international programs office to plan the details, develop a realistic budget, and design promotional materials. The budget includes travel costs, ground transportation, accommodations, specified meals, entrance fees, taxes, an international programs fee to cover administrative costs, faculty per diem, and an “incidentals” fund for unscheduled group activities, guides, tips, and other on-site needs. So far, the relationship between faculty leaders and the international programs office has worked well. Faculty are involved in all aspects of the tour, including promotion, recruitment, budgeting, and orientation.

Budgeting

Faculty are “paid” from tuition or fees generated. This is processed through the personnel department so that employee benefits are calculated. Our office also issues the international teacher identity card to faculty taking groups overseas, so they are covered for evacuation and repatriation. Our experience is that we need from 10 to 20 participants to sponsor a successful tour (although we have had tours with fewer participants). Generally, we base the per diem on 10 participants, and we recommend that at least two people accompany a group with 20 or more participants. If both leaders contribute to the academic portion of the tour, they arrange to share the fees generated. Usually the second person’s expenses are covered, but he or she receives no additional compensation.

If the faculty member’s spouse is the second person, we issue a short contract with specific details on compensation so that our institution’s liability insurance covers them. In most cases, however, accompanying spouses pay their own way as a member of the group. Faculty are compensated by tuition or workshop fees, and their per diem is covered by the budget. Any leftover funds are added to our study tours account. Our business office has come up with guidelines for fair expenses for such things as meals or accommodations not included in the contracted services and other materials, or services purchased for the group’s benefit (provided, of course, these have been included in the tour’s budget).

Anyone who has traveled with groups overseas knows that it is difficult to document every expenditure. Our business office has been very understanding about waiters who write the bill on the tablecloth, tips given to guides which do not produce receipts, and currency exchange rates and commission charges that vary from city to city and bureau to bureau.

Prior to departure, leaders fill in a travel requisition with details about the number of participants, dates, proposed itinerary, and anticipated expenses. This form allows leaders to receive an advance for anticipated expenses.

Logistics and Promotion

We produce promotional materials, contract services, collect and disburse payments, and assist in recruitment and orientation. Student participants are required to purchase The International Student Identity Card, and all participants sign a waiver indicating that they have insurance. Participants ineligible for Council’s (now STATravel) insurance are informed about the necessity of carrying evacuation and repatriation insurance. Other documents include the registration form, a participation contract, a medical form, and a waiver (for what it’s worth).

For most of the tours, we have worked out the logistics ourselves. However, contracting with an agency can help minimize risks, since they are insured and bonded.

In sum, short-term programs require long-range planning and policies. While the administrative burdens of developing and sustaining such programs necessarily fall on my shoulders, working with faculty and my fellow administrators lightens the load and broadens the responsibility. In the end, students receive the benefits.

JILL HOLSEN is Director of International Programs at Moorhead State Univ. in Moorhead, MN.