Faculty Information
Saint Joseph's University and the Center for International Programs (CIP) are pleased to offer our students Study Tour opportunities around the world.
Please note the following timeline for submission of Study Tour proposals for 2009. Please review all of the documents below before submitting a proposal to your Department Chair.
- By February 13, 2009: Submit proposals to your Department Chair
- By February 20, 2009: Department Chairs submit proposals to Dean's offices
- By March 2, 2009: Dean's office forwards approved proposals to CIP
- Third week in March, 2009: International Education Committee reviews proposals
- By early to mid-April, 2009: CIP informs faculty of their status
Feel free to contact the Center for International Programs for more information.
As per University Study Tour Policy, all study tours offered for academic credit must include some pre-departure and post-trip meetings, sessions and assignments. Ordinarily, all study tours should have between 15 and 20 hours of classroom experience on campus before and/or after the tour itself.
As part of the course description that must be attached to the proposal, evidence of sufficient course work during the regularly scheduled semester (15-20 hours) must be offered as part of the syllabus; and for spring or fall semester study tour courses the travel must occur during or immediately before/after the rostered semester (or during the spring break for spring semester courses).
Is your program marketable? Location, program content, how the course fulfills requirements, length of program, and time of year ultimately play a part in this question and whether the program will be a success. For more information on these factors please refer to the Feasibility Considerations (pdf).
Study Tours require a lot of collaborative planning between various offices. The following chart outlines the roles and responsibilities of each office. Roles List (pdf)
Study Tour Proposal Form (pdf)
Summer Program (Rome, Greece or China) Course Proposal Form (pdf)
---Study Tour Coordinator - Role Description
A Study Tour/Summer Program Coordinator plays a very important role in the success of SJU's short-term abroad programs. The Coordinator helps CIP and faculty with planning for the trip prior to departure. In addition, the Coordinator acts as the key logistics manager during the group's time abroad. The Coordinator needs to be working for the students full-time during the program since the Coordinator's expenses are covered by fees the students have paid. A Coordinator must be an SJU employee or a full-time graduate student who is qualified to lead groups of students in an overseas setting.
Benefits of being selected as Coordinator:
- All-expenses paid travel with the group. The Coordinator's airfare, ground transportation, single room in hotels, meals & general day-to-day expenses as well as all museum-entrance fees and site visits are covered.
- In some cases, in addition to the trip being paid for, the Coordinator also receives a $500 (gross) stipend as compensation. Please note that Coordinators who are considered administrative faculty (defined in the Faculty Handbook, p. 1) are not eligible for this stipend.
- The opportunity to directly work with and help SJU students reach their goal of learning about another culture during this international experience.
Please note: A candidate's prime motivation for helping with the program should be to help the students with their learning experience. The Study Tours & Summer Programs are offered to students as learning experiences and not vacations, so the Coordinator must expect to be working for the group and not pursuing his/her own interests in the country(ies) visited. The Coordinator is not permitted to bring spouses/significant others on the tour - nor have anyone meet him/her abroad.
Responsibilities/Qualifications:
- Group Leadership Skills - A Coordinator is expected to have experience leading student groups/activities/classes and should ideally also have international experience in the country(ies) on the itinerary (although not required). The Coordinator is the person who must act as enforcer of rules & regulations. If a student on a tour is disruptive, it is the Coordinator's duty to warn the student of the consequences of his/her mis-behavior and may have to decide (in connjunction with Faculty, CIP & SJU) to send a student home. The Coordinator would then have to make arrangements to get the student on an alternate flight, etc. and accompany him/her to the airport.
- Foreign Language Skills - while not always necessary, preference may be given to those who can communicate in the host-country language.
- Planning and Attending Group Meetings - The Coordinator will need to be able to attend information sessions and pre-departure meetings. Most meetings take place on-campus during the day or evening. It is important for the Coordinator to "get to know" the students prior to departure.
- Collecting Paperwork from Students - the Coordinator will work with CIP to aid in the collection of necessary paperwork. Coordinators may be asked to distribute forms to the group, collect forms and then follow-up with students to collect "missing" or late paperwork. This willingness and availability to work with CIP & faculty prior to departure is essential.
- Logistics - Travel with the group on all scheduled activities from departure to return. The Coordinator is responsible for all of the following: meeting the students on campus or at the airport to distribute airline tickets, flying with the group and then leading the group through all of the tour's logistics such as on/off buses, in/out of taxis, check-in and check-out of hotels, arranging for group dinners, tipping drivers and tour guides, assisting students during the tour who are in need of medical or other type of help, liaising with the faculty to make decisions about what to do when obstacles arrive such as bus/rail strikes, plane delays, lost wallets, passports etc. The Coordinator is also expected to travel with the group back to the U.S. and so he/she cannot expect to stay-on in the destination after the last date of the tour.
- Financial Responsibility - Upon approval, a travel advance for both personal and group expenses will be direct-deposited into your SJU account 2 weeks prior to departure. You should reconcile this advance with CIP by completing a Travel Expense Report no later than 2 weeks upon return from the Study Tour/Summer Program.
- Emergency Communication - In the event of an emergency while the group is traveling overseas - the Coordinator must know how to use the emergency cell phone distributed by CIP and must be in touch with all necessary parties to decide what the group will do in the event that plans must be changed. Once the group of Coordinators has been selected, CIP and the Travel Office will hold a training session. The purpose of this is to familiarize you with rules and regulations, safety and security procedures and common situations that arise with group travel.
Applications
If you meet these qualifications, please complete the Coordinator Application form and return it to CIP. [One of the questions on the application which you must discuss with your direct supervisor is whether you have permission to participate on the study tour/summer program for the duration of time away from work. Tours generally last 10 days to two weeks and Summer Programs are typically 4-weeks in length.] Coordinators should expect to use vacation time to participate. Applications received this year and not selected for tours/summer programs running in 2009 may also be considered for upcoming years.
Feel free to contact CIP with questions X1835 or 3477 or send us an application any time.
Download the Coordinator Application (pdf file)
