Any faculty member interested in beginning a study abroad program must be aware of the following:
Requirements for Gordon State College Study Abroad Programs
Any Gordon State College faculty member wishing to establish a study abroad program must submit an application for approval to the International Studies Council. The faculty member is also encouraged to submit a prospectus before submitting the application. See the links below for application and prospectus guides.
All program applications must be submitted according to the following schedule:
- The application for a program to run in the summer or fall must be submitted by the official mid-point of the previous fall semester.
- The application for a program to run in the spring must be submitted by the mid-point of the previous spring semester.
Program Design
While collaboration is permitted, a single faculty member will be designated program director & will be directly responsible for the program. Collaborators will work together to determine the division of duties.
All programs must be designed so that a student earns Gordon State College credit.
All programs must involve both a language component (although neither fluency nor actual language study during the program is required) & a defined cultural component.
All programs must present students with a syllabus that explains expectations, requirements, a grading scale, & penalties.
Any program intended to run only one time must be affiliated with an established program.
Program Evaluation
Each program will be evaluated upon completion every year. (Students will be given evaluation forms.) After evaluation, the International Studies Council may recommend to the Provost termination of or changes to the program.
Program Finances
The program must be self-sustaining; Gordon State College will provide no funds for the program. It is the program director’s responsibility to establish an agency account with the Gordon State College Business Office.
The program director of any approved study abroad program will be issued a p-card for program use ONLY and is expected to attend all required training sessions.
If a program ceases to run for 5 consecutive years, agency funds will be deposited into a general study abroad agency account, to be used for study abroad purposes.
Insurance
All programs must include basic medical coverage. The University System of Georgia normally negotiates rates with an insurance company. The program director must obtain coverage from that company unless an exception is granted from the International Studies Council based on a petition explaining the reasons for using a different company.
Director/Faculty Pay and Expenses
Unless Gordon State Faculty members teach as part of the program, only the program director will be compensated. Compensation for summer programs follows the same scale as summer school salaries. There will be a scale, determined by the Vice President of Business Affairs, for compensation in case the program enrollment is less than that required for a summer school class to run. (In that case, the Vice President of Academic Affairs may choose not to let the program run.) The International Studies Council will ask for that scale to be re-evaluated periodically as tuition increases. If faculty members teach as part of the program, the program director must arrange a compensation agreement with the teaching faculty member(s) before any student payments are collected and present the agreement in writing to the International Studies Council. There will be no compensation for spring break programs unless an entire credit or more is earned from the program alone.
Normal travel expenses for the program director and assistant(s) must come from the agency account (in other words, from student payments); the paperwork is the same as for any other travel expenditure.
The meal per diem allowed for trips that exceed 10 days is the Georgia per diem, not the program site per diem. The defaults for reimbursement on the People Soft site will automatically allot the site amount; the program director is expected to work with the Business Office to make the actual amount of reimbursement the amount allowed for Georgia trips. The program director may request an exception to this policy if there are factors, such as the exchange rate, that necessitate a per diem that matches the site per diem, but he must present a letter to the International Studies Council justifying an exception.
Onsite Policies and Procedures
Contact
The program director must have a cell phone that works in the destination country. It may be purchased there within the first two days of the program and should be purchased with program funds. All program students must have the phone number.
Emergencies
For onsite emergencies, the program director must immediately contact the campus police, who will then contact the necessary administrator.
If a student has a medical emergency, after making sure he is being treated, the program director must inform the college, the student’s emergency contact, and the study abroad insurance provider. In case of death, the insurance provider will take care of all the details, including removal of the body and repatriation of the remains.
If a student is arrested abroad, the program director is able to do nothing to advocate for the student. The program director should notify the campus and the student’s emergency contact and act as a liaison, but the student himself and his family must deal with all the legal issues.
If there is a national or local emergency, the program director must follow all instructions given by local authorities and then determine the location and well-being of the students. As soon as possible, he must inform the college of the situation and aid students in contacting their families.
Discipline
For onsite disciplinary matters, the program director must contact the Vice President of Student Affairs and must do so before enacting any disciplinary procedure, with the exception of removing the offending student or another student from a problematic situation, in which case he must advise the Vice President as soon as possible. The Vice President will send a letter of reprimand and warning to the student, which the student must then sign and give to the program director. If the student commits a second offense, the program director must notify the Vice President, obtain from him/her a letter telling the student that he is being dismissed from the program, and then confiscate the student’s keys to his residence. It is important to note that the student cannot be forced to leave the country.
First offense:
- Contact VPSA
- VPSA sends letter of reprimand and warning
- Student signs the letter & gives it to the Program Director
Second offense:
- Contact VPSA
- Print letter from VPSA and deliver it to the student
- Confiscate student’s keys
Illness
If a student is ill, the program director should offer to accompany the student to the hospital. However, the student is 100% responsible for the bill. (The study abroad insurance policy will reimburse the student after the deductible is met.) The Program Director should then visit or call the student every day he is in the hospital. If the student chooses not to go to the hospital, the program director must contact the student twice each day during his illness to inquire about his health and offer assistance.
- Offer to accompany the student to the hospital.
- Visit/call the student every day during his hospital stay.
- Call twice a day as long as the student is ill at his residence.
- Inquire about his health.
- Offer assistance.