6.13 International Travel

A.  The MCCCD Governing Board acknowledges that the Maricopa Community Colleges are committed to international and intercultural education and globalization efforts. The Maricopa Community Colleges include global education as an integral component of the District’s mission, and seek to create an environment where teaching and learning is augmented and enhanced by international study and work opportunities for faculty and by student-centered educational opportunities that prepare students for successful participation in the global community. International travel is just one of the ways in which the MCCCD mission for global education is accomplished.

B. All international travel is subject to the rules and requirements stated in the existing travel regulations (Administrative Regulation 1.15 --Travel).

C. The Chancellor of the Maricopa Community Colleges has final approval of all international travel, regardless of funding source or destination. College Presidents have first line of authority for all international travel involving students, faculty, and staff at their colleges. Vice Chancellors have first line of authority for all international travel involving staff in their divisions. The Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost has authority to recommend for Chancellor’s approval any proposed student education abroad, and faculty exchange, curriculum development, strategic global initiatives, and international student recruitment or reject the proposals because outcomes are not clear, criteria are not met, or program is not rigorous enough.

D. Student education abroad, faculty exchange and curriculum development programs, strategic global engagement initiatives, and international student recruitment are considered mission critical, and will be approved based on criteria noted below:

D.1. Student Education Abroad:

All courses offered as part of student education abroad must be approved MCCCD courses and must meet academic standards. All courses taught abroad will be equal to or surpass the same academic quality and excellence of a course offered locally at any of the MCCCD colleges. The course competencies and content outline must be the ones that are officially approved for the course and published in the MCCCD course bank. The courses must meet the MCCCD rules concerning the length of time a course must meet. The proposed study abroad program will not be approved if courses are offered for recreational or travel purposes only.

The proposal for a study abroad program should include at a minimum:

A. Title of the course(s), course description, number of credits, course competencies, and course content outline.

B. Daily schedule of events, locally and abroad, indicating all of the activities of the course where contact hours are earned, including pre and post-trip class meetings. The total number of contact hours awarded must be exactly that which is officially required for the course (1 credit requires at least 15 hours of classroom or other supervised instruction). Contact hours cannot be awarded for a “visit” or a “tour” unless those activities include a lecture, discussion, or other instructional activity.

C. Justification, indicating why it is important for the course to be offered at the proposed destination and how the location supports the specific goals, objectives, and learning outcomes of the program as well as the mission of the Maricopa Community Colleges.

After the program occurs, the faculty sponsor will submit a full written report to the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost and college administration, including his/her evaluation of the program and evaluations from all student participants. The report will be used to evaluate the program and ensure it continues to serve the needs of the students and the colleges. This evaluation will serve as the basis for continued support of the program and future funding. This information will also be included in quarterly reports prepared for the Chancellor and the Governing Board.

D.2 Faculty Exchanges and Curriculum Development Programs:

Each faculty member interested in participating in a faculty exchange or curriculum development program will develop a proposal indicating how she/he will apply in his/her job what was learned by participation in the program. The proposal should address at a minimum the following:

• How the objectives of the proposed project relate to the purpose of the program;

• How the proposed project contributes to international learning outcomes and global competence;

• A clear description of expected outcomes and benefits to the students and the colleges. For example:   

            - Curriculum changes; e.g., modifications to an existing course, creation of a new course, development of a new

                         program or certificate and/or

            - Potential partnerships; e.g., development of a new study abroad program.

• Description of how faculty member intends to share the learning with a broader audience:

           - Preparation of a report to be shared with District and college administrators documenting the experience

                        and resulting contributions to the District and the college and/or

          - Participation in activities to make the learning public; e.g., presentations at the college and/or District-wide,

                        presentation at conference, publication of articles in newsletters and other venues, etc. and/or

          - Development of curriculum models that can be shared with other faculty for their use.

At the conclusion of the program, each participating faculty will submit a written report to the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost and college administration, including his/her evaluation of the program and a plan of action to apply what was learned. The report will be used to evaluate the program and ensure it continues to serve the needs of the students and the colleges. This evaluation will also serve as the basis for continued support of the program and future funding. This information will also be included in quarterly reports prepared for the Chancellor and the Governing Board.  At the end of the following academic year, each faculty member will be asked to submit a status report that describes progress made meeting the expected outcomes outlined in the proposal.

D.3 Strategic Global Engagement Initiatives

In support of greater internationalization of the Maricopa Community Colleges, a broader range of strategic global engagement initiatives may be considered, as supported by the Chancellor, which aligns with the district’s mission, vision and strategic priorities. College and district leadership can be drivers of this global engagement, providing direction to the internationalization and global engagement efforts while also supporting faculty driven initiatives for strategic engagement abroad. The following categories of travel will be considered:

• Engagement in individual or group travel tied to a specific college or district strategic priority or area of focus (e.g. a faculty and administrator exploring an opportunity linked to a college strategic initiative, or a district leadership team considering a strategic international partnership opportunity.)
• Participation in an international delegation sponsored by the United States, a foreign government, or other national/international organization that supports institutional mission and strategic directions.
• Pursuit of income-generating opportunities for MCCCD in the area of contract training abroad that have no direct cost to the district, but have indirect benefit (e.g., assisting a new community college abroad in developing an instructional program that would generate revenue for the college/district, increase the faculty participant’s global competency, and provide a framework for future collaboration in the areas of curriculum, research and student learning.)
• Travel opportunities that have a mutual benefit to the college/district and the community, and that align with the district’s strategic priorities.

Proposals for travel related to strategic global engagement initiatives will address how the proposal aligns with the college and/or district’s mission, vision and strategic priorities, in addition to other information requested in the standard district International Travel Proposal.

Upon return to the college/district, each traveler will submit a written report to the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, including outcomes achieved and plan for next steps.  This information will be included in quarterly reports prepared for the Chancellor and the Governing Board.

D.4 International Student Recruitment

Travel proposals related to international student recruitment may be considered as a means to strengthen the diversity of the colleges and to generate an additional tuition revenue stream for the district.

Recruitment proposals will be required to address criteria noted below, in addition to information requested in the standard district International Travel Proposal:

• The cost-effectiveness of the proposal (projected financial return in relation to funds expended).
• The college’s commitment and ability to provide the requisite student services.
• How this effort fits into the larger vision of international student recruitment by the college, including marketing efforts already used to draw students (social media and other “arm chair” recruitment tools).
• How the college will assess the success of the effort over a three-year period.

Upon return to the college/district, the travelers will submit a written report to the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, including activities in which they engaged, outcomes achieved, and plan for next steps. This information will be included in quarterly reports prepared for the Chancellor and the Governing Board.

E.  Exceptional Opportunities

The Chancellor may consider requests on a case-by-case basis for participation in exceptional opportunities that are not considered mission critical as defined above. Other types of international travel (e.g., conferences, seminars, institutes, or board meetings sponsored by a professional organization or association) may be considered for approval by the Chancellor if the following criteria are met:

The event presents a unique opportunity for the individual and the institution and the learning or professional opportunity does not exist in the United States or its territories, or if the individual has a commitment to participate as a representative of Maricopa on a board, council, or committee of a professional association or organization. Individuals will submit a proposal to address at a minimum the following:

• How the proposed travel is linked to the individual’s job responsibilities.
• Whether or not the opportunity, or a similar one, is available in the United States or its territories.
• What role the individual will play: keynote speaker, conference presenter, session/meeting facilitator, trainer, conference participant, board member, etc.
• How participation in the event or meeting benefits the institution.
• How the learning will be shared with others at MCCCD.

Participants will submit a written report describing the activities in which they engaged, what outcomes were achieved, and how the learning will be shared with others at MCCCD. This information will be included in quarterly reports prepared for the Chancellor and the Governing Board.

F. Quarterly, each College President and each Vice Chancellor shall submit a detailed report to the Chancellor of all international travel including, but not limited to, name of traveler, destination, dates of travel, amount of funding, source(s) of funding, purpose and benefit to the institution, achieved outcomes, and plan to disseminate information learned or resulting products.

G. Quarterly, the Chancellor shall submit a summary report to the Governing Board on all international travel.