Faculty-Led Travel Courses
Faculty members may develop an interest in a country or have previous experience in a place (say, Ireland, Costa Rica, Peru, etc.). They develop a plan and we help them recruit students to travel with the faculty member to that place. We may help the faculty member with a development grant (if funds are available) to develop the course in that location (if it’s new) and assist students with scholarships. The travel experience could be part of a semester-long course or a for-credit mini-course all its own. UNE students have been all over the world in these short-term, faculty-led trips. Some faculty members use this system to visit many countries. Travel courses go through the regular approval process at the department and dean level and the Global Education Program office works with the faculty leader on travel logistics, budget, emergency plan, providing a pre-departure orientation for students, and much more.
International APPEs, Rotations, and Practicums
School of Pharmacy students participate in Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPEs) in Granada and Thailand. CDM students have participated in a rotation in Cambodia. These are planned as group programs with faculty leaders similar to travel courses. We also work with individual COM and online M.P.H. and M.S.W. students participating in clinical rotations and practicums in different parts of the globe. The Global Education Program office is notified when a student is working through the approvals and contracts process for an international rotation/practicum site and Global staff reach out to the student to provide them with a travel insurance card and to ensure we have the dates of their program and the in-country emergency contact info.
UNE Semester Abroad Programs
In our UNE-sponsored, semester-long programs, we send students to non-English-speaking countries in order to expose and immerse them in a foreign language and culture. Since UNE (not a third-party provider) sponsors these semesters, whether on its own campus (Tangier) or through a carefully negotiated partnership, we design a curriculum that meets the general education needs of our undergraduate students and give them the best student life possible.
Agreements and Partnerships with International Universities
UNE President James Herbert (center) signs agreement deepening the partnership with the University of Akureyri and Holar University College at the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, Iceland.
We encourage faculty to explore partnership possibilities. If an OT faculty member wants to set up an agreement with a Scandinavian university, we encourage that faculty member to develop a plan, have it approved by the chair of their department, then the dean. If an MOU is required, the Vice President for Global Affairs will negotiate the details directly with the potential partner institution and, if all parties agree, prepare the document for the President to sign. We want to make sure that our agreements have substance and that they are consistent with our mission, student needs, and faculty interests. We also need to weigh the costs and benefits of exchange agreements due to possible financial ramifications and staff workload.