Formal international agreement are a multi- step process that can take anywhere from
a few weeks to several months. All formal collaborations require an initial collaboration
memorandum of understanding that records institutional contacts and exchanges general
expectations of activity.
Early in the planning process, please consider your partnership proposal carefully.
How easy or difficult will this agreement be to implement? How many academic departments
/ units / colleges at USF could potentially be affected or involved in the process?
How will the proposed exchange contribute to the goals and priorities to the University
/ College / Departments involved? Careful thought at this early stage will save time
later.
All USF agreement and associated contract activity willl soon take place in the IntelAgree
platform. Partnership proposals will only be added into this computer platform following
an initial strict proposal and interest process. Details on this process will be released
at a later date.
English should be the controlling language for all international agreements. Sponsoring
faculty/staff are responsible for the accuracy of any translations desired by the
international partner.
It is the current responsibility of the sponsoring USF party to send the agreements
to the corresponding institution for signatures - only after the agreement has already been vetted by both USF World and USF General
Counsel. USF World should receive a final copy of all agreements signed by both parties to
meet state compliance regulations. This will soon be completed through IntelAgree.
If faculty or scholar exchange is part of your vision, speak with your department
administration (and if needed, college administration) very early in the process as
you will be asking for their resource support. Consider whether the exchange be for
a short-term experience, a semester, or an academic year. What will be the support
stipend, how will you accommodate lodging and office space? How will you allow access
to digital libraries, assets and e-mail accounts? Will immigration documentation be
required, and how will you establish international health insurance and possibly emergency
evacuation?
There are also intangibles to take into consideration such as visitor expectations
based on social/cultural differences (and the differing relationships of faculty,
students, and/or administrators in universities around the world). Be sure you understand
the expectations for teaching load, research productivity, etc.
If student mobility is part of your vision, the offices of Global Learning and International
Services will need to be included in early conversations. There are very strict legal
and academic questions and concerns that need to be considered, and following proper
protocol will help to ensure that your vision of partnership activity can become reality.