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| Prof. Erling Oelz in Finland | Prof. Keith Jakob in Chile | Prof. Vicki Watson in Cuba |
Faculty Exchanges
Application Conditions & Procedure
The University of Montana’s International Committee is pleased to announce the call for proposals for UM faculty international exchange opportunities.
Program Goal
Offered on an annual basis and funded by the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, this program presents faculty with unique opportunities for professional development and personal enrichment. Participation in a faculty exchange has no effect on sabbatical eligibility.
Eligibility
Each exchange program is comprehensive and includes all disciplines. Exchanges are open to tenured and tenure-track faculty. Preference will be given to those who have been employed at The University of Montana for at least three years and to those who have not been on extended overseas assignments during the past three years. Although traditionally exchanges have lasted for one or two semesters, exchanges of shorter durations will be considered. Exchanges that take place during the academic year will be counted towards time accrued prior to the tenure decision for probationary faculty.
Proposal Evaluation
Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Anticipated effect upon The University of Montana curriculum as measured by course proposals, syllabi changes, thesis supervision, and related outputs.
- Anticipated effect upon scholarship, research and/or creative activities at The University of Montana as measured by refereed papers, grant proposals, contracts, presentations, or other related works.
- Anticipated effect upon the university and local community as measured by local articles, speeches, presentations, performances and related contributions.
- Overall academic merit and soundness of the proposal.
- Applicant's ability to live and work in a different cultural environment and to represent The University of Montana abroad with distinction.
Application Deadline
Applications are due at International Programs (International Center, Room 111) by 5:00 pm, Friday, November 16, 2007. Late proposals will not be considered.
International Partnerships:
UM faculty exchanges are presently available with the following partner universities:
Non-partner Institutions
The International Committee also will consider applications for exchanges with institutions other than those on our formal list of exchange partners. In such cases, the applicant should describe clearly how their visit will foster collaborative research and/or creative activity at the university level and also should describe the potential benefits of a possible formal exchange agreement with the overseas institution over the longer term.
Proposal Format
Proposals should include a narrative, a budget and budget justification (see below), a 2 page summarized CV, and no more than three letters of support. Proposals should not exceed eight single spaced pages, including the CV but excluding up to three support letters and statements by applicant’s chair and dean regarding the need for any replacement funds (see below).
Budget Guidelines
A formal budget and proposed timeframe for travel must accompany each proposal. Allowable budget items are listed and explained in the next section. Important: Each proposal must include a written statement from the applicant’s chair specifying proposed arrangements for covering duties associated with the applicant’s normal UM coursework and other campus responsibilities during the exchange. If funds are required for replacement of faculty while an exchange is in effect, this must clearly be specified in a written statement supplied by the applicant’s dean at the time of proposal submission. Proposed budgets and budget justifications also must be reviewed and approved via signature by applicant’s chair and dean prior to proposal submission.
Award Expenditures
All funds awarded in response to this call for proposals must be spent during the 2008 fiscal year which begins July 1, 2008 and ends June 30, 2009. Award funds cannot be deferred past the end of the fiscal year, and any funds that remain unspent after June 30, 2009 must be returned to the Office of the Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs.
Allowable Expenses
I. Costs associated with replacement of exchange faculty:
Amount needed to cover the replacement of faculty on exchange. This amount must be included in a statement from the faculty member’s dean, and the statement must be submitted as part of the application.
II. Costs associated with the exchange itself:
A. Exchange faculty salary and fringe: During exchanges that take place during the academic year, the recipient will receive their regular academic salary, fringe, and benefits. Salary and fringe are not allowed for exchanges that take place during the summer.
B. Travel
1) Airfare: Quoted market coach price as of time of proposal submission.
2) In-country travel: (in-country air, rail, rental car, etc.) - allowable provided the in-country travel can be justified in the context of the overall proposal objectives. Quoted market coach price for in-country travel required at time of proposal submission.
3) Housing: Proposers are strongly encouraged to seek out economic housing arrangements while on an exchange.Many of UM’s institutional partners have subsidized living arrangements for exchange participants or can provide valuable help in a search for off-campus housing. Retail housing in hotels is generally discouraged but may be allowable for short-term exchanges of a few weeks. For exchanges longer than a few weeks, it generally will be necessary to arrange for university housing or rent a comparably-priced apartment. The proposer is responsible for arranging all housing. Evidence that such arrangements are proceeding and that funds requested for housing are usual and customary (i.e., not excessive) must be included in the budget justification.4) Meals and miscellaneous expenses (M&IE): For exchanges taking place while the applicant is on university contract and drawing regular salary, no additional allowance will be made for meals and miscellaneous expenses. For exchanges taking place while the applicant is off-contract, modest funding for meals and miscellaneous expenses will be considered. To develop this part of the budget, the applicant should make contact with the host institution and find out what constitutes a reasonable per diem rate for meals and miscellaneous expenses.
C. Supplies: Not allowed.
Proposal Evaluation
Proposals will be evaluated based on the criteria listed above and ranked by the International Committee. The ranking will be forwarded to the Provost’s Office. Final funding decisions rest with the Provost, who reserves the right to request a revised budget in cases where proposals are not funded at the full requested amount.
Questions?
If you would like further guidance as to this application process, please feel free to contact Marc Hendrix, Chair of the Internal Committee, at 243-5278 or marc.hendrix@umontana.edu