The University of Montana's International Committee is pleased to announce the call for proposals for UM faculty international exchange opportunities.

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.

Exchanges are open to all tenured and tenure-track faculty. Faculty will retain their salary and benefits while serving as an exchange faculty member overseas. (Salary and fringe are not provided for exchanges that take place during the summer.) 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. Only proposals for individual faculty members will be accepted.

Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:

1. Anticipated effect upon the University of Montana curriculum as measured by course proposals, syllabi changes, thesis supervision, and related outputs.
2. Anticipated effect upon scholarship, research and/or creative activities at the University of Montana as measured by refereed publications, grant proposals, contracts, presentations, or opportunities for collaboration with and mentoring of undergraduates and graduate students
3. Potential of the exchange for enhancing institutional partnerships for the University of Montana.
4. Anticipated effect upon the university and local community as measured by local articles, speeches, presentations, performances and related contributions.
5. Applicant's ability to live and work in a different cultural environment and to represent the University of Montana abroad with distinction.
6. Overall quality and soundness of the proposal.

Applicants are requested to respond directly to criteria 1-5. Applicants are also asked to indicate if the requested exchange will be carried out in conjunction with a sabbatical.

Applications are due at 5:00 PM on the last Friday of October each year, and must be submitted to the Office of International Programs, International Center. Late proposals will not be considered.

UM faculty exchanges are presently available with many of UM's partner universities around the world.

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.

Proposals should include a narrative, a budget (see link to budget worksheet under Allowable Expenses), a 2-page summarized CV, and no more than three letters of support from colleagues familiar with the professional activities of the applicant. Proposals should not exceed eight single spaced pages, using one-inch margins and 12 point font. The eight page limit includes the applicant's CV but excludes the three support letters and statements by applicant's chair regarding the need for any replacement funds (see below). Note: Proposals which exceed page and font limits will be disqualified.

A formal budget (see link to budget worksheet under Allowable Expenses) and proposed timeframe for travel must accompany each proposal. Allowable budget items are listed and explained in the next section. Please use the budget sheet on the IP website to complete the formal budget. 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 chair at the time of proposal submission. Proposed budgets also must be reviewed and approved via signature by applicant's chair and dean prior to proposal submission.

All funds awarded in response to this call for proposals must be spent during the next fiscal year (which begins on July 1). Award funds cannot be deferred past the end of the fiscal year, and any funds that remain unspent after the end of the next fiscal year must be returned to the Office of the Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs.

Applicants should be aware that the dollar amount of any award is final and that additional support will not come available for successful applicants whose expenses exceed the award amount. Applicants are strongly encouraged to carefully research the anticipated costs of all activities associated with the exchange (e.g., visa costs, travel to consulate for visa application, etc.) Awardees are required to comply with UM's travel guidelines and procedures.  All UM faculty and staff traveling abroad are required to have health insurance.  Visit Faculty and Staff Insurance for more information. 

Depending on funding awarded it may be necessary to submit a revised budget in order to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposal at a reduced level of funding.

See Budget Worksheet

1. 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 chair, and the statement must be submitted as part of the application. It is important that the faculty member meet with his/her chair early in the application process to inquire about the feasibility of the exchange.

2. Costs associated with the exchange itself:
   1. 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: Applicants are strongly encouraged to seek out economic housing arrangements while on an exchange. Some 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 applicant 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 incidental 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 incidental expenses. For exchanges taking place while the applicant is off-contract, modest funding for meals and incidental 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 incidental expenses.
   2. Supplies: Not allowed.
   3. Funds cannot be used to support travel and other costs incurred by accompanying family members.

Budget Worksheet

Proposals will be evaluated based on the criteria listed above and ranked by the International Committee. The ranking will be forwarded to the Office of the Provost. 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.

For general questions, contact Marja Unkuri-Chaudhry at marjac@mso.umt.edu.