The Baucus Institute China Summer Study Abroad programs immerse students with colleagues from other western universities, as well as Chinese law students, using faculty from all involved schools. In the summer of 2024, we are planning 2 trips to China.

Both programs are open to any undergraduate or graduate student currently enrolled in higher education in Montana, who is in good academic standing and will continue to be enrolled in Fall 2023. 

Summer 2024 Program 1: CUSEF Comparative Law

Applications will open in late Fall semester.

Dates:
Exact dates TBD: 2 weeks, late May to early June

Host:
Tsinghua University, the Max S. Baucus Institute, and China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF) 
 
Destinations:
Beijing, China
 
Program:
2 law credits

Expenses:
Very few! Thanks to the generosity of CUSEF, nearly all expenses are covered, including lodging, travel insurance, breakfasts at hotels, and group meals. Participants will need to cover their flights and any charges such as overweight luggage and personal purchases.

Requirements:
Be in good academic standing and continued university enrollment in Fall 2024. Limited to 15 students, and previous China study abroad scholarship recipients (for years that we were unable to travel) have first priority.

Summer 2024 Program 2: Environmental/Climate Emphasis

This program is NOT for credit. Applications will open in late Fall semester.

Dates:
Exact dates TBD, 4 weeks, likely July 2024

Host:
Hangzhou Wanxiang Polytechnic and the Max S. Baucus Institute
 
Destinations:
Beijing, Hangzhou, and Shanghai
 
Program:
NOT for credit, but for cultural exchange and learning about environmental and climate issues. 

To download the example PDF of scheduled activities, click here
 
Expenses:
Almost none. As part of the 100,000 Strong Initiative, nearly all expenses are covered, including flights to/from China, in-country travel, lodging, travel insurance, and meals. Participants will only need to cover personal expenses such as souvenir purchases. 

Requirements:
Be in good academic standing and continued university enrollment in Fall 2024. Limited to 15 students. 

For-credit Program Details (example from previous years; tentative for Summer 2024)

Program Dates and Locations
Applications/Program Contact Information
Curriculum
Course Schedule
Housing
Cost & Financial Aid
Transportation & Insurance
ABA Approval Academic Credit and Eligibility
Changes, Withdrawals and Refunds
Students with Disabilities
Emergencies
Program Faculty and Program Director

Program Dates and Locations 

Program 1: Late May – mid June (SUBJECT TO CHANGE) in Chongqing, China at Southwest University of Political Science and Law (SWUPL) and in Xiamen at the Xiamen University Law School. (2 weeks in each location)

Program 2: Mid June - mid July in Hangzhou, China at Hangzhou Wanxiang Polytechnic University with side trips in Beijing and Shanghai. 

Applications/Program Contact Information

Sam Panarella - Blewett School of Law - University of Montana
Email:  samuel.panarella@umontana.edu, Phone: (406) 243-6623 (office), (503) 997-9376 (mobile)

Program 1 Curriculum 

Note: Students will have access to each University’s Law Library, in addition to high speed Internet connections for most of their activities.

Comparative Business Organizations
Professor Ramón E Ortiz-Vélez, University of South Dakota School of Law

The Comparative Business Organizations Course explores the differences between the applicable systems of laws that apply to business formation and operation. It provides a comprehensive study of business law developments in China, the U.S., and other countries while exploring the related systems of law that form the basis for existing and future worldwide business transactions-in a direct sense, the course delivers the comparative legal framework necessary to understand international business activities.

Comparative Climate Change & Renewable Energy Law
Professor Sam Panarella, Blewett School of Law - University of Montana

This course will focus on highlighting the differences and similarities between the renewable energy industries and approaches to climate change in the two countries. Particular attention will be paid to the laws and policies supporting (and, in some cases, limiting) the development of renewable energy in both countries, lessons learned from the US renewable experience that can inform the development of the more nascent Chinese industry, environmental drivers of renewable energy development in both countries, and transmission constraints that bedevil both industries.

Course Schedule

Program 2 Curriculum 

The Baucus Institute-Wanxiang Fellow Summer Study Abroad Program is a funded opportunity to spend one month in China studying Chinese culture, politics, language, and approaches to climate change and sustainability. Several field trips will also be part of the program. Students will begin their four weeks in Beijing, with a four-day guided tour of the ancient city, and conclude with two days in the thriving metropolis of Shanghai. In between, we will be based at Wanxiang Polytechnic School in Hangzhou. 

Housing

Students will be lodged at hotels within short walking distance of the classrooms in each city. Students will stay in double rooms with private baths. The cost of the course includes a shared two-person double room.

We can help students arriving a few days early (which we strongly encourage) or staying after the course ends, but students must pay all hotel and meal costs directly for any additional nights.

Cost & Financial Aid

For Program 1, costs are currently estimated at $6000 (USD) which includes tuition and fees for the 6 U.S. law credits, all course-related travel inside China, all lodging inside China during the program, emergency medical insurance, all course materials, and the visa application fee.

*NOTE: THE ESTIMATE QUOTED ABOVE OF $6000 DOES NOT INCLUDE INTERNATIONAL AIR TRAVEL TO AND FROM CHINA, FOOD, OR MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSES, WHICH STUDENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ARRANGING AND PAYING FOR ON THEIR OWN. IN ADDITION, STUDENTS WHO CHOOSE TO STAY IN CHINA AFTER THE PROGRAM END DATE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ARRANGING AND PAYING SEPARATELY FOR THEIR OWN TRAVEL AND OTHER EXPENSES RELATED TO SUCH STAY.

Students enrolled in the program are eligible for financial aid to the extent that participating students are eligible to receive it. Students should contact their own school financial aid office for assistance and aid information.  

At the University of Montana, students should contact Diane Llewellyn at (406) 243-2798 or diane.llewellyn@umontana.edu. 

At the  University of South Dakota, students should contact Lindsay Miller at (605) 677-5446 or lindsay.miller@usd.edu.

For Program 2, costs are currently an administrative fee of $1500 (USD). The rest of the program costs, as well as international travel to and from China, is covered by scholarships. 

NOTE: As of 2020, only students at the University of Montana are eligible to apply for scholarships for these programs. Please contact the Director, Sam Panarella, for applications and deadlines. Scholarships do NOT cover any miscellaneous expenses incurred by the student while in China. 

Transportation & Insurance

Transportation: Participants in Program 1 are responsible for arranging and purchasing their own international airfare between the U.S. and China. As noted above, the $6000 (USD) program cost includes transportation costs within China for travel to the various sites. Everyone will travel as a group within China.

Insurance: All participants are required to have overseas medical health and emergency evacuation insurance, the cost of which is included in the program costs. The University of Montana will make these purchases for each participant who needs it.

ABA Approval, Academic Credit and Eligibility

ABA Approval | Academic Credit: For Program 1, the American Bar Association Legal Education Committee has approved this program for all six (6) academic credits, which makes these credits eligible towards a J.D. degree at any ABA-accredited law school which chooses to accept them. Acceptance of any credit or grade for any course taken in the program is subject to determination by the student’s home school. The program’s sponsoring law schools have determined that law students must enroll in all (six) 6 credits as a condition for participation. Program 2 does not currently offer academic credit. 

Eligibility: All US law students who have completed their first year of legal studies at a US ABA-accredited law school and who are in good academic standing at their law school are eligible to enroll, although preference will be given to UM and USD students. UM students are in good standing if they have a cumulative GPA of 2.3 or higher; students with a GPA below 2.3 may petition for an enrollment waiver. In addition, non-law students may participate to the extent their universities recognize the academic credits. The University of Montana has approved the program for six (6) graduate credits. Participants are required to comply with their own school’s student disciplinary and honor codes throughout the program, and those failing to do so will be sent home in addition to facing their own school disciplinary sanctions as warranted.

**There are no prerequisites for enrollment in any of the courses in the program.**

Changes, Withdrawals and Refunds

This program is subject to change as to content and location based upon currently unforeseen circumstances including those generally falling within the scope of force majeure events such as natural disaster, war, epidemic illnesses, etc. In addition, the program will be canceled in the event that (1) fewer than 15 US students enroll; (2) China becomes subject to a US State Department travel warning; (3) China imposes any new legal restriction making the program too difficult to administer; or (4) other extreme circumstances. The program’s sponsoring schools are committed not to increase program costs if any changes are needed; and in case of cancellation students will be provided a refund of all monies advanced within twenty days after the cancellation. In the event of cancellation of the program after a deposit has been paid, the Program Director will use his or her best efforts to make arrangements for each student enrolled to attend a similar program, if the student so desires. Students will be promptly notified of the following and given an opportunity to withdraw from the program if (1) major changes are made in the course offerings or other significant aspects of the program; (2) prior to the commencement of the program, a US State Department Travel Warning or Alert covering program dates and destinations is issued for the country in which the program will be conducted; and (3) during the course of the program, a US State Department Travel Warning or Alert covering program dates and destinations is issued for the country in which the program is being conducted. If a student withdraws from the program as permitted prior to the commencement of the program, or if the program is canceled, the student will receive a refund of all monies advanced within twenty days after the cancellation or withdrawal. If a student withdraws from the program as permitted during the course of the program, or if the program is terminated, the student will be refunded fees paid except for room and board payments utilized prior to the date of termination or withdrawal.

Program participants will be provided with current U.S. State Department travel information about China at least once before they depart, along with any updates. In the event that China becomes subject to a US State Department travel warning, all students will be notified through email and other means by the program director. Sponsoring schools will respond immediately to a State Department warning or advisory by canceling or terminating the program; or relocating all or part of the program within the country to any site not subject to such warning or advisory. In addition, the sponsoring schools will seek immediate US Embassy and Consulate help and guidance in response to any such advisory or warning.

Students with Disabilities

This program will make all reasonable efforts to ensure full participation by persons with disabilities, although participants should note that not all facilities, buildings, and transportation are equipped for accessibility.

Emergencies

The program will handle emergencies as any arises. These include medical and safety emergencies. Participants will be asked in connection with their registration to provide emergency contact information. In addition, the program will provide emergency contact information for participant family members who need to communicate with participants in China. To the extent necessary because of exigent circumstances, the program will retain the discretion to discontinue the program before its conclusion and arrange for evacuation from China.

Program Faculty and Program Director

Professor Sam Panarella (Program Director)

Professor Sam Panarella teaches in the areas of business, environmental, and energy law and is the Director of the Max S. Baucus Institute. Before joining the law school faculty, Professor Panarella was the CEO of Crux Consulting, LLC, a legal process and management consulting firm whose clients include the legal departments of several Fortune 500 companies. Prior to that, Professor Panarella was a partner at Stoel Rives LLP, a leading western law firm, where he focused his legal practice on energy law, with a specialty in renewable energy development, and representing public and private companies in large-scale industrial and commercial project development. Professor Panarella clerked for United States 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Otto R. Skopil, Jr. before entering private practice. Professor Panarella was selected for inclusion in the 2007 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Professor Ramón E Ortiz-Vélez

Ramón E Ortiz-Vélez is the Director of Experiential Learning and Senior Lecturer at the University of South Dakota School of Law. He currently teaches in the areas of tax, military, and national security law. He also teaches bankruptcy, tax, and immigration law seminars as part of the Limited License Legal Technician program at the University of Washington. Prior to joining the University of South Dakota, Professor Ortiz- Vélez lectured at the University of Washington School of Law and the University of Phoenix, teaching courses in tax, business law, mediation, and ethics. As a practicing attorney, he was a founding member of Ortiz Gosalia, PLLC; his practice centered in national and international tax and business law, complex estate planning, and immigration. Prior to establishing his law firm, Professor Ortiz-Vélez served as labor contracts negotiator and was the Director of Port Security for one of the largest ports in North America. He also worked for various United States agencies and departments, serving both in the United States and abroad.

Professor Ortiz-Vélez holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Troy State University, a Juris Doctor from Seattle University School of Law, and a Master’s of Law (LLM) in Taxation from the University of Washington School of Law. He is admitted to practice in Washington State and South Dakota and is a member of Wealthcounsel and the American Immigration Lawyers Association.