PACE UNIVERSITY
GUIDELINES for
Faculty Led
TRAVEL COURSES
2011 - 2012
9/13/10
TRAVEL COURSE GUIDELINES
Objectives
The primary objectives of a Pace sponsored international travel course are to
provide Pace University students with an opportunity to study abroad, even
briefly, and to encourage Pace faculty to expand their international interests,
skills, and experience.
As the number and scope of these activities expand, it is vital that there be
some basic guidelines to help faculty and department chairs develop
programs and courses. The guidelines are not viewed as rigid requirements.
Rather, they are meant to provide a planning framework. In specific
instances, and with mutual agreement among units (e.g., schools, Office of
International Programs & Services (OIPS), Office of Student Assistance
(OSA), Finance & Administration, Risk Management & Legal Counsel) they
may be applied more flexibly.
Guidelines
1.
Structure of a Pace Sponsored Travel Course
 A travel course should consist of Pace classes (either traditional or
online or hybrid) and the international experience. The travel portion
could be considered the field experience or lab of the course.
Participants are enrolled in the course for the duration of the academic
term. The travel portion is typically between 1 – 4 weeks and may
take place during spring break linked to a spring semester course,
during January linked to a fall or spring course or late May or early
June linked to a spring course. Generally the trip is a required part of
the course, but it may be optional at the discretion of the instructor.
2.
Faculty leading travel courses
 Faculty members conducting a travel course should be a full time
faculty member and have the approval of their Department Chair and
Dean or Associate Dean. Adjunct faculty and staff members should
not be the lead faculty member in a travel course. Exceptions must be
made by the Dean or Associate Dean.
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 Faculty should be permitted to participate in only one travel course
per year. Exceptions must be made by the Dean or Associate Dean.
 Faculty leading a travel course should have sufficient experience with
the culture of the host country/location, have previously visited the
destination(s) and/or have contacts and/or know the language.
Exceptions may take place when it is determined that a faculty may
have transferrable relevant experience, skill level and support of local
agents. Faculty are encouraged to take part in travel courses as
“associates” before leading a course themselves.
 It is required that there are 2 responsible individuals participating in
each trip – the faculty member and an associate, adjunct or a suitable
staff person. Any exceptions must be approved and documented with
the OIPS. Faculty must possess the personal qualities that are needed
for a trip to be successful, a high level of commitment to organizing
and leading the project, organizational skills, resourcefulness and a
readiness to provide a level of personal guidance to students the is
beyond the expectations of the traditional classroom. Faculty or staff
who take part in a travel course should have basic orientation/training
on traveling abroad with students In turn, faculty members are
required to provide an orientation to the students enrolled in the
course.
 In general, we discourage spouses, other family members, or
significant others of faculty/staff/course leaders taking part in the
travel course. Because of the intense nature of the short term
program, faculty leaders are expected to spend time with the students
and not with a guest. It is mandatory that during the planned part of
the program that at least one course leader travel with the students at
all times. Faculty do not have to be with the students during free time
but should advise students to let them know where they are going and
when they will return.
3.
Academic Content of a Travel Course
 Set forth specific learning tasks and goals for student that integrate
critical inquiry, course materials and active learning into the travel
course.
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 Pre-trip readings dealing with issues relevant to sites that will be
visited must be required.
 Student assessments are to be based on a written assignment(s), such
as a paper, exams, journal, log, or other projects, and on participation
in class and during international study visits.
 Expectations for graduate students should be higher than those for
undergraduate students.
 When a course is team-taught, both faculty members should be
present for the travel orientation class meetings.
4.
Planning, Authorization and Support for Travel Courses
 Planning should begin at least 18 months prior to the start of the
semester the course will be offered. During planning stages, faculty
and staff members are encouraged to consult with their Department
Chair, Associate Dean and the OIPS . Collaboration among the
various schools of the University is encouraged.
 A detailed proposal for a travel course must be made by a faculty
member to his or her Department Chair. This proposal must include
the Faculty Application for Conducting a Travel Course. Faculty
should present a complete (though perhaps tentative) plan for the
travel portion of the course, departure date, specific destinations
(cities, sites), accommodations, method of transportation (air, rail,
bus) return date. A tentative budget (prepared on the travel course
budget form) should be completed taking into account all trip
expenses including the cost of materials, admission fees for museums,
performances and other items of the like. For planning purposes,
contact a Pace approved travel vendor for trip costs. Be sure to
include faculty(s) expenses as all of these expenses will determine the
travel fee charged to the students. Once the proposed course is
accepted by the Department Chair and Dean (if your school requires),
it must then be forwarded to the OIPS for the budget to be approved.
The approval process may be adjusted by individual schools.
 Each travel course must have a minimum enrollment of 12 students
however exceptions may be made with approval of the Dean or
Associate Dean so long as courses have at least 10 students and are
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financially stable. The full direct costs of the study trip, that is, all
expenses not including tuition must be covered by the travel fee
charged to the students. The program must break even, at a minimum.
All expenses for the travel portion (excluding faculty salaries) are to
be paid from the trip revenue (the travel fee charged to the student).
An additional 5% - 10% of the total expenses will be charged to the
budget for university overhead. This overhead will help defer costs
associated with marketing the programs and other administrative costs
such as currency fluctuation, faculty expenses, wire transfer fees,
emergency costs and to cover potential losses.
 Faculty salaries are covered by the academic department. If the
course is part of a teaching load, then faculty salary is already covered
by the department and generally the faculty will not receive additional
pay. However, if additional pay appears warranted, faculty should
discuss the matter with their Department Chair, as the salary would
need to be built into the fee structure.
 Faculty members must pay attention to financial, legal, safety, and
procedural issues.
 Documents publicizing travel courses must be approved by
Department Chairs and the OPIS for consistency in information.
 Faculty will be responsible for notifying students of the student
procedures for participating in a travel course and work closely with
the OIPS in collecting student payments, required forms, and travel
documents.
 The OIPS will monitor and track all revenue and expenses for each
travel course, collect all student documents, and notify the Office of
General Services to finalize travel/accident insurance coverage.
5.
Travel Medical Insurance
 All enrolled students, faculty and alumni participating in Pace
University sponsored international field study courses are covered by
the Pace University group medical insurance policy. This group
policy serves as the primary insurance and accident coverage
(secondary individual policies and plans may or may not be valid
overseas – please check with your personal carrier). A summary of
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insurance is available for students and faculty leaders should have a
copy of the complete policy.
6.
Risk and Safety Preparations
 Sound management of risks can help protect students from harm.
Careful planning for possible risks is invaluable.
 Faculty are required to have an international phone and provide the
telephone number to the OIPS either before departure or upon arrival
and activation of the phone.
 Safety of our students and faculty are of the utmost importance.
Faculty should strongly encourage students to read thoroughly and to
take seriously the risk and safety information of current events in the
countries in which they will be visiting. You and your students should
become familiar with the infectious diseases to which you may be
exposed. With this knowledge you may modify behavior to avoid
contracting infections and obtain necessary medications and/or
vaccinations before departure. Require students to visit websites such
as http://www.state.gov (travel advisory and country specific
information) , http://www.cdc.gov (immunization guide for foreign
travel), www.OSAC.gov (crime and safety report)
https://www.tripprep.com/scripts/main/default.asp
 Faculty should monitor the US Department of State’s Travel Advisory
at http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html. If there is a “Travel
Warning” to the country in which you intend to travel, it is
recommended that the trip be cancelled however consultation with the
OIPS, Risk Management and University Counsel is required.

If a lesser warning - “Travel Advisory or Travel Alert” - is issued for
a particular country faculty must consult with the OIPS and Risk
Management to determine if it is prudent to proceed with travel plans.
 The OIPS in consultation with the Deans, Provost, and President,
Director of Risk Management and University Counsel reserves the
right to cancel or suspend a travel course for safety reasons deemed
appropriate.
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 Emergencies: It is critical that you have plans in place, prior to your
departure, for managing an emergency while you are abroad. You are
responsible to carry emergency contact information for all program
participants at all times, no matter what their age or status. A copy of
this information will also be available in the OIPS. You will be given
a list of campus emergency contacts should you need to reach anyone
on campus.
 In case of an emergency, notify one of the emergency contacts on
campus within 6 hours. The OIPS can serve to guide you during such
situations.
 Know the contact information for the closest American consulates in
each location in your itinerary.
 Know the location of the nearest emergency medical service and the
phone numbers for emergency medical service and police for each
stop in the trip itinerary.
 On Site Orientation – You are required to have a mandatory group
meeting upon arrival at each new location and discuss health, safety,
security and other risks. Provide students with information on
medical care nearby, risks of harm or exposure to disease, political
climate, challenges caused by poor roads, risks of crime and behaviors
to avoid, risks of terrorism, proper response for natural or other
disasters. You should take this time to set up a crisis response
protocol and identify a primary and secondary meeting place in
the event of an emergency. Although you may have discussed this
information with students before departure, once the students
have seen how different the program location is from their home
campus, they will be more likely to pay close attention to this
important information.
7.
Pre-Departure Orientation for Students
 Having students well prepared prior to leaving the country is critical
to the success of the course. In cooperation with the OIPS, schedule
two meetings, one within the first 2 weeks of the semester and one
shortly before trip departure. Preferably you will have a
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 number of meetings during which you can set out your expectations,
logistical issues, academic overview, cultural issues, health and safety,
packing/dress standards, money, time differences, telephone usage, as
well as give the students time to get to know you and one another.
 Advise students about where to learn about visa requirements.
 Discuss with participants what they can expect, local conditions and
customs, potential risks, cultural and culinary differences and packing
advice.
 Discuss and provide a written copy of the U.S. Dept. of State countryspecific information.
 Provide each participant with a complete travel itinerary, including all
contact information.
8. Student Participation Requirements
 The minimum number of students on any travel course is 12, however
exceptions may be made with approval of the Dean or Associate Dean
so long as courses have at least 10 students and are financially stable.
It is recommended that no more than 30 students take part in any
travel course trip. The final decision on the minimum or maximum
number of students is made by the Associate Dean.
 Students must be in good standing and not currently on disciplinary
probation. Graduate students should have a GPA of 3.0 and
undergraduates should have a GPA of 2.0.
 Participants may be matriculated or non-matriculated students;
preference may be given to matriculated students if the course is
filled.
 All participating students must be registered for the appropriate
course.
 Students must hold a valid passport, sign a waiver and release form,
complete a medical information form, submit 2 copies of travel
documents (passport, visa, etc).
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
Students will be responsible for complying with all international
travel, insurance, and medical requirements.

Faculty will advise students to adhere to the fee payment schedule set
up by the OIPS.
 For January travel courses –
$1000 deposit due by October 1, Balance due December 1
 For March travel courses –
$1000 deposit due by December 1, Balance due February 1
 For May/June travel courses –
$1000 deposit due by February 1, Balance due April 1
9. Travel Arrangements
 Faculty members are required to use Pace University pre-approved
travel vendors for all travel arrangements.
 Faculty will make all travel arrangements directly with the travel
vendors, taking into account deadlines for payments, cancellation
deadlines and travel requirements. Faculty will communicate travel
arrangements with the OIPS. Travel invoices must be approved by
the lead faculty first and then submitted to the OIPS for payment,
mindful of payment processing time of 7-10 days.
 All student payments and payments to travel vendors will be
processed through the OIPS.
10. Traveling and Availability to Students
 Upon arrival in country, encourage students to contact their parents or
other family members to let them know they’ve arrived safely.
 Faculty should contact the OIPS by phone or email that all
participants have arrived safely.
 Faculty should be prepared to provide assistance to students on a daily
basis for personal as well as academic difficulties. Faculty may be
confronted with issues as diverse as illness, homesickness, accidents,
sexual harassment, drunkenness, relationship issues and loss/theft of
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property. Provide an on-site orientation upon arrival. Particularly
during the first few days when students are dealing with adjustments
to housing, food, currency and classes, your availability and concern
are crucial. Faculty should establish instructions regarding who
students should contact with various concerns.
 Some topics require emphasis upon arrival and later reinforcement
(such as disciplinary issues) or discussion (such as alcohol
consumption/abuse, dating/sex) throughout the program. Some
students may require more guidance and support than others.
 Faculty will report any incidents or student misconduct within 24
hours to the OIPS. All incidents or misconduct require a completed
incident report form submitted to the OIPS upon return.
11. Communicating with Campus
 The faculty leader will be given a list of campus contacts with a
designated administrator. Please stay in contact with the administrator
during your travels especially regarding any mishaps, accidents or
other emergencies that concern individual students. In the case of an
international incident, even if it does not involve your program or
students, faculty must contact the administrator within 6 hours to
provide on the scene information. Parents are often alarmed by news
reports of incidents anywhere in the host country or region and call
campus offices for reassurance and details.
12. Faculty Expenses
Each travel course operates a little differently but there are some
general rules that apply.
 An estimate of most faculty expenses should have been included in
the approved budget (e.g., group activities, entrance fees, etc).
Faculty will complete a travel and expense reimbursement form for all
expenses incurred. All receipts should be included along with the
currency converter rate per day (visit www.oanda.com). Travel and
Expense forms should be submitted to OIPS within 30 days of trip
completion.
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 The most important thing to remember is that all expenses must be
program related and in order to be reimbursed for any programrelated expenses, you must have some sort of receipt. Credit card
receipts only are not acceptable. Receipts must be translated from
the local language to English. It is highly advisable to note a simple
description for the expense on the receipt. Receipts that are not
deemed program related will not be reimbursed.
 Reasonable reimbursable faculty expenses include:
 Food, beverages and transportation, with receipts, will be
reimbursed up to $50 per day.
 If using your own car for transportation to and from airport, you
will be reimbursed at the current University rate.
 Taxicabs should be used only for relatively short distances. A
bus or limousine, if available and convenient, should be used
for longer distances.
 Reasonable tips for special services of porter, bellhops, etc. are
reimbursable. Tips for meals and taxis should be included in the
cost of those items.
 Telephone; sim cards or fees for international service, personal
phone calls are limited to 1 personal call per day.
 Currency conversion fees with bank documentation.
 Note: Expenses for personal items, personal entertainment and
recreation, insurance, etc. are NOT reimbursable as necessary
travel expenses.
 Gifts or honorarium to hosts or international partners must be preapproved well in advance of travel.
 Non reimbursable expenses include: alcohol, personal items,
excessive tipping.
 Completed travel and expense reimbursement forms should be
submitted to the OIPS for review & approval and will be submitted to
Finance and Administration for payment.
 Because all travel courses are self-supporting, there are no extra funds
to be used if a program runs over budget.
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 Cash Advance – To receive a cash advance, you must submit a
detailed description of what you will use the cash advance for. ALL
CASH ADVANCES MUST BE RECONCILED WITH PROPER
RECEIPTS WITHIN 30 DAYS OF TRIP COMPLETION.
13. Student Opinion Survey
 A student opinion survey regarding the travel course will be sent to
each student upon their return. Results of the student opinion survey
will be sent to faculty, Deans and Associate Deans and administrators
that participated in the travel course.
14. Final Accounting
 The OIPS will provide a final accounting of each travel course at the
conclusion of the fiscal year.
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