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Leader and Participant Policies

Leader and Participation Polic

Faculty-Led Leader and Participant Policies

Co-Leaders

NDSU Students are best served when there are two leaders, and it is the strong recommendation that program planning includes the costs for two leaders. It is not always necessary for the second leader to educate the students in a formal capacity as the faculty of record will take that roll, however the co-leader has official responsibilities for the group including, but not limited to, assisting with co-curricular activities, logistics, risk management, finances, and student mentoring. Co-leaders should submit a signed contract agreed upon by the primary leader. This informal contract delineates the co-leader's role in the program up front so that all parties are comfortable with their expectations. All co-leaders must follow all NDSU policies for hiring, including Policy 110 Employment of Relatives.

Leaders of faculty-led programs may be:
  1. NDSU faculty, staff, or graduate students.
    • All NDSU affiliated leaders must be approved by their supervisor and/or the Chair/Head of their department to attend.
    • NDSU faculty, staff, or graduate student co-leaders do not receive direct compensation, but their costs are covered by the program budget.
  2. A site expert, scholar, or professional contracted from other institutions in the U.S. or the destination country who are contracted/hired by NDSU to act in a leadership capacity.
    • Information about the suitability of the leader will be provided as part of the faculty-led proposal; leaders are asked to include a description of the value added to the students by their leadership, as well as their expertise of the host culture.
    • It will also be important to indicate why this person is more suitable candidate than other faculty or staff at NDSU.
    • Non-NDSU affiliated leaders must be hired by NDSU to act in an official leadership capacity or complete the volunteer service forms through NDSU. Co-leaders who are paid by funds through the sponsoring department will be hired by the academic department, while co-leaders that are funded using program-related funds will be hired through ISSAS. The compensation is minimal as their costs are covered by the program budget, see below.
    • The following guidelines will help you to determine the suitability of the co-leader for the program and whether compensation above program expenses may be acceptable:
      • Is this person teaching any portion of the course, whether at NDSU or on-site due to their academic knowledge? If yes, then this person may be hired as a guest lecturer and paid, as needed.
      • Is the person (not a provider) a site expert that also makes logistical arrangements for the program on behalf of NDSU? If yes, then this person may have the potential to be hired, but at the minimum their costs would be covered for leading the program.
      • Is the person facilitating the experience on the ground (chaperoning) due to their knowledge of the location(s)? If yes, then their costs would be covered for leading the program and the potential for a per diem to cover incidentals would be appropriate.

Unaffiliated Travelers

Leaders act as guardians of the academic integrity of the program and must ensure that only participants who are fully enrolled in the course will be able to participate. Faculty-led programs are NDSU courses that are enhanced by programmatic aspects abroad and are directly funded by the students who participate. Unaffiliated travelers (any individual, including a family member, who is not an NDSU student, leader, or other approved traveler formally affiliated with NDSU) may not participate in study abroad programs or associated activities that are part of the official program experience. Similar to attending a conference or other official travel on behalf of NDSU, only the state employee and students enrolled in the course can be listed on the housing agreement.

Individuals who are not currently affiliated with NDSU may apply as non-degree seeking students to NDSU and enroll in the course in order to participate. Those individuals will be responsible for any tuition for the credits associated with the program. No auditing is allowed as faculty-led programs are experiential in nature and full participation is expected. NDSU is not a travel agency, and having participants who are not fully enrolled and engaged in the experience is detrimental to the learning environment for the entire group.

NDSU Faculty/Staff Participation Procedures

Exceptions are only made for NDSU faculty and staff, as their participation in international experiences helps to bolster interest in international education across NDSU. Any faculty or staff who participate in a faculty-led study abroad program and who are not leading in any capacity will follow these procedures.
  • The faculty/staff member will start the program application and then email Tanya Kramer to request to have the $150 app fee waived and check off any other student-specific requirements.
  • Program billing will go through the International Student and Study Abroad office as it would for any student participant. The faculty or staff may pay the program costs directly to their Campus Connection account. Any arrangements which reduce the cost would be taken into consideration (for example, booking own airfare to use their own miles, if possible).
  • International health insurance will be arranged through CISI as is standard for any participant of the program.
  • Any faculty or staff who are sponsored by a department for participation will not be responsible for the program cost, as it will be paid for by the sponsoring department.