Building a New Program

To begin the process of building a program, you will need to meet with your department chair/school director, the designated college program manager, and Pam Hendrix Center for Education Abroad leadership team to discuss program concept.

Each college has a designated college program manager to support education abroad. You can find the appropriate contact here. The initial meeting should include:

• Faculty director's motivation behind the desired program
• Academic learning outcomes, targeted majors/minors, and degree applicability
• Benefits that can justify the courses and the desired location
• Program location information, including any health and safety concerns

When meeting with the PHCEA leadership team, you will discuss the academic vision, program feasibility, risk management, institutional alignment, and roles and responsibilities.

• Email fdprograms@clemson.eduto request a meeting.

*Assuming the decision is made to proceed with building a program, access to the pre-proposal will be available during the dates listed below in step 2.

The Pre-Program Proposal consists of:

• Acknowledgment of Faculty Director Roles and Responsibilities and Proposal and Implementation Timeline
• Program Overview and Motivation for Program Development
• Learning Outcomes and Target Student Population
• Proposed Program Details:
• Proposed Course work
• Program Location Information
• Proposed Program Term/Dates

Pre-Proposal Opening and Closing Dates:

July 15 ^th
Opening date for spring semester pre-proposal application

October 15 ^th

Closing date for spring semester pre-proposal application

November 15 ^th

Opening date for Fall/Fall Break/Winter/Spring Break/Summer program pre-proposal application

February 15 ^th

Closing date for Fall/Fall Break/Winter/Spring Break/Summer program pre-proposal application

Each pre-proposal is reviewed by sponsoring department/school, PHCEA, and college global engagement committee

If the pre-proposal is approved by all parties, faculty directors will be required to complete a full program proposal. This proposal will include planned on-site experiences, identified suppliers, any contracts or master service agreements, and more. Consult with your college business office regarding establishing vendor relationships and negotiating supplier agreements.

Program Supplier Information

Any units or individuals supporting the education abroad program and being paid directly by Clemson University will be considered university suppliers. Program provider organizations, logistics vendors, and/or host institutions are a few examples that may fall into this category.

• Program Suppliers Selection
  Suppliers must be carefully vetted and selected based on their ability to fulfill program requirements and maintain a good business reputation. The selection of suppliers to support education abroad programs is conducted in consultation between the faculty director and the College Program Manager. The following resources are available to guide the selection process.
• Education Abroad Program Supplier Rolodex
• Guidelines for Requesting for Supplier Program Proposal(s)

• Program Supplier Registration
  All suppliers must be registered as a supplier through Clemson’s Procurement Business Services in order to receive any payments from Clemson University.
  
  • Supplier Registration - Procurement and Business Services
• Program Supplier Contracts
  Clemson University does not require a contract when working with suppliers. However, some suppliers may require contracts to supply services to programs. All contracts must be signed by the Director of Procurement prior to receipt of the first invoice from the supplier. If the supplier(s) supporting the program does require a contract, please use the resources below to adhere to process requirements.

• Education Abroad Program Contract Guidelines
• Education Abroad Contract Review and Signature Process

• Program-Specific Risk Management Plan

All faculty directors must complete and submit a site-specific risk management Plan (Contingency Plan) using a template linked below:

• Education Abroad Program Risk Management Plan Template

Faculty directors will build a preliminary budget with the support from the college program manager and college's budget office. Upon completion, the PHCEA will audit and approve all preliminary and final program budgets and associated program fees.

Budget Building Resources

When building the preliminary and final program budgets, please use the resources below:

• Budget template worksheets (choose the appropriate term-specific template)
  • Summer Program Template
  • Short-Term / Embedded Program Template
  • Semester Program Template
• Budget Creation Checklist
• Budget creation video
• Box Folder Creation and Structure Guidelines
• Program Cost Saving Considerations
• Budget Review Process Overview
• Financial Processes FAQ

Program Enrollment Best Practices

Recruiting participants for an education abroad program is one of the primary responsibilities of the faculty director. Below is a document outlining best practices for recruiting students and reviewing student applications.

• Program Recruitment and Admissions Best Practices

Student Withdrawal

All students participating in a faculty-directed education abroad program are required to sign the financial policy document within their program application. By withdrawing, students may incur a financial penalty based on the time of withdrawal. The college(s) sponsoring the program and faculty directed will be expected to follow the student withdrawal workflow outlined below. Action steps include completing the provided form to indicate the financial penalty owed by the student and notification to the withdrawn student.

• PHCEA FD Student Withdrawal Workflow
• Financial Penalty Notification Email Template

Program-Specific Pre-departure Orientation

All faculty directors are required to conduct a program-specific pre-departure orientation. The format of the program-specific orientation is at the discretion of the faculty director. This orientation should be designed to support academic and cultural preparation, as well as group cohesion. A list of recommended topics to discuss and template slides for program-specific pre-departure orientations are available below.

• Student Pre-Departure Orientation Tips & Best Practices