Faculty & Staff
The Office of International Education is proud to support the entirety of Buffalo State's Campus including faculty and professional staff. We proudly collaborate with a variety of offices and departments here on campus to ensure a compatible, sustainable, and comprehensive plan for internationalization.
SUNY Buffalo State International Travel Guidelines
Faculty Traveling Internationally
Faculty traveling as an agent of the institution, are automatically covered under our general liability and educators legal liability policies. If during your travels you are involved in an incident (motor vehicle accident, death or bodily injury, medical emergency, political unrest necessitating repatriation or other), please contact the Office of Global Engagement immediately by email studyaway@buffalostate.edu or by telephone at +1-716-225-1358. It is highly recommended that staff traveling on university business enroll in the full SUNY insurance program
Faculty-Led, International Travel with Students
According to the Oct 28, 2016 policy announcement by Provost Perreault, all international travel with students must be coordinated through the Global Engagement unit. It is crucial that our efforts be organized to ensure that the institution is indemnified and that our risk-mitigation plan is respected.
Leading a Study Away Program
The Office of International Education is pleased to work with faculty to develop and administer faculty-led study away programs for undergraduate and graduate students. Faculty-led programs are credit-bearing study abroad experiences that are developed and led by Buffalo State faculty and/or staff. These programs deliver specific Buffalo State courses and are completed partially or entirely abroad. Time spent abroad generally ranges from one to eight weeks. Faculty-led programs are a valuable tool in promoting campus internationalization at Buffalo State and provide affordable international experiences to our students.
Buffalo State faculty are invited to propose and plan faculty-led credit-bearing study abroad programs in collaboration with the Office of International Education. There is a lot of work involved in developing and conducting a successful faculty-led study abroad program. Below you will find the Faculty-Led Program Handbook, a document that will serve as a crucial resource for you as you develop your program.
A faculty-led program is an academic program with an international component. Generally these programs last between one to eight weeks. Preference is given to programs that take place over J-term or Summer Term. Proposals for study and service learning abroad should originate with faculty/staff and carry the endorsement of the appropriate department chair. The Director of International Education welcomes early, informal consultation by faculty/staff and units for program planning and encourages coordinated programming among departments.
The addition of new programs abroad is dependent upon an analysis of several factors, including: how the program will add to existing overseas programs (academically, geographically, etc.) degree to which the geographic location is appropriate to student learning objectives, feasibility of logistical arrangements, clear evidence of student interest in the country / academic program offered provisions for the health, welfare and safety of program participants and faculty/staff program cost per student likelihood that program will be financially viable (i.e. self-sustaining) effectiveness as an internationalizing and cross-cultural experience for participants.
In addition to ensuring that the program proposed is not directly in competition with existing programs, it is very important to do some informal research to determine the level of student interest in both the geographic region and the academic program planned. The basis of any successful overseas academic program is a large base of qualified and interested potential participants.
Faculty MUST work with one of our approved partner companies to provide an optimal experience for students and staff alike. These partners have dedicated teams and experience with coordinating international group travel. In addition to their helpful resources, they provide necessary emergency and support services to ensure the group's safety while abroad.
To propose a short-term study or service-learning program overseas, please complete the Study/Service-Learning Program Abroad Proposal Form. Program proposals should be submitted for approval no less than 1 year (12 months) prior to the intended departure date.
Students applying to study away programs must complete an online application, through the Buffalo State application portal. The application requires the student to provide contact information, an essay describing the academic and personal benefits of participating in the program, two academic references, official college transcripts and to pay a non-refundable $40 application fee. Once accepted, a student is required to submit a deposit to indicate their commitment to participate.
The application may be amended for particular programs at the request of the faculty program director; for instance, the topic of the essay may be changed or one of the references may be waived. Any changes to the application requirements must be approved by the director of international education. For programs run in cooperation with another college/university, the receiving institution may have their own required application form.
For all programs, the application forms are submitted by applicants to the Office of International Education. The program director and the Office of International Education must determine together the application deadline, as well as whether applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis or on a set date. Some faculty may also be interested in brief interviews (15-20 minutes). These may be conducted by phone, if necessary. Faculty directors will be expected to help manage the application review in conjunction with the Office of International Education.
A procedure for the review of completed applications must be established by the program director and the Director of International Education prior to any advertisement of the program.
All faculty or staff leading a study abroad program must be covered by Buffalo State's international health insurance. In collaboration with United Health, SUNY provides a comprehensive health insurance plan that will provide consistent health insurance coverage and emergency assistance for Buffalo State faculty and staff abroad.
The plan's coverage gives access to reliable global medical services while traveling internationally, which will minimize the risk of health related problems abroad. Additionally, this coverage provides assistance in cases where medical evacuation services are deemed necessary.
Publicity and Recruitment
Publicity and recruitment are vital to the success of any program abroad. Faculty/staff members work cooperatively with the Office of International Education to develop and implement a publicity and recruitment plan. Please note that recruitment should not begin until a program has been fully approved by academic departments and the Office of International Education.
Please note: Whether a program is limited to Buffalo State students or whether it is open to students from other SUNY and/or private schools is the decision of the person proposing the program. If you plan to recruit students from other institutions, you must ensure that there will be a portion of participants from Buffalo State, as the primary reason for Buffalo State to offer overseas academic programs is to benefit Buffalo State students.
Publicity and recruitment plans generally include the following:
Program Brochure
A brochure is designed to provide potential applicants with detailed information concerning the program’s location, content, number of credits, field trips, costs, dates and how to obtain further information.
Recruitment Via the Web
After approval of the program OIE will request collaboration for creating an online brochure through the study abroad database. This includes submitting a written description of program highlights, a detailed itinerary, pictures and videos.
Faculty Contacts
One of the best ways to recruit participants is to have faculty members announce/promote programs in their classes. Immediately after the program proposal is approved, the program director should review the Buffalo State master schedule for the upcoming semester and make note of faculty teaching courses whose content relates to the overseas program. Faculty members at other institutions should be included as well if the program is open to non-Buffalo State students. The program director should contact each faculty member to request assistance in promoting the overseas program. Brochures and applications should be sent as soon as they are available.
Classroom Visits
An even better recruitment method is for the program director to make brief (5-10 minutes) presentations in the courses identified above. Your enthusiasm about the program and knowledge of the particulars will gain the students’ interest and potentially lead to increased applications. The classroom visits should be conducted after the online brochure has gone live, so students have access to complete program information. Classroom visits should be conducted in both the fall and spring semesters for summer programs, and in the preceding spring and fall semester for January intersession programs.
Information Sessions
At least one program information session should be held prior to the application deadline for each program. The sessions usually last an hour and can be tied into a regularly schedule OIE info-session. Information sessions offer interested students the opportunity to learn more about the program in an informal setting. Very often the program director will show a Power Point of the program location or a brief video on the academic subject matter to be studied. A representative of the Office of International Education is in attendance to provide information about financial aid and answer administrative and procedural questions about the application process and program participation.
General Campus Publicity
The OIE will post your flyers on the Buffalo State campus to promote your programs abroad. We will display them at information tables in various campus locations throughout the academic year. OIE will promote short-term programs through general study abroad information sessions, one-on-one advising, and through SUNY-wide study abroad fairs, if appropriate. The faculty program director is expected to attend a study away fair once during the semester preceding the application deadline to promote the program.
Processing of Information Requests
International Education handles all inquiries relating to overseas programs. The program brochure, website, and all promotional materials will list our office as the source for further information for any program abroad. Most questions concerning programs abroad are answered by international education staff; occasionally a question may be referred to the program director for response.
Costs
Program leaders should not share cost information with students until approved to do so by the Office of International Education. International Education will create the budget for all programs based on the figures provided by the program leader.
Information for Academic Advisors
Overview
Academic Advisors are encouraged to help students formulate a proposed program of study for the student's time on study abroad or exchange and to discuss with the student how this coursework will factor into their degree program at Buffalo State. All courses the student is considering taking abroad must be listed on the Academic Advisement Form with an equivalent Buffalo State department, course number, and purpose of the course (i.e. general education / intellectual foundations / major or minor requirement / major or minor elective / all college elective).
Students must obtain signatures on the Academic Advisement Form from their academic advisor, department chair, and the Office of Financial Aid. If a class they're wishing to substitute in doesn't fall under your department, they must get that department chair's signature as well.
Please note that students planning to use financial aid toward their international program MUST take coursework that directly applies to their Buffalo State degree program to remain eligible for aid. It is the student's responsibility to ensure the coursework taken abroad will fulfill degree requirements. We ask that the student's academic advisor and department chair assist the student by only approving courses that apply to the student's degree program - this can be required general education courses, intellectual foundations courses, major or minor requirements, major or minor electives, or all college elective courses that satisfy graduation requirements.
Sample topics to discuss with your student:
- Make a general academic plan by discussing all the courses that you need to take from now until the time you graduate.
- Determine the best possible time(s) for study abroad.
- Ask if there are any requirements that should or should not be taken abroad. For example, are there classes that you need that are only offered during certain semesters on Buffalo State’s campus? Are there some requirements, such as language or cultural studies courses that make sense to take abroad if you can? Are you able to keep any general elective courses open to be satisfied during your time abroad?
- Discuss courses offered on the program(s) you’re interested in participating in. Work to determine how courses offered abroad will satisfy degree requirements (i.e. intellectual foundations courses, specific major or minor courses, or elective requirements needed for graduation).
- Discuss any policies you should be aware of that you might be impacted by your plans to study abroad. For example, some departments require students to submit an academic appeal if they are planning to study away during their final semester. If you are planning to study away during your final semester, will you be required to submit an academic appeal in order to gain approval to do so?
- Plan not only for your semester abroad but for the following semester as well. If you are studying abroad for a semester or academic year, you will be unable to register for the semester following your study abroad program until you have the necessary PIN. Make plans to get this PIN before or while you are away so that you are not held up when trying to enroll in classes for the following semester.
- Coordinate a meeting with the Office of International Education to discuss requirements, deadlines, and options.
Request a Classroom Presentation
The Office of International Education welcomes requests to conduct customized study away classroom presentations. Presentations are facilitated by our staff for 10-30 minutes. Topics can include program options and requirements, applying coursework taken abroad, finances and scholarships, and how to apply.
Requests may be sent to studyaway@buffalostate.edu with the following details:
- Preferred Date w/Start and End Time (please list 3 options if possible)
- Class Name and Location
- Presentation Details (requested areas of focus)
Please submit requests at least 2 weeks prior to the desired presentation date. We will contact you to confirm the presentation date and time.