Education Abroad

Proposing a Global Seminar

Education Abroad (EA) at CU Boulder welcomes your interest in developing a Faculty-Led Global Seminar abroad. We are the first level of support for the operation of education abroad programs at CU Boulder. EA staff have years of experience in the establishment and management of education abroad programs and one of our responsibilities is to support schools/colleges, departments, and faculty to propose new education abroad programs for students.

Ready to propose a Global Seminar? Follow the next steps to get started!

Step One: Confirm Your Eligibility to Lead a Global Seminar

CU Boulder Education Abroad Committee Policy Statement on Eligibility to Direct and Teach a Faculty-Led Global Seminar

Faculty-led Global Seminars shall be proposed and led by University of Colorado Boulder faculty involved in the instructional program. The Education Abroad Committee will consider a proposal for a short-term program if the proposer holds appointment (including emeriti) as tenured faculty, tenure-track faculty, assistant teaching professor, associate teaching professor, teaching professor, or research faculty (including institute directors, and clinical and research faculty). Faculty on sabbatical during the fall or/and spring before the summer of the intended Global Seminar are not eligible to propose a program for that summer.

In cases where Schools or Colleges are proposing a program as part of a globalization strategy, the Education Abroad Committee will accept their proposal for faculty directors, without requiring an appeal regarding eligibility, or questioning credentials.

The program must be supervised at the overseas site by a CU Boulder faculty member who shall also serve as the instructor of record for the offered course. The course for the Global Seminar must also be approved by the appropriate Curriculum Committee at CU Boulder.

Additional preferred qualities for a director of a Faculty-led Global Seminar include:

A recognized competence to teach the course being proposed (based on the approval of the department in which the course will be taught),
Academic background appropriate for the focus of the course
Experience teaching a similar course on the Boulder campus
A practical competence to face logistical challenges in the location of the program
A demonstrated responsibility in matters of student health and safety,
A demonstrated ability to recruit students, organize a program, effectively lead a program and report back to Education Abroad,
A willingness to teach and direct the Global Seminar more than once, preferably for at least several years beyond the initial offering, and
An ongoing association with the University of Colorado at Boulder, indicating that the program will continue to be offered after the first year

Policy approved by the Education Abroad Committee on February 11, 2011, amended on September 6, 2013 and further amended on October 26, 2018 and on September 29, 2022.

Step Two: Learn About Faculty Director Responsibilities and Guidelines

Faculty will be responsible for a variety of duties before, during, and after the Global Seminar program. These include, but are not limited to, coordinating on program logistics with the Education Abroad office, ensuring academic approvals, student outreach, supporting student health, safety, and well-being on-site, and, of course, teaching the Global Seminar course. Please read the Global Seminar Faculty Director Responsibilities page for a more comprehensive summary of responsibilities.

Before proceeding, Faculty should also assess the risk of their desired program destination. Visit International Education's High Risk Locations page for more information and assess the risk of your destination using the International Travel Risk Assessment.

Step Three: Meet With Your Department

Meet with your departmental chair or dean to obtain approval for your seminar concept. If approved, the seminar will be a university program sponsored by that department, school, or college.

Step Four: Meet With Education Abroad

Set up a meeting with Education Abroad: you must set up your meeting prior to beginning your program proposal. To request a meeting time, email Stephanie Pund, Director of Global Seminars.

Step Five: Develop Your Proposal

After the meeting, the EA office will open the online proposal application form for you to complete electronically by the appropriate deadline. The proposal application will cover the following topics:

Program Quick Facts: The basics, including program name, location and dates.
Global Seminar Overview: In-depth look at the program, including how the course fits within your academic and in-country expertise, and how you will utilize location-specific on-site resources.
Departmental Support & Recruiting Responsibilities: An overview of how you plan to work with EA, promote the program, and receive support from your academic department.
Budget & Program Fee: An explanation of global seminar budgets and program fees.
Global Seminar On-Site Logistics: Information on daily itinerary, on-site contacts and inclusions (such as housing and excursions) that will help EA in securing a tentative price quote.
Additional Required Documentation: Resume/CV, Course Syllabus, Letter of Support (from Chair or Dean), Tentative Daily Itinerary

EA will work with you to finalize your proposal and then submit it to the Education Abroad Committee (EAC) for approval. The EAC, comprised of faculty appointed by the Deans of the Colleges and Schools, governs all academic programs abroad offered by the EA office. The course(s) must also be reviewed and approved by the appropriate curriculum committee.

Step Six: Submit Your Proposal

Proposal Deadlines

It generally takes 12-18 months before a global seminar can begin once the proposal has been approved. Budgeting, logistics, risk management, academic, and administrative reviews are each time-consuming steps.

The following are the deadlines for submitting faculty-led global seminar proposals:

Deadline for summer programs: March 1 of the preceding year (reviewed by EAC in March/April)
Deadline for winter programs: January 1 of the preceding year (reviewed by EAC in January/February)

Evaluation Criteria
All proposals are evaluated according to:

The ways in which the global seminar complements existing education abroad offerings
The ways in which the global seminar complements existing Global Seminars
The way in which the subject matter of the course is related to your area of academic expertise
The ways in which local resources related to the course’s academic focus are integrated
Your expertise in the country/culture of the global seminar location
the ways in which the global seminar enables students to interact with the host culture and nationals
The support of the academic unit on campus sponsoring the global seminar
The ways in which the global seminar contributes to departmental, school, or college long term strategic goals
Whether or not the course has been approved by the appropriate curriculum committee
The benefits the global seminar provides to CU Boulder students, faculty, and staff
The soundness of the proposal and the likelihood of its long-term success
The repeatability of the global seminar
The financial risk to CU Boulder’s Education Abroad Office
The staff support available from the Education Abroad Office
Health and safety risk factors; please refer to CU Boulder’s International Travel and Programs Policy for information on student travel and potential travel suspensions.

Once your proposal is approved, CU Education Abroad will continue to work closely with you on arranging logistics and providing outreach support to fill and run your program.

Last Updated January 2024