Faculty & Staff

Submit a Proposal for a Short-term Study Abroad Program

If you are a faculty member in Gies College of Business, we invite you to consider developing a short-term, study abroad program for Gies Undergraduate students. You can receive assistance with every aspect of your program from the Gies Global Office. Submit a Program Proposal for either a Faculty-led or RSO short-term study abroad program. Please fill out this form every time you plan a program, even if you have run the program previously. Deadline for these forms is May 1 for programs planned for the next academic year. Business sponsored study abroad program must be approved by Dan Anderson, Associate Director of Business Study Abroad.

What We Are Looking For

The Gies Global Office at the Gies College of Business strives to develop high-quality, short-term, study abroad programs that provide our undergraduate students with a good balance of, 1) educational business content, 2) cultural immersion experiences, and 3) recreation activities. We are looking for programs with clear learning objectives developed around an interesting or pertinent business topic, issue or location. As lead faculty you will be responsible for developing the educational content of the program. Our office can help with every other aspect, but you will need be prepared to take responsibility for delivering the educational business content. Therefore, Gies faculty applying to lead a short-term study abroad program, should have some familiarity with the country(ies) being proposed as a destination. Faculty should also have good, strong connections with institutions, companies and individuals at the proposed destination(s).

For the foreseeable future, locations approved for faculty-led programs will be limited by safety concerns and travel restrictions imposed due to the COVID pandemic. Faculty interested in leading programs will work with the Gies Global Office and the International Safety and Security Office (ISS) Gies College of Business to approve locations for travel. That said, Gies Global has a special interest in developing programs that can be repeated annually or bi-annually, if possible. No matter where your program destination is, the main objective is to provide students with a real sense for how business is done in that country, how it differs from business in the U.S., and what are the cultural realities beyond what mere tourists experience during a visit.

Your program should include a minimum of 10 College of Business undergraduate students, and so, you will need to develop a program that will be attractive to an adequate number of Gies students. You will be expected to help promote and market the program. In most cases, Business Programs are for Business students only, but non-Business students can be accepted to Gies programs. Faculty that develop strong, interesting programs and start their planning with the Gies Global office early will have the best chance of receiving approval. The deadline to apply is May 1. This date will give the Business International Programs office enough time to set up purchase orders and airline tickets. This date will also provide you with adequate time to develop the program and market it to Business students at the Business Study Abroad Fair which happens during the first few weeks of the fall semester.

Once Your Program Proposal is Accepted

Once your program is approved we will develop an on-line student application, and assist you with marketing your program. Student application deadlines are September 15 (Winter trips), November 15 (Spring trips) and February 15 (Summer trips). Students wishing to participate will need to apply online. Please direct interested students to go to Illinois Abroad and Global Exchange, select “Programs” then “Program Search” and find the “city” in the pull-down menu. Then “click” on the program name. Please check with the Gies Global Office to make sure that your students have completed their application. Each chaperone leading a Gies College of Business trip will need to register for travel insurance, which includes providing emergency contact information. Wait to receive further instructions.

If you are considering requesting that an individual accompany you during the program who is not associated with the program or University, please read the University’s Education Abroad & International Policies, specifically, Guidelines for Individuals Accompanying Study Abroad Programs. The University and College of Business Study Abroad Program have very clear and transparent policies regarding guests accompanying groups traveling with UI Programs. Examples are – spouses, partners, friends, relatives, children, colleagues (university and non-university affiliated), etc. Including guests is generally discouraged. Any guest must be approved by Gies Global office.

As a faculty leader or chaperone you are generally expected to fly with the group from Chicago to the program destination. From time to time faculty leaders and/or chaperones must, or desire to, travel apart from the group, for reasons not associated with the program. The policy for reimbursement in these circumstances is very specific. Please review the policy – faculty reimbursement policy – if you are considering traveling apart from the group for any reason.

Other Information

Students are required to attend a Health & Safety presentation before the trip.

Faculty leaders and chaperones are required to complete chaperone training orientations before participation in a program. All leaders and chaperones are contacted regarding the training approximately two months prior to leaving.

After receiving the BUS Study Tour Form, Business International Programs will purchase travel insurance for your group of students. Trip Leader and chaperone insurance is purchased separately. The University requires mandatory purchase of travel insurance for all participants. If necessary, email your CFOAPL to Katie Johnston arrange for payment for the travel insurance and study abroad fees.

  • Insurance costs for 0-16 days is $75 per student or chaperone
  • Insurance costs for 17-45 days is $90 per student or chaperone
  • In addition to the insurance cost, the campus study abroad office charges each student a $100 Study Abroad fee. There is no study abroad fee for chaperones.
  • Gies College of Business Study Abroad Program does not charge an additional application fee.

Other useful documents that can be found on the University of Illinois Study Abroad Website including the Intent to Divert Form, which students fill out if they plan to divert from the rest of the group.

If you have any emergencies on the trip, it is important to contact Nicole Lamers at 217-244-7245 as soon as possible. You can also contact the 24-hour Illinois Study Abroad Emergency Number, 217-333-1216.

Finances

As faculty leader, all your program related expenses will be covered.

Scholarship information can be found on the University of Illinois Study Abroad website. The most common scholarship for short-term programs is the I4I scholarship. I4I deadlines are generally in September for winter and spring trips and in February for summer and fall trips.

If you would like your students to be able to apply for loans, you will need to work with Dan Anderson to create a program budget that the students can bring with them to the Financial Aid office. For short-term programs, students are generally only eligible for private loans.

Chaperones

If you work in Gies College of Business and are interested in being considered as a chaperone for a trip, please contact Nicole Lamers. 

Other Resources