Proposals for faculty-led travel are reviewed by the following committees:

• The Curriculum Implementation Committee (CIC), is charged with overseeing the intellectual content of the college’s curricular offerings. The committee will review the degree to which the academic goals and content of proposed off-campus, faculty-led trip relate to the identified course(s). In the case of required course-based travel, the course will also be subject to approval by CEP and the faculty per standard practice of all course proposals at Bowdoin.
• The “Academic Travel Advisory Group” (ATAG), is composed of a representative from the office of the Dean for Academic Affairs, the Director of International Programs and Off‐Campus Study, and the Procurement and Risk Manager. Representatives from the Office of Student Affairs and a faculty member from CIC will be involved as needed. The committee will review proposals with regard to administrative considerations, in particular safety and funding issues, and will advise the faculty member in the planning and organization of the travel, for example on issues related to insurance and risk management, funding, and student selection.

To propose course‐based travel,

The faculty member(s) shall submit a proposal to cic@bowdoin.edu

The CIC will evaluate the pedagogical and intellectual considerations in a manner similar to the established process for approval of new courses. CIC will then pass its recommendations to ATAG for its review. ATAG will forward its recommendation and CIC’s to the Dean for approval. If the Dean approves, the proposal will then go to CEP for a faculty vote at an upcoming faculty meeting, in the normal manner for approving new courses.

In general, a faculty member proposing course‐based travel should begin this process at least one year in advance. Faculty seeking to lead particularly complex trips are strongly encouraged to begin their planning process in close consultation with CIC and ATAG, whose advice will help faculty anticipate the various pedagogical and administrative issues that must be addressed in the planning process.

To propose co‐curricular travel

The faculty member(s) shall submit a proposal to cic@bowdoin.edu 

The academic component of the proposal will be evaluated by CIC, and the logistical component by ATAG. The CIC and ATAG recommendations will be forwarded to the Dean for review and approval. The one‐ time approval process will be particularly appropriate in the case of annual co‐curricular trips.

CIC will work with faculty to consider several criteria that pertain specifically to the design of travel opportunities. These criteria include:

• a description of the course’s learning goals and an elaboration of the necessity of travel for the accomplishment of these goals (Would a fundamentally similar experience be possible without travel or does travel allow the course to be significantly richer than an on‐campus experience alone?);
• a detailed account of the specific ways in which the travel accomplishes the learning goals of the course as well as the College‐wide goal of affording students enlarged perspectives on the world; this account must include the site‐specific plans for the trip (e.g. lectures, visits to museums, developing connections between trip participants and people and institutions at the destination);
• whether the length and timing of the trip is appropriate for the accomplishment of the course’s pedagogical goals;
• the ways that students will be selected or admitted for the course or for the academic travel, and the projected size of the group.

For co‐curricular travel, CIC will evaluate the proposal using the criteria above, while recognizing the distinction in required curricular travel versus enhancement through co‐curricular travel.

ATAG will work with faculty to address budgetary matters, planning, logistical challenges and risks that go beyond the pedagogical matters that arise in the development of a traditional course to be offered on campus.  ATAG considers the following criteria in evaluating faculty proposals:

• the detailed budget for the international trip, an identification of the available sources of funding (whether from the College, from departmental funding, from students themselves, or from outside funding sources), and a schedule for seeking any necessary funding;
• the necessity of ensuring that academic travel be made accessible to students in a manner that is in keeping with the College’s commitment to supporting students regardless of financial need;
• the identification of outside organizations that could assist in the planning or execution of the trip;
• the rationale for the inclusion of any participants who are not affiliated with Bowdoin, and the identities of any such individuals;
• the assessment of the various hazards that students taking part in the trip may encounter, including health risks, political instability, warfare and other forms of violence, natural disasters, and other risks;
• provisions for medical or other emergencies (including the possibility of evacuation);
• attention to expectations and guidelines for student behavior, and the proposed penalties for violations of those guidelines;
• requirements for visas or other travel documents;
• methods of ensuring that participants complete required forms and releases.

In rare circumstances, it is possible that members of ATAG will conclude that the planned travel poses too large a risk to the student, the faculty member, or the College. In this case, the Dean for Academic Affairs may ask the faculty member to revise the plans for the trip or may withhold permission for Bowdoin students to participate.

Other types of faculty‐led academic travel (e.g. conferences, student/faculty research) are not evaluated by CIC.  Nevertheless, these trips may involve travel of significant complexity and risk. Consequently, faculty are encouraged to consider the following precautions: https://www.bowdoin.edu/finance/travel/protected/international-travel.html

Individual student travel that has been processed and approved through the Student Fellowship Committee is exempt from this notification process.