Faculty-led Travel

Use the Faculty-Led Trip Proposal Template. As indicated on the template, there are two parts to the approval process. Please see the Guidelines for Planning a Trip in the left-hand menu above and consult the Director of Off-Campus Study and International Programs.

1. Preliminary Approval: Please complete part 1 of the Faculty-led Trip Proposal Template and submit it to acadaffs@bowdoin.edu.
   
   
2. Final Approval: Once you receive preliminary approval, complete part 2 of the proposal template, and submit the completed template to cic@bowdoin.edu.

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 a proposed off-campus, faculty-led trip relate to the identified course(s) or, in the case of co-curricular travel, the extent to which the proposed travel enriches the academic experience of students.
• 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 participation.

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. A one‐time approval process may be sufficient in the case of annual co‐curricular trips.

If the travel is course-related and the course is new, the CIC will evaluate the pedagogical and intellectual considerations in a manner similar to the established process for approval of new courses. CIC will 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, trip planning can commence.  (Note: the trip may not be approved, but the course, without the trip, may proceed to CEP for approval and faculty vote at an upcoming faculty meeting, in the normal manner for approving new courses.)

If the course is not new, but the proposed trip portion is new, CIC will review the trip’s significance in light of the pedagogical and intellectual goals of the course. CIC will then pass its recommendations to ATAG for its review. ATAG will forward its recommendation and that of CIC to the Dean for approval.

For Course-related Travel, CIC will evaluate proposals via the following considerations:

• a description of the course’s learning goals and the specific ways in which the proposed travel fulfills the learning goals of the course as well as the College‐wide goal of affording students enlarged perspectives on the world;
• how 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) will accomplish the above goals;
• the projected size of the group and the criteria by which students will be admitted to the course and to participate in the proposed travel
• the appropriateness of the length and timing of the trip given the course’s pedagogical goals.

For co‐curricular travel, CIC will evaluate proposals via the following considerations:

• the learning goals of the proposed travel;
• how 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) will accomplish the College‐wide goal of affording students enlarged perspectives on the world;
• the projected size of the group and the criteria by which students will be permitted to participate in the proposed travel;
• the appropriateness of the length and timing of the trip given other curricular and extra-curricular demands on students.

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 students, 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.