UC International
3134 Edwards One PO Box 210640 Cincinnati, OH 45221-0640 Tel: Fax: Email: +1 (513) 556-4278 +1 (513) 556-2990 Global@UC.edu
International Visitor Checklist UC International Programs helps University colleges and departments arrange visits from international delegations. These visits are very important within the context of the Globalization Initiative and more specifically, to promote the interest of specific programs. Arranging and coordinating such visits takes considerable advance planning. Many visits of international delegations, for example, are primarily get-acquainted tours, where officials from an overseas institution or agency wish to meet with university leaders, and tour the campus. In other cases, however, the delegation is here to look specifically at one college or department, and to conduct some business with them. UC International Programs will be the central clearinghouse for planning and coordination of both types of visits, but if a visit is focused primarily on one college or school, then we know that you the hosting department will prefer to handle the internal arrangements specific to their unit within the framework of our established protocol. If multiple units are involved, we will coordinate this, and it is even more important that all communications go through us. Although no single list will cover everything – or every visit -- this is a generic checklist which you can use to help you plan an international visit centered on your unit. Please call us (556-4278) with questions or requests. Suggestions for additional items are gratefully received. Coordination: A single person in your department needs to be responsible for any visit. This person coordinates the details of the visit within your unit, and communicates regularly with us. Who is your point person? What are that person’s contact numbers? Are you keeping a comprehensive file of messages, arrangements, etc?
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Briefing Sheets All visits have a purpose. You may find it helpful to prepare one or more short briefing sheets to give your faculty and students which explain the purpose of the visit, any necessary background, and your own goals. UC International Programs would appreciate a copy of these sheets also. The sheets should contain: The names and titles of the visitors Something about their institution Why they are here Why you have invited them Scheduling All visits require choreography. You must decide very early on the essentials of the visit, and then reserve time and space accordingly. We can help you with many of these matters, and we should be informed about all of them, whether you require our help or not. Meetings: Who will your visitors meet with? For what purpose? Are you on their schedule? Discussions: Who should they be holding substantive talks with? What will the agenda be? Have these talks been scheduled? Presentations/Lectures: Will they be speaking to a larger group? What arrangements have been made? Meals: What arrangements have been made for their meals, here on campus and elsewhere? Movement: how will they get from one place to another? Is transportation necessary? Pre-Arrival Matters Before your visitors arrive, try to have the following in place: Visas: do they need special letters or authorizations to enter the US? Arrival/Departure times: when precisely are they arriving and departing? Any special needs (diet, health, interpreters, etc) Contact numbers in the home country: how can you contact them quickly before they arrive? Again, we may be able to help you with some of these matters. When they will be here and what they will be doing What you hope to achieve Who will be responsible for them
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Visit Logistics Several key elements are important here: Lodging: where, when, and who will pay? Transport to and from the airport: who will provide this? Meeting at the airport: who will greet them on arrival? Information and Briefings: will you send them material in advance? If so, what? If you will brief them on arrival, who will do this? What will be covered? Gifts: what will you give them, who will choose the gifts, who will present them, and when? Hospitality: who will entertain your guests, where, and when? Who will pay for this? Who will arrange it? Escort: who will be with your visitors during their time on campus? Follow-Up What follow-up needs to be done? Who will do this? Evaluation After a visit, you may want to discuss how the visit went with the people involved. How will you evaluate the visit? Who will do this? What will you do with the results? NOTE: If the President’s Office is to be involved, we will need to arrange details with them as early as possible. Most high-ranking visitors will wish to meet the President or Provost, but this is only possible if a concrete activity has already been agreed to. Our office will arrange such appointments. If Institutional Collaboration Agreements (ICA’s) are to be signed, we will need the drafts of these to UC International Programs as far in advance as possible. UC International Programs can help you with language, format, terms and conditions. Documents for signing will must be prepared in advance, with the appropriate names in place. The Vice Provost signs general Institutional Collaboration Agreements; your unit head signs specific Activity Agreements. UC International Programs has templates for both types of agreement, a short booklet describing the process, and additional detailed information on our Website (www.uc.edu/international/programs).
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UC International
3134 Edwards One PO Box 210640 Cincinnati, OH 45221-0640 Tel: Fax: Email: +1 (513) 556-4278 +1 (513) 556-2990 Global@UC.edu
A Guide to Campus Visits
Here is a sample schedule, by way of example, based on many of the other campus visits we have arranged for international groups: 10:00 – 11:00 12:00 - 13:00 13:00 - 14:00 14:00 - 17:00 17:00 Meet with Vice-Provost International and Director UC International Programs Lunch for the Visiting Delegation at our Faculty Club Campus Tour Visit Schools or Departments Depart Campus
In more detail: 10:00-11:00 Meet with Vice-Provost International and the Director of UC International Programs This appointment is to explain UC’s international strategy and to discuss ways in which an agreement may fit into the mission. Note that we do expect a concrete activity to be associated with any Institutional Collaboration Agreement (ICA). If you have printed information on the institution and its programs, we can review these. Although no final decisions will be made at this meeting, we can begin planning for specific activities, if that is mutually agreeable. We can also take this time to review and modify any existing collaboration agreements between our two institutions. 12:00 - 13:00 Lunch for the Visiting Delegation at our Faculty Club This will be a relatively relaxed, informal lunch in our Faculty Club. If you have requested meetings with specific departments or individuals, we will try to invite them as well. 13:00 - 14:00 Campus Tour Take visitors on a walking tour of our West Campus, including the Administration Building, TUC, the Rec Center, the Design, Architecture, Art and Planning Building, the College Conservatory of Music, and the Library. 14:00 - 17:00 Visiting Schools or Departments These should be arranged prior to the visitors’ arrival in order to assure availability. This is an opportunity to discuss specific proposals that you may have for various departments. 17:00 Depart Campus Please note that this schedule for a visit is a suggestion only. We will be happy to have your ideas for any changes.
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GUIDELINES FOR A SUCCESSFUL VISIT We suggest the following guidelines for a successful visit. • • Prior to and after the visit, e-mail is a quick and cheap way to communicate. UC International Programs coordinates all campus visits by overseas delegations. We know that your members often know other faculty members at the University. We would request, however, that you send us copies of your correspondence with these other individuals, so that potential confusion can be minimized. Please send us bio data or a CV of each member of your delegation, well in advance of the visit. These can be sent via fax or email. Please send background information on the university, before visitors arrive, if possible. This can be mailed. Please check the dates of your visit with us before they make final travel arrangements. Discussions 1. The University of Cincinnati is always happy to discuss collaborative possibilities with overseas institutions. Generally, such collaborations are the result of a series of specific discussions at several different levels. An initial campus visit will probably not produce a final agreement, but rather, will establish some specific areas for further discussion and exploration. 2. In our experience, the most successful collaborations are those which have a clear long-term strategy supporting them. Each university has strengths and weaknesses, and often, collaborations are designed with these in mind. Your discussions with us might therefore include the exchange of information about areas of your university that are particularly relevant for international collaboration. We, in turn, will be happy to tell you about our international plans and activities. 3. The best collaborations are reciprocal: each party benefits. Universities can often find things of value to exchange with each other. We would be interested in hearing about what things might form the basis of an exchange relationship. 4. Individual faculty members are often the key to a successful relationship. You may want to use your visit to identify faculty members here who are likely to be interested in collaborating with you. Once you have identified them, you can carry on discussions with them later, via Internet.
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