Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 04/29/2022

We wish you the best of luck as you head into finals week!

Program Leader Resources (New)

The Education Abroad team in collaboration with Global Safety have prepared an extensive document for all our summer program leaders and students (attached). Please save this email/PDF for your reference while abroad. Included you will find emergency contact information, health and safety details, COVID-19 recommendations and protocol, the program leader guide, the student resources guide, the UnitedHealthCare Global insurance card, and more. Students will receive a copy of their resources and information today as well. Travelers are required to have original and paper copies of all their important documents to be successful abroad. We appreciate all of your amazing work to make these programs happen! SAFE TRAVELS! 

SU22 Program Leader Session on Student Mental Health Recording (New)

Our team hosted a SU22 program leader session on student mental health earlier today. We realize that some of you may have concerns and/or questions surrounding student mental health while abroad and what steps to take to assist a student if a situation arises during your program. This virtual session was led by our director, Kate Manni, and our Interim Global Safety Manager, Neil McNeil.

Student Mental Health Session Recording – April 29, 2022

Video Equipment Available for Summer Programs (NEW)

Teaching and Learning with Technology https://tlt.psu.edu/ is eager to partner with us to capture footage and create virtual experiences for students. If you’re interested in taking a 360 degree camera with you on your program this summer to capture immersive video as well as receiving a brief training before you depart, please get in touch with Nick Smerker (njs177@psu.edu) and schedule a time to chat with him. 

International Health Insurance and Claims While Abroad (Reminder)

Penn State’s international health insurance carrier is UnitedHealthcare Global (UHCG). All faculty, students and staff are covered under this policy while abroad. It is important to note that this international health insurance has a reimbursable claims policy as it relates to medical expenses. As a reminder, you would be expected to pay upfront for services of a physician, clinic, or hospital while abroad, and then complete a claim reimbursement form upon your return to the United States. This also applies to purchases of medical supplies such as medications from a pharmacy, crutches, arm braces, bandages, etc. It is VERY IMPORTANT that any medical treatment be paid for by the individual that is receiving the care/treatment (including students). If a student needs to seek or receive medical care abroad, please be sure that the student pays for these expenses with their own means. If the student is unable to provide payment, then you are permitted to purchase the services as a leader on your personal debit/credit card (NOT a PSU purchasing card). This best practice will simplify the reimbursement process for the individual and reduce delays. If the medical charges are exorbitant and are not able to be paid at the time of service, please call our office for assistance. Above all, if it is a true emergency, do not delay medical care; seek medical care immediately and contact our office as soon as possible.

While none of this information is new for summer 2022 programs, we recognize that most of us had not traveled with students for a few years! Additionally, the complexities of the pandemic have increased our need to reiterate the information from the Emergency Preparedness Workshops. As a reminder, our UnitedHealthcare Global insurance policy number and effective dates are the same for all faculty, staff, and students while abroad. Additional information on our health insurance policy and a copy of our current insurance card can be found on our Penn State Global website by accessing the international health insurance portal with your Penn State Access ID credentials.

Emergency Preparedness Workshops (Reminder) 

All program leaders and co-leaders are required to attend one online emergency preparedness workshop (EPW) prior to the departure of your program. You can now register for an EPW on our Penn State Global website. (NEW link.) 

Vaccination Status and Booster Considerations (Reminder)

At this time, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) states people are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving all recommended doses in their primary series of the COVID-19 vaccine. Such as, their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.

In addition to being fully vaccinated, Penn State is strongly recommending all international travelers receive their booster shot prior to their travel. Your window of eligibility to receive a booster shot varies based on the vaccination type you received.  Generally, adults are eligible for booster shots 2-5 months after concluding their original vaccination series.  Please review the CDC guidance on booster shots and receive yours at least two weeks prior to departure, if you are eligible to do so.   All participants should understand the requirements of their destination country, city or host institution’s vaccination protocol, including proof of booster shot. Please note that many countries, municipalities, and industries are beginning to require proof of booster shot to remain eligible for travel or daily activities, but this protocol varies from country to country.  Visit the US Embassy website for your host destination.

Program Leader Checkpoints (Reminder)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. 

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update. Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad 

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park 

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders:

Weekly Update, Published 04/22/2022

SU22 Program Leader Session on Student Mental Health (New)

As we quickly approach the departure of our Summer embedded programs, we would like to invite our Summer program leaders to attend a session regarding student mental health. We realize that some of you may have concerns and/or questions surrounding student mental health while abroad and what steps to take to assist a student if a situation arises during your program. This virtual session will be led by our director, Kate Manni, and our Interim Global Safety Manager, Neil McNeil.  We encourage you to attend this 45-minute discussion on this very important topic.

Friday, April 29, 2022 at 8:15 – 9:00 AM

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

Meeting Link Meeting ID: 993 4708 1838

Or Telephone: +1 301 715 8592 (US Toll)

International Health Insurance and Claims While Abroad (Reminder)

Penn State’s international health insurance carrier is UnitedHealthcare Global (UHCG). All faculty, students and staff are covered under this policy while abroad. It is important to note that this international health insurance has a reimbursable claims policy as it relates to medical expenses. As a reminder, you would be expected to pay upfront for services of a physician, clinic, or hospital while abroad, and then complete a claim reimbursement form upon your return to the United States. This also applies to purchases of medical supplies such as medications from a pharmacy, crutches, arm braces, bandages, etc. It is VERY IMPORTANT that any medical treatment be paid for by the individual that is receiving the care/treatment (including students). If a student needs to seek or receive medical care abroad, please be sure that the student pays for these expenses with their own means. If the student is unable to provide payment, then you are permitted to purchase the services as a leader on your personal debit/credit card (NOT a PSU purchasing card). This best practice will simplify the reimbursement process for the individual and reduce delays. If the medical charges are exorbitant and are not able to be paid at the time of service, please call our office for assistance. Above all, if it is a true emergency, do not delay medical care; seek medical care immediately and contact our office as soon as possible.

While none of this information is new for summer 2022 programs, we recognize that most of us had not traveled with students for a few years! Additionally, the complexities of the pandemic have increased our need to reiterate the information from the Emergency Preparedness Workshops. As a reminder, our UnitedHealthcare Global insurance policy number and effective dates are the same for all faculty, staff, and students while abroad. Additional information on our health insurance policy and a copy of our current insurance card can be found on our Penn State Global website by accessing the international health insurance portal with your Penn State Access ID credentials.

Emergency Preparedness Workshops (Reminder) 

All program leaders and co-leaders are required to attend one online emergency preparedness workshop (EPW) prior to the departure of your program. You can now register for an EPW on our Penn State Global website. (NEW link.) 

Vaccination Status and Booster Considerations (Reminder)

At this time, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) states people are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving all recommended doses in their primary series of the COVID-19 vaccine. Such as, their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.

In addition to being fully vaccinated, Penn State is strongly recommending all international travelers receive their booster shot prior to their travel. Your window of eligibility to receive a booster shot varies based on the vaccination type you received.  Generally, adults are eligible for booster shots 2-5 months after concluding their original vaccination series.  Please review the CDC guidance on booster shots and receive yours at least two weeks prior to departure, if you are eligible to do so.   All participants should understand the requirements of their destination country, city or host institution’s vaccination protocol, including proof of booster shot. Please note that many countries, municipalities, and industries are beginning to require proof of booster shot to remain eligible for travel or daily activities, but this protocol varies from country to country.  Visit the US Embassy website for your host destination.

Program Leader Checkpoints (Reminder)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. 

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update. Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad 

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park 

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 04/15/2022

International Health Insurance and Claims While Abroad (Reminder)

Penn State’s international health insurance carrier is UnitedHealthcare Global (UHCG). All faculty, students and staff are covered under this policy while abroad. It is important to note that this international health insurance has a reimbursable claims policy as it relates to medical expenses. As a reminder, you would be expected to pay upfront for services of a physician, clinic, or hospital while abroad, and then complete a claim reimbursement form upon your return to the United States. This also applies to purchases of medical supplies such as medications from a pharmacy, crutches, arm braces, bandages, etc. It is VERY IMPORTANT that any medical treatment be paid for by the individual that is receiving the care/treatment (including students). If a student needs to seek or receive medical care abroad, please be sure that the student pays for these expenses with their own means. If the student is unable to provide payment, then you are permitted to purchase the services as a leader on your personal debit/credit card (NOT a PSU purchasing card). This best practice will simplify the reimbursement process for the individual and reduce delays. If the medical charges are exorbitant and are not able to be paid at the time of service, please call our office for assistance. Above all, if it is a true emergency, do not delay medical care; seek medical care immediately and contact our office as soon as possible.

While none of this information is new for summer 2022 programs, we recognize that most of us had not traveled with students for a few years! Additionally, the complexities of the pandemic have increased our need to reiterate the information from the Emergency Preparedness Workshops. As a reminder, our UnitedHealthcare Global insurance policy number and effective dates are the same for all faculty, staff, and students while abroad. Additional information on our health insurance policy and a copy of our current insurance card can be found on our Penn State Global website by accessing the international health insurance portal with your Penn State Access ID credentials.

Emergency Preparedness Workshops (Reminder) 

All program leaders and co-leaders are required to attend one online emergency preparedness workshop (EPW) prior to the departure of your program. You can now register for an EPW on our Penn State Global website. (NEW link.) 

Vaccination Status and Booster Considerations (Reminder)

At this time, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) states people are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving all recommended doses in their primary series of the COVID-19 vaccine. Such as, their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.

In addition to being fully vaccinated, Penn State is strongly recommending all international travelers receive their booster shot prior to their travel. Your window of eligibility to receive a booster shot varies based on the vaccination type you received.  Generally, adults are eligible for booster shots 2-5 months after concluding their original vaccination series.  Please review the CDC guidance on booster shots and receive yours at least two weeks prior to departure, if you are eligible to do so.   All participants should understand the requirements of their destination country, city or host institution’s vaccination protocol, including proof of booster shot. Please note that many countries, municipalities, and industries are beginning to require proof of booster shot to remain eligible for travel or daily activities, but this protocol varies from country to country.  Visit the US Embassy website for your host destination.

Program Leader Checkpoints (Reminder)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. 

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update. Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad 

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park 

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 04/01/2022

Emergency Preparedness Workshops (Reminder) 

All program leaders and co-leaders are required to attend one online emergency preparedness workshop (EPW) prior to the departure of your program. You can now register for an EPW on our Penn State Global website. (NEW link.) 

Vaccination Status and Booster Considerations (Reminder)

At this time, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) states people are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving all recommended doses in their primary series of the COVID-19 vaccine. Such as, their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.

In addition to being fully vaccinated, Penn State is strongly recommending all international travelers receive their booster shot prior to their travel. Your window of eligibility to receive a booster shot varies based on the vaccination type you received.  Generally, adults are eligible for booster shots 2-5 months after concluding their original vaccination series.  Please review the CDC guidance on booster shots and receive yours at least two weeks prior to departure, if you are eligible to do so.   All participants should understand the requirements of their destination country, city or host institution’s vaccination protocol, including proof of booster shot. Please note that many countries, municipalities, and industries are beginning to require proof of booster shot to remain eligible for travel or daily activities, but this protocol varies from country to country.  Visit the US Embassy website for your host destination.

Penn State Global 2021 Annual Report (Reminder)

Enhancing Penn State’s Global Footprint: Transformation and Leadership in Challenging Times 

We are thrilled to share with you the Penn State Global 2021 Annual Report! The past year has been a year of many challenges, many opportunities, and many changes for global collaboration across the university. In this yearly report, you will get a glimpse of the Penn State global footprint over the last year as told by a curated collection of stories, statistics, and photos. 

While the global pandemic presented profound challenges, Penn State has not wavered from its commitment to global engagement. As you will read in this report, we used this time of transition to innovate across our new Penn State Global strategic plan, begin new initiatives, and reorganize our operations to enhance our collaboration across the institution.

Program Leader Checkpoints (Reminder)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. 

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update. Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad 

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park 

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 03/25/2022

Emergency Preparedness Workshops (Reminder) 

All program leaders and co-leaders are required to attend one online emergency preparedness workshop (EPW) prior to the departure of your program. You can now register for an EPW on our Penn State Global website. (NEW link.) 

Vaccination Status and Booster Considerations (Reminder)

At this time, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) states people are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving all recommended doses in their primary series of the COVID-19 vaccine. Such as, their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.

In addition to being fully vaccinated, Penn State is strongly recommending all international travelers receive their booster shot prior to their travel. Your window of eligibility to receive a booster shot varies based on the vaccination type you received.  Generally, adults are eligible for booster shots 2-5 months after concluding their original vaccination series.  Please review the CDC guidance on booster shots and receive yours at least two weeks prior to departure, if you are eligible to do so.   All participants should understand the requirements of their destination country, city or host institution’s vaccination protocol, including proof of booster shot. Please note that many countries, municipalities, and industries are beginning to require proof of booster shot to remain eligible for travel or daily activities, but this protocol varies from country to country.  Visit the US Embassy website for your host destination.

Penn State Global 2021 Annual Report (Reminder)

Enhancing Penn State’s Global Footprint: Transformation and Leadership in Challenging Times 

We are thrilled to share with you the Penn State Global 2021 Annual Report! The past year has been a year of many challenges, many opportunities, and many changes for global collaboration across the university. In this yearly report, you will get a glimpse of the Penn State global footprint over the last year as told by a curated collection of stories, statistics, and photos. 

While the global pandemic presented profound challenges, Penn State has not wavered from its commitment to global engagement. As you will read in this report, we used this time of transition to innovate across our new Penn State Global strategic plan, begin new initiatives, and reorganize our operations to enhance our collaboration across the institution.

Program Leader Checkpoints (Reminder)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. 

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update. Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

 

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad 

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park 

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders:

Weekly Update, Published 03/18/2022

General Worldwide Information (New)

By now the unfortunate events surrounding the Putin invasion of Ukraine are well reported. The Penn State Global office continues to monitor events closely throughout the region. Our first priority is to ensure the safety and welfare of the Penn State community overseas. Penn State Faculty and students in Europe should continue to monitor the media and be alert for any notifications coming from the US Embassy in your country.

This is a serious situation but Penn State Global believes at this point that the conflict will be limited to the territory of Ukraine. Those countries bordering Ukraine (Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland) may likely see a significant refugee problem develop in those border areas. Those countries may see a degradation of transportation systems, notably air and rail travel due to that refugee crisis. Communications networks in those border areas will likely be overloaded and may lead to communication lags nationwide.  The allocation of resources to meet the refugee challenge may lead to some short-term shortages of goods and services, including routine medical care.

Shortages of fuel and heating gas should be expected throughout Western Europe, leading to higher prices for those commodities. Pro-Ukrainian solidarity demonstrations and marches should be anticipated in all major European cities.

Penn State Global will be reviewing planned faculty and student travel to any country bordering the Ukraine.  Penn State Global does not currently anticipate a need to modify any other existing program in Europe.

Emergency Preparedness Workshops (Reminder)

Registrations are now open for program leaders and co-leaders that will be participating in an upcoming embedded program.  All leaders and co-leaders are required to attend one of the online emergency preparedness workshops (EPW) prior to the departure of your program. Register for an EPW on our website. Please note that this link cannot be found on our public Penn State Global website and should only be accessed here.

 

Penn State Global 2021 Annual Report (Reminder)

Enhancing Penn State’s Global Footprint: Transformation and Leadership in Challenging Times

We are thrilled to share with you the Penn State Global 2021 Annual Report! The past year has been a year of many challenges, many opportunities, and many changes for global collaboration across the university. In this yearly report, you will get a glimpse of the Penn State global footprint over the last year as told by a curated collection of stories, statistics, and photos.

While the global pandemic presented profound challenges, Penn State has not wavered from its commitment to global engagement. As you will read in this report, we used this time of transition to innovate across our new Penn State Global strategic plan, begin new initiatives, and reorganize our operations to enhance our collaboration across the institution.

Program Leader Checkpoints (Reminder)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines.

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update. Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

What is Next?

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

 

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders:

Weekly Update, Published 03/11/2022

Spring Break Return Travel Resource (New)

Yesterday, we emailed all our spring break embedded program leaders a return travel resource document which is attached to this email. As your embedded programs are concluding and you plan to return to your campuses in the next several days, please review this resource. This document will guide you through the protocol in the event that your return home is delayed due to a flight/weather disruption or a COVID-19 positive test result

Penn State Global 2021 Annual Report (New)

Enhancing Penn State’s Global Footprint: Transformation and Leadership in Challenging Times

We are thrilled to share with you the Penn State Global 2021 Annual Report! The past year has been a year of many challenges, many opportunities, and many changes for global collaboration across the university. In this yearly report, you will get a glimpse of the Penn State global footprint over the last year as told by a curated collection of stories, statistics, and photos.

While the global pandemic presented profound challenges, Penn State has not wavered from its commitment to global engagement. As you will read in this report, we used this time of transition to innovate across our new Penn State Global strategic plan, begin new initiatives, and reorganize our operations to enhance our collaboration across the institution.

The Center for Global Studies International Research Travel Awards (New)

Call for Applications Deadline: March 31th, 2022 at 5 p.m.

Penn State’s Center for Global Studies will award prizes of up to $4,000 to support the professional development of tenured and tenure-track faculty (university-wide). These awards, intended for international research and travel, are processed as a reimbursement for approved expenses. Awardees will need to (1) comply with the Fly America Act (2) register their travel in Penn State’s Travel Safety Network, and (3) purchase their flights according to their unit’s travel protocol.

How to Apply

To be eligible, applicants must be faculty members at Penn State (University Park) who want to advance their research through travel outside of the United States.

Applicants must submit the following materials:

• Cover page with applicant’s name, professorial rank and academic title, contact information (including campus address), PSU ID number, project title, and total grant amount requested.
• A 2-3 page description of the project, including: significance of the project, especially its relevance to global studies; outcome: i.e. article, book (specify publication venue, known or anticipated), exhibition (specify exhibition venue), performance (specify performance venue), etc.; and timetable for project’s completion.
• Itemized budget describing specifically how funds will be used; applicants should also note other sources from which funding has been received or solicited (include amounts);
• Curriculum vitae of relevant work (not to exceed four pages).

All application materials must be received electronically by March 31, 2022. Use of funds by June 20, 2022. Extension of funds into the next fiscal year may be possible with prior approval. If requesting for use after June 20, 2022, please specify in application. Any documents received after our due date and /or incomplete submissions will not be reviewed.

Recipients of this award are expected to participate in future CGS programming.

Please email the completed dossier to:

cgs.psu@gmail.com

https://cgs.la.psu.edu/funding/the-cgs-international-research-travel-awards/

Travel and Pre-Departure Information (Reminder)

International entry requirements worldwide are changing rapidly. We are mostly noticing a trend of countries lessening the requirements related to testing and vaccination requirements for entry. As a reminder, each traveler is responsible for their own documentation for entry. If your international host county no longer requires a negative COVID-19 test, we cannot require students to complete non-essential testing.

In the event that a program is canceled after being approved by the University’s restricted travel review process, students will be held harmless for any billable study abroad items such as the course fee or third-party provider costs. For an embedded course, tuition would generally not be refunded since the class would likely continue being taught without the travel element, though individual cases would be considered case-by-case. In the event of a program cancellation, airfare will not be refunded to students by Penn State.

We are at a point in the COVID-19 pandemic where students and their families understand that uncertainties remain present in many parts of our lives. No student should purchase a flight ticket unless they feel confident in their own personal risk tolerance level to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic and unless they fully understand the refund options associated with that ticket. For the specific expense of airfare, it is the responsibility of the student to explore refundable airline tickets, travel insurance/cancel for any reason insurance, and whether their credit card company provides assistance with cancellation/refunds.

Program Leader Checkpoints (Reminder)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines.

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update. Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

What is Next?

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

 

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders:

Weekly Update, Published 03/02/2022

Happy Almost Spring Break! (New)

Since most of you are beginning your travels this week, we wanted to send out an early edition of our weekly update. Included in this special edition, you will find emergency contact information, health and safety details, the program leader guide, the student resources guide, the UnitedHealthCare Global insurance card, and more. Travelers are required to have original and paper copies of all their important documents to be successful abroad. The final student preparedness session will be today, Wednesday March 2nd 12-1 pm EST (Zoom Link). We appreciate all of your amazing work to make these programs happen! SAFE TRAVELS!

Emergency Contact Information (New)

Penn State Overseas Emergency Contact	(+1) 814-863-1111 (24/7 availability)	Penn State University Police will get critical information from caller and then contact the on-call staff person from Penn State Global
Penn State Global Safety Office	(+1) 814-863-8788	(Office: M-F 8 AM-5 PM Eastern US)
Penn State Global Safety “Duty” Mobile Phone	(+1) 814-360-2829	(24/7 Mobile w/ texting/WhatsApp)
United Healthcare Global	(+1) 410-453-6330 (24/7)	UHCG Policy #902326482

Communication and Contacts

• Group leaders should text Penn State Global upon arrival in their destination country to make sure their phone works and we have an open line of communication.  (+1)-814-360-2829. This phone number works with traditional text (SMS), iMessage, and Whatsapp.
• Remember that program leader cell phones should work on international/local data, and not rely solely on WiFi so that Penn State can call or text you at any time.
• Penn State Global stands by to support you. A leader can always contact the Global Safety Officer for advice and consultation on any issues that arise, big or small (contact information below)
• You are the main point of contact for students on your program, so try to create a culture where they are comfortable coming to you with issues; offer to find counseling if needed.
• Monitor students for changes in behavior/signs of distress related to their mental health. It never hurts to check in with the student if you become concerned.
• If a major international incident occurs at your location, proactively account for all members of the group and report you are safe to the Global Safety Office.
• Please monitor your Penn State email while traveling – this is the first way Penn State Global will contact you with urgent health and safety information and the way you receive U.S. Embassy alerts

General Worldwide Information (New)

By now the unfortunate events surrounding the Putin invasion of Ukraine are well reported. The Penn State Global office continues to monitor events closely throughout the region. Our first priority is to ensure the safety and welfare of the Penn State community overseas. Penn State Faculty and students in Europe should continue to monitor the media and be alert for any notifications coming from the US Embassy in your country.

 

This is a serious situation but Penn State Global believes at this point that the conflict will be limited to the territory of Ukraine. Those countries bordering Ukraine (Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland) may likely see a significant refugee problem develop in those border areas. Those countries may see a degradation of transportation systems, notably air and rail travel due to that refugee crisis. Communications networks in those border areas will likely be overloaded and may lead to communication lags nationwide.  The allocation of resources to meet the refugee challenge may lead to some short-term shortages of goods and services, including routine medical care.

 

Shortages of fuel and heating gas should be expected throughout Western Europe, leading to higher prices for those commodities. Pro-Ukrainian solidarity demonstrations and marches should be anticipated in all major European cities.

 

Penn State Global will be reviewing planned faculty and student travel to any country bordering the Ukraine.  Penn State Global does not currently anticipate a need to modify any other existing program in Europe.

Travel and Pre-Departure Information (New)

International entry requirements worldwide are changing rapidly. We are mostly noticing a trend of countries lessening the requirements related to testing and vaccination requirements for entry. As a reminder, each traveler is responsible for their own documentation for entry. If your international host county no longer requires a negative COVID-19 test, we cannot require students to complete non-essential testing.

 

In the event that a program is canceled after being approved by the University’s restricted travel review process, students will be held harmless for any billable study abroad items such as the course fee or third-party provider costs. For an embedded course, tuition would generally not be refunded since the class would likely continue being taught without the travel element, though individual cases would be considered case-by-case. In the event of a program cancellation, airfare will not be refunded to students by Penn State.

 

We are at a point in the COVID-19 pandemic where students and their families understand that uncertainties remain present in many parts of our lives. No student should purchase a flight ticket unless they feel confident in their own personal risk tolerance level to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic and unless they fully understand the refund options associated with that ticket. For the specific expense of airfare, it is the responsibility of the student to explore refundable airline tickets, travel insurance/cancel for any reason insurance, and whether their credit card company provides assistance with cancellation/refunds.

Program Leader Checkpoints (Reminder)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines.

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update. Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

What is Next?

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

 

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

 

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 02/25/2022

Penn State Education Abroad Program Leader Resources (New)

As we approach the departure dates for your spring break programs we want to remind group leaders to contact Penn State Global (via text) upon your arrival in your destination. Attached to this email you will find a program leader resources document which includes instructions about program check-ins, as well as useful emergency phone numbers, COVID-19 entry/exit requirements for your destination country, and information regarding the University’s international health insurance. Please review this document prior to your departure.

Student Pre-Departure Sessions and Resource Document for Spring Break (Reminder) 

The Education Abroad office will host one more pre-departure meeting prior to spring break to help embedded students prepare for their experience abroad! Please let students know, they can join us for this last session to get the most up-to-date information, ask questions live, and hear from other students. 

• Wednesday March 2nd 12-1 pm EST (Zoom Link)

On February 16th, all spring break embedded students received a student resource document (please see attached document) with the following email message from Education Abroad:

Dear Spring Break Education Abroad Student,

Prior to your program departure, you will receive a lot of information from the Education Abroad office and your program leader. We have created the attached document as a resource of information relating to vaccine requirements, testing and booster recommendations, how to manage a travel disruption, recent country-specific guidance, and more. Please note, that this information cannot contain every detail related to COVID-10 protocol but is meant to serve as a guide. Program leaders and students should consult the enclosed links regularly in advance of departure to review any changes or updates to travel protocol. Information is subject to change, and it is ultimately the responsibility of each traveler to understand and meet the requirements of their destination, transit countries, and return to U.S. procedures.

Please stay up-to-date regarding your entry requirements and program expectations. If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact your faculty program leader.

Summer 2022 Deadline – March 1 (Reminder)

Please remember that your student roster, final detailed itinerary, emergency contact information and export compliance form are due March 1 for all Summer 2022 embedded programs. Please log into your Terra Dotta account  and complete this information as soon as possible.

Vaccination Status and Booster Considerations (Reminder)

At this time, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) states people are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.

In addition to being fully vaccinated, Penn State is strongly recommending all international travelers receive their booster shot prior to their travel. Your window of eligibility to receive a booster shot varies based on the vaccination type you received.  Generally, adults are eligible for booster shots 2-5 months after concluding their original vaccination series.  Please review the CDC guidance on booster shots and receive yours at least two weeks prior to departure, if you are eligible to do so.   All participants should understand the requirements of their destination country, city or host institution’s vaccination protocol, including proof of booster shot. Please note that many countries, municipalities, and industries are beginning to require proof of booster shot to remain eligible for travel or daily activities, but this protocol varies from country to country.  Visit the US Embassy website for your host destination.

Financial Considerations for Students (Reminder)

As your embedded program prepares for departure, we would ask you to consider financial leniency for students participating on your program that may encounter unforeseen circumstances.  We are seeing an increase in positive COVID-19 cases, even within vaccinated populations, and for a student participating on a short term program, could be extremely disruptive.

Penn State Global would advocate that departments leading embedded programs during this spring term, should try to be lenient for students unable to travel and offer fair and equitable refunds to students that may test positive prior to their program departure. In the spirit of transparency, your withdrawal penalties and financial consequences related to a positive test prior to departure, or a late withdrawal, should be clearly communicated with your students. 

Emergency Preparedness Workshops (Reminder) 

Registrations are now open for program leaders and co-leaders that will be participating in an upcoming embedded program.  All leaders and co-leaders are required to attend one of the online emergency preparedness workshops (EPW) prior to the departure of your program. Register for an EPW on our website. Please note that this link cannot be found on our public Penn State Global website and should only be accessed here.

Travel Disruptions and Flight Information (Reminder) 

In the event that a program is canceled after being approved by the University’s restricted travel review process, students will be held harmless for any billable study abroad items such as the course fee or third-party provider costs. For an embedded course, tuition would generally not be refunded since the class would likely continue being taught without the travel element, though individual cases would be considered case-by-case.

In the event of a program cancellation, airfare will not be refunded to students by Penn State. We are at a point in the COVID-19 pandemic where students and their families understand that uncertainties remain present in many parts of our lives. No student should purchase a flight ticket unless they feel confident in their own personal risk tolerance level to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic and unless they fully understand the refund options associated with that ticket. For the specific expense of airfare, it is the responsibility of the student to explore refundable airline tickets, travel insurance/cancel for any reason insurance, and whether their credit card company provides assistance with cancellation/refunds.

Program Leader Checkpoints (Reminder)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. 

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update. Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• March 1: Deadline for Summer 2022 student rosters, final detailed travel itineraries, emergency contact information, and export compliance information forms
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad 

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park 

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders:

Weekly Update, Published 02/18/2022

Student Pre-Departure Sessions and Resource Document for Spring Break (New)

The Education Abroad office will host two more pre-departure meetings prior to spring break to help embedded students prepare for their experience abroad! Please let students know, they can join us for a session to get the most up-to-date information, ask questions live, and hear from other students.

• Thursday February 24th 4-5 pm EST (Zoom Link)
• Wednesday March 2nd 12-1 pm EST (Zoom Link)

On February 16th, all spring break embedded students received a student resource document with the following email message from Education Abroad:

Dear Spring Break Education Abroad Student,

Prior to your program departure, you will receive a lot of information from the Education Abroad office and your program leader. We have created the attached document as a resource of information relating to vaccine requirements, testing and booster recommendations, how to manage a travel disruption, recent country-specific guidance, and more. Please note, that this information cannot contain every detail related to COVID-10 protocol but is meant to serve as a guide. Program leaders and students should consult the enclosed links regularly in advance of departure to review any changes or updates to travel protocol. Information is subject to change, and it is ultimately the responsibility of each traveler to understand and meet the requirements of their destination, transit countries, and return to U.S. procedures.

Please stay up-to-date regarding your entry requirements and program expectations. If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact your faculty program leader.

Summer 2022 Deadline – March 1 (Reminder)

Please remember that your student roster, final detailed itinerary, emergency contact information and export compliance form are due March 1 for all Summer 2022 embedded programs. Please log into your Terra Dotta account  and complete this information as soon as possible.

Vaccination Status and Booster Considerations (Reminder)

At this time, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) states people are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.

In addition to being fully vaccinated, Penn State is strongly recommending all international travelers receive their booster shot prior to their travel. Your window of eligibility to receive a booster shot varies based on the vaccination type you received.  Generally, adults are eligible for booster shots 2-5 months after concluding their original vaccination series.  Please review the CDC guidance on booster shots and receive yours at least two weeks prior to departure, if you are eligible to do so.   All participants should understand the requirements of their destination country, city or host institution’s vaccination protocol, including proof of booster shot. Please note that many countries, municipalities, and industries are beginning to require proof of booster shot to remain eligible for travel or daily activities, but this protocol varies from country to country.  Visit the US Embassy website for your host destination.

Financial Considerations for Students (Reminder)

As your embedded program prepares for departure, we would ask you to consider financial leniency for students participating on your program that may encounter unforeseen circumstances.  We are seeing an increase in positive COVID-19 cases, even within vaccinated populations, and for a student participating on a short term program, could be extremely disruptive.

Penn State Global would advocate that departments leading embedded programs during this spring term, should try to be lenient for students unable to travel and offer fair and equitable refunds to students that may test positive prior to their program departure. In the spirit of transparency, your withdrawal penalties and financial consequences related to a positive test prior to departure, or a late withdrawal, should be clearly communicated with your students.

Emergency Preparedness Workshops (Reminder)

 

Registrations are now open for program leaders and co-leaders that will be participating in an upcoming embedded program.  All leaders and co-leaders are required to attend one of the online emergency preparedness workshops (EPW) prior to the departure of your program. Register for an EPW on our website. Please note that this link cannot be found on our public Penn State Global website and should only be accessed here.

Travel Disruptions and Flight Information (Reminder)

In the event that a program is canceled after being approved by the University’s restricted travel review process, students will be held harmless for any billable study abroad items such as the course fee or third-party provider costs. For an embedded course, tuition would generally not be refunded since the class would likely continue being taught without the travel element, though individual cases would be considered case-by-case.

In the event of a program cancellation, airfare will not be refunded to students by Penn State. We are at a point in the COVID-19 pandemic where students and their families understand that uncertainties remain present in many parts of our lives. No student should purchase a flight ticket unless they feel confident in their own personal risk tolerance level to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic and unless they fully understand the refund options associated with that ticket. For the specific expense of airfare, it is the responsibility of the student to explore refundable airline tickets, travel insurance/cancel for any reason insurance, and whether their credit card company provides assistance with cancellation/refunds.

Program Leader Checkpoints (Reminder)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines.

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update. Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

What is Next?

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• March 1: Deadline for Summer 2022 student rosters, final detailed travel itineraries, emergency contact information, and export compliance information forms
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

 

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 02/11/2022

Student Pre-Departure Sessions for Spring Break (New) 

The Education Abroad office will host several pre-departure meetings prior to spring break to help embedded students prepare for their experience abroad! Please let students know, they can join us for a session to get the most up-to-date information, ask questions live, and hear from other students. 

• Wednesday, February 16th 4-5 pm EST (Zoom Link)
• Thursday February 24th 4-5 pm EST (Zoom Link) 
• Wednesday March 2nd 12-1 pm EST (Zoom Link)

Vaccination Status and Booster Considerations (Reminder)

At this time, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) states people are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.

In addition to being fully vaccinated, Penn State is strongly recommending all international travelers receive their booster shot prior to their travel. Your window of eligibility to receive a booster shot varies based on the vaccination type you received.  Generally, adults are eligible for booster shots 2-5 months after concluding their original vaccination series.  Please review the CDC guidance on booster shots and receive yours at least two weeks prior to departure, if you are eligible to do so.   All participants should understand the requirements of their destination country, city or host institution’s vaccination protocol, including proof of booster shot. Please note that many countries, municipalities, and industries are beginning to require proof of booster shot to remain eligible for travel or daily activities, but this protocol varies from country to country.  Visit the US Embassy website for your host destination.

Financial Considerations for Students (Reminder)

As your embedded program prepares for departure, we would ask you to consider financial leniency for students participating on your program that may encounter unforeseen circumstances.  We are seeing an increase in positive COVID-19 cases, even within vaccinated populations, and for a student participating on a short term program, could be extremely disruptive.

Penn State Global would advocate that departments leading embedded programs during this spring term, should try to be lenient for students unable to travel and offer fair and equitable refunds to students that may test positive prior to their program departure. In the spirit of transparency, your withdrawal penalties and financial consequences related to a positive test prior to departure, or a late withdrawal, should be clearly communicated with your students. 

Emergency Preparedness Workshops (Reminder) 

Registrations are now open for program leaders and co-leaders that will be participating in an upcoming embedded program.  All leaders and co-leaders are required to attend one of the online emergency preparedness workshops (EPW) prior to the departure of your program. Register for an EPW on our website. Please note that this link cannot be found on our public Penn State Global website and should only be accessed here.

Travel Disruptions and Flight Information (Reminder) 

In the event that a program is canceled after being approved by the University’s restricted travel review process, students will be held harmless for any billable study abroad items such as the course fee or third-party provider costs. For an embedded course, tuition would generally not be refunded since the class would likely continue being taught without the travel element, though individual cases would be considered case-by-case.

In the event of a program cancellation, airfare will not be refunded to students by Penn State. We are at a point in the COVID-19 pandemic where students and their families understand that uncertainties remain present in many parts of our lives. No student should purchase a flight ticket unless they feel confident in their own personal risk tolerance level to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic and unless they fully understand the refund options associated with that ticket. For the specific expense of airfare, it is the responsibility of the student to explore refundable airline tickets, travel insurance/cancel for any reason insurance, and whether their credit card company provides assistance with cancellation/refunds.

Program Leader Checkpoints (Reminder)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. 

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update. Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• February 15: Deadline for Summer 2022 student rosters, final detailed travel itineraries, emergency contact information, and export compliance information forms
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad 

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park 

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 02/04/2022

Spring Break Programs Can Proceed as Planned

We were pleased to announce yesterday, February 3rd, that all spring break embedded courses have been re-reviewed and can proceed as planned for March 2022 international travel. All faculty and staff planning to depart on a spring break program were emailed a detailed resource guide for the destinations they plan to travel to with their students. Please note that the University reserves the right to revisit the status of any course or require a modification to a program itinerary if circumstances warrant.

Open Roundtable Discussions (Reminder) 

The Customized Programs team will be facilitating another roundtable discussion for those of you that could not attend or last discussion in late January.  We will be focusing on spring break embedded programs; including COVID-19 concerns, academic continuity plans, emergency contingency plans, and protocol. If you are actively planning a spring break program, please plan to attend this discussion:

Monday, February 7, 3:00pm – 4:00pm

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

https://psu.zoom.us/j/93519882191

Or Telephone: +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll)

Meeting ID: 935 1988 2191

Vaccination Status and Booster Considerations (Reminder)

At this time, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) states people are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.

In addition to being fully vaccinated, Penn State is strongly recommending all international travelers receive their booster shot prior to their travel. Your window of eligibility to receive a booster shot varies based on the vaccination type you received.  Generally, adults are eligible for booster shots 2-5 months after concluding their original vaccination series.  Please review the CDC guidance on booster shots and receive yours at least two weeks prior to departure, if you are eligible to do so.   All participants should understand the requirements of their destination country, city or host institution’s vaccination protocol, including proof of booster shot. Please note that many countries, municipalities, and industries are beginning to require proof of booster shot to remain eligible for travel or daily activities, but this protocol varies from country to country.  Visit the US Embassy website for your host destination.

Financial Considerations for Students (Reminder)

As your embedded program prepares for departure, we would ask you to consider financial leniency for students participating on your program that may encounter unforeseen circumstances.  We are seeing an increase in positive COVID-19 cases, even within vaccinated populations, and for a student participating on a short term program, could be extremely disruptive.

Penn State Global would advocate that departments leading embedded programs during this spring term, should try to be lenient for students unable to travel and offer fair and equitable refunds to students that may test positive prior to their program departure. In the spirit of transparency, your withdrawal penalties and financial consequences related to a positive test prior to departure, or a late withdrawal, should be clearly communicated with your students. 

Emergency Preparedness Workshops (Reminder) 

Registrations are now open for program leaders and co-leaders that will be participating in an upcoming embedded program.  All leaders and co-leaders are required to attend one of the online emergency preparedness workshops (EPW) prior to the departure of your program. Register for an EPW on our website. Please note that this link cannot be found on our public Penn State Global website and should only be accessed here.

Travel Disruptions and Flight Information (Reminder) 

In the event that a program is canceled after being approved by the University’s restricted travel review process, students will be held harmless for any billable study abroad items such as the course fee or third-party provider costs. For an embedded course, tuition would generally not be refunded since the class would likely continue being taught without the travel element, though individual cases would be considered case-by-case.

In the event of a program cancellation, airfare will not be refunded to students by Penn State. We are at a point in the COVID-19 pandemic where students and their families understand that uncertainties remain present in many parts of our lives. No student should purchase a flight ticket unless they feel confident in their own personal risk tolerance level to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic and unless they fully understand the refund options associated with that ticket. For the specific expense of airfare, it is the responsibility of the student to explore refundable airline tickets, travel insurance/cancel for any reason insurance, and whether their credit card company provides assistance with cancellation/refunds.

Program Leader Checkpoints (Reminder)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. 

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update. Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• February 7: Faculty-Led Embedded Roundtable
• February 15: Deadline for Summer 2022 student rosters, final detailed travel itineraries, emergency contact information, and export compliance information forms
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad 

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park 

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders:

Weekly Update, Published 01/28/2022

Vaccination Status and Booster Considerations (Reminder)

At this time, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) states people are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.

In addition to being fully vaccinated, Penn State is strongly recommending all international travelers receive their booster shot prior to their travel. Your window of eligibility to receive a booster shot varies based on the vaccination type you received.  Generally, adults are eligible for booster shots 2-5 months after concluding their original vaccination series.  Please review the CDC guidance on booster shots and receive yours at least two weeks prior to departure, if you are eligible to do so.   All participants should understand the requirements of their destination country, city or host institution’s vaccination protocol, including proof of booster shot. Please note that many countries, municipalities, and industries are beginning to require proof of booster shot to remain eligible for travel or daily activities, but this protocol varies from country to country.  Visit the US Embassy website for your host destination.

Spring Break Programs Update (Reminder)

Dear Program Leaders,

We know that you are managing so many details and changes for all of the courses you are teaching.  Please know we respect and value your time and dedication to the study abroad planning process.  With most of you preparing for travel at spring break, I write to share some critical updates to expectations and health considerations.

Note that at this time, all spring break courses can proceed as-planned.  Please know that our office is monitoring the COVID-19 situation in the US, our local communities, campuses, and at a large number of locations abroad.  Our top priority is the health and safety of all Penn Staters undertaking international travel.  Our second most notable concern at the moment is responding to the logistical challenges that changing entry/exit requirements or a positive test could cause on a very short program of 7-10 days.   We are taking a holistic approach to evaluating the viability of short-term travel to your intended destinations for your planned itineraries.  If the University (including Penn State Global, International Restricted Travel Committee, Vice Provost for Global Learning, and the Provost) determine that any changes are necessary to one or more courses, the program leaders will be notified in writing on or before February 3, 2022.  Note that all program leaders will receive an update on February 3, 2022 indicating the travel posture at that time (i.e., that the course can continue as planned, needs to be modified, or needs to be cancelled/postponed).  Regardless of the status update provided to program leaders on February 3, the University reserves the right to modify or cancel education abroad programs at a later date with little or no notice if circumstances warrant.

This message is sent in the spirit of transparency and with hopes that it does not cause undue stress for you or your students.  We remain optimistic at the level of preparedness you and your host organizations have developed, but we are also realistic about the challenges of short-term international group travel at this time.

Actions Penn State Global is taking:

• Re-analyzing essential data points and COVID protocol for your intended destinations.  The Global Safety Office will be looking at health care capacity, entry and exit requirements, isolation/quarantine protocol, and any other critical considerations related to health or travel logistics.
  • If any of the update analyses reveal concerning trends, lack of healthcare access, or obvious logistical hurdles that might prevent a 7-10 day program from being able to operate, Penn State Global would contact the program leaders on or before February 3 for a discussion on contingency planning or to recommend cancellation or postponement.
• Preparing documents and resources on the following topics to share with you
  • Travel-approved testing options on/near Penn State campuses (prior to departure from US)
  • How to know if your destination requires an app verification or electronic registration before/upon arrival
  • Updated health and safety protocol slides and relevant links
  • Checklist for responding to positive COVID-19 test within program group
• Hosting emergency preparedness workshops (required attendance by program leaders), optional roundtable discussions for leaders, and planning Zoom sessions for students to ask questions in February.
• Preparing for financial implications in the event that any programs must be cancelled or postponed.  Penn State Global would absorb penalties and losses for cancellations/postponement with the exception of student flight penalties.

Actions we request program leaders to take:

• Consult with your department head/academic leadership to ensure they understand that if a student tests positive while abroad on a program, your return to the US may be delayed by 5-14 days (depending on local protocol and regulations).  Proactively discuss how you would manage your coursework from abroad.
• Consult with your program co-leaders to discuss who would remain abroad if a student tests positive and cannot depart as planned.  Note that at least one leader must remain in country until the student is cleared to fly.  If one or more students tests positive plus one or more leaders, it may be necessary for a COVID-NEGATIVE program leader to also remain in country to facilitate assistance and support for the student(s) and leader(s) in isolation.  This would depend on the nature of the location, whether a local provider is contracted for 24/7 support, and other factors.  Consult with Global Programs if this situation arises.
• If you were not able to attend the roundtable discussion this week please plan to attend our second roundtable discussion for spring break program leaders:
  • Monday February 7, 3:00 pm via Zoom (https://psu.zoom.us/j/93519882191)

As always, we remain committed to open communication and providing support to program leaders and students.  Please do not hesitate to contact us with questions by email or to request a Zoom meeting to discuss your specific course.

Sincerely,
Kate Manni
Director of Education Abroad

Financial Considerations for Students (New)

As your embedded program prepares for departure, we would ask you to consider financial leniency for students participating on your program that may encounter unforeseen circumstances.  We are seeing an increase in positive COVID-19 cases, even within vaccinated populations, and for a student participating on a short term program, could be extremely disruptive.

Penn State Global would advocate that departments leading embedded programs during this spring term, should try to be lenient for students unable to travel and offer fair and equitable refunds to students that may test positive prior to their program departure. In the spirit of transparency, your withdrawal penalties and financial consequences related to a positive test prior to departure, or a late withdrawal, should be clearly communicated with your students.

Emergency Preparedness Workshops (Reminder)

Registrations are now open for program leaders and co-leaders that will be participating in an upcoming embedded program.  All leaders and co-leaders are required to attend one of the online emergency preparedness workshops (EPW) prior to the departure of your program. Register for an EPW on our website. Please note that this link cannot be found on our public Penn State Global website and should only be accessed here.

Travel Disruptions and Flight Information (Reminder)

In the event that a program is canceled after being approved by the University’s restricted travel review process, students will be held harmless for any billable study abroad items such as the course fee or third-party provider costs. For an embedded course, tuition would generally not be refunded since the class would likely continue being taught without the travel element, though individual cases would be considered case-by-case.

In the event of a program cancellation, airfare will not be refunded to students by Penn State. We are at a point in the COVID-19 pandemic where students and their families understand that uncertainties remain present in many parts of our lives. No student should purchase a flight ticket unless they feel confident in their own personal risk tolerance level to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic and unless they fully understand the refund options associated with that ticket. For the specific expense of airfare, it is the responsibility of the student to explore refundable airline tickets, travel insurance/cancel for any reason insurance, and whether their credit card company provides assistance with cancellation/refunds.

Program Leader Checkpoints (No updates)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines.

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update. Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

What is Next?

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• February 3: Status update announcement for spring break courses
• February 7: Faculty-Led Embedded Roundtable
• February 15: Deadline for Summer 2022 student rosters, final detailed travel itineraries, emergency contact information, and export compliance information forms
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

 

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders:

Weekly Update, Published 01/21/2022

Spring Break Programs Update (New)

Dear Program Leaders,

We know that you are managing so many details and changes for all of the courses you are teaching.  Please know we respect and value your time and dedication to the study abroad planning process.  With most of you preparing for travel at spring break, I write to share some critical updates to expectations and health considerations.

Note that at this time, all spring break courses can proceed as-planned.  Please know that our office is monitoring the COVID-19 situation in the US, our local communities, campuses, and at a large number of locations abroad.  Our top priority is the health and safety of all Penn Staters undertaking international travel.  Our second most notable concern at the moment is responding to the logistical challenges that changing entry/exit requirements or a positive test could cause on a very short program of 7-10 days.   We are taking a holistic approach to evaluating the viability of short-term travel to your intended destinations for your planned itineraries.  If the University (including Penn State Global, International Restricted Travel Committee, Vice Provost for Global Learning, and the Provost) determine that any changes are necessary to one or more courses, the program leaders will be notified in writing on or before February 3, 2022.  Note that all program leaders will receive an update on February 3, 2022 indicating the travel posture at that time (i.e., that the course can continue as planned, needs to be modified, or needs to be cancelled/postponed).  Regardless of the status update provided to program leaders on February 3, the University reserves the right to modify or cancel education abroad programs at a later date with little or no notice if circumstances warrant.

This message is sent in the spirit of transparency and with hopes that it does not cause undue stress for you or your students.  We remain optimistic at the level of preparedness you and your host organizations have developed, but we are also realistic about the challenges of short-term international group travel at this time.

Actions Penn State Global is taking:

• Re-analyzing essential data points and COVID protocol for your intended destinations.  The Global Safety Office will be looking at health care capacity, entry and exit requirements, isolation/quarantine protocol, and any other critical considerations related to health or travel logistics.
  • If any of the update analyses reveal concerning trends, lack of health care access, or obvious logistical hurdles that might prevent a 7-10 day program from being able to operate, Penn State Global would contact the program leaders on or before February 3 for a discussion on contingency planning or to recommend cancellation or postponement.
• Preparing documents and resources on the following topics to share with you
  • Travel-approved testing options on/near Penn State campuses (prior to departure from US)
  • How to know if your destination requires an app verification or electronic registration before/upon arrival
  • Updated health and safety protocol slides and relevant links
  • Checklist for responding to positive COVID-19 test within program group
• Hosting emergency preparedness workshops (required attendance by program leaders), optional roundtable discussions for leaders, and planning Zoom sessions for students to ask questions in February.
• Preparing for financial implications in the event that any programs must be cancelled or postponed.  Penn State Global would absorb penalties and losses for cancellations/postponement with the exception of student flight penalties.

Actions we request program leaders to take:

• Consult with your department head/academic leadership to ensure they understand that if a student tests positive while abroad on a program, your return to the US may be delayed by 5-14 days (depending on local protocol and regulations).  Proactively discuss how you would manage your coursework from abroad.
• Consult with your program co-leaders to discuss who would remain abroad if a student tests positive and cannot depart as planned.  Note that at least one leader must remain in country until the student is cleared to fly.  If one or more students tests positive plus one or more leaders, it may be necessary for a COVID-NEGATIVE program leader to also remain in country to facilitate assistance and support for the student(s) and leader(s) in isolation.  This would depend on the nature of the location, whether a local provider is contracted for 24/7 support, and other factors.  Consult with Global Programs if this situation arises.
• Make every attempt to attend one of the upcoming roundtable discussions for spring break program leaders:
  • Thursday January 27, 11:00 am via Zoom (https://psu.zoom.us/j/98297603209)
  • Monday February 7, 3:00 pm via Zoom (https://psu.zoom.us/j/93519882191)

As always, we remain committed to open communication and providing support to program leaders and students.  Please do not hesitate to contact us with questions by email or to request a Zoom meeting to discuss your specific course.

Sincerely,
Kate Manni
Director of Education Abroad

Financial Considerations for Students (New)

As your embedded program prepares for departure, we would ask you to consider financial leniency for students participating on your program that may encounter unforeseen circumstances.  We are seeing an increase in positive COVID-19 cases, even within vaccinated populations, and for a student participating on short term program, could be extremely disruptive.

Penn State Global would advocate that departments leading embedded programs during this spring term, should try to be lenient for students unable to travel and offer fair and equitable refunds to students that may test positive prior to their program departure. In the spirit of transparency, your withdrawal penalties and financial consequences related to a positive test prior to departure, or a late withdrawal, should be clearly communicated with your students.

Vaccination Status and Booster Considerations (New)

At this time, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) states people are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.

 

In addition to being fully vaccinated, Penn State is strongly recommending all international travelers receive their booster shot prior to their travel. Your window of eligibility to receive a booster shot varies based on the vaccination type you received.  Generally, adults are eligible for booster shots 2-5 months after concluding their original vaccination series.  Please review the CDC guidance on booster shots and receive yours at least two weeks prior to departure, if you are eligible to do so.   All participants should understand the requirements of their destination country, city or host institution’s vaccination protocol, including proof of booster shot. Please note that many countries, municipalities, and industries are beginning to require proof of booster shot to remain eligible for travel or daily activities, but this protocol varies from country to country.  Visit the US Embassy website for your host destination.

Emergency Preparedness Workshops (Reminder)

 

Registrations are now open for program leaders and co-leaders that will be participating in an upcoming embedded program.  All leaders and co-leaders are required to attend one of the online emergency preparedness workshops (EPW) prior to the departure of your program. Register for an EPW on our website. Please note that this link cannot be found on our public Penn State Global website and should only be accessed here.

Travel Disruptions and Flight Information (Reminder)

In the event that a program is canceled after being approved by the University’s restricted travel review process, students will be held harmless for any billable study abroad items such as the course fee or third-party provider costs. For an embedded course, tuition would generally not be refunded since the class would likely continue being taught without the travel element, though individual cases would be considered case-by-case.

 

In the event of a program cancellation, airfare will not be refunded to students by Penn State. We are at a point in the COVID-19 pandemic where students and their families understand that uncertainties remain present in many parts of our lives. No student should purchase a flight ticket unless they feel confident in their own personal risk tolerance level to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic and unless they fully understand the refund options associated with that ticket. For the specific expense of airfare, it is the responsibility of the student to explore refundable airline tickets, travel insurance/cancel for any reason insurance, and whether their credit card company provides assistance with cancellation/refunds.

Program Leader Checkpoints (Reminder)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines.

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update. Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

What is Next?

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• January 27: Faculty-Led Embedded  Roundtable
• February 3: Status update announcement for spring break courses
• February 7: Faculty-Led Embedded Roundtable
• February 15: Deadline for Summer 2022 student rosters, final detailed travel itineraries, emergency contact information, and export compliance information forms
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 01/14/2022

Emergency Preparedness Workshops – Registration Open (New) 

Registrations are now open for program leaders and co-leaders that will be participating in an upcoming embedded program.  All leaders and co-leaders are required to attend one of the online emergency preparedness workshops (EPW) prior to the departure of your program. Register for an EPW on our website. Please note that this link cannot be found on our public Penn State Global website and should only be accessed here.

Open Roundtable Discussions (New) 

The Customized Programs team will be facilitating two roundtable discussions to focus specifically on spring break embedded programs; including COVID-19 concerns, academic continuity plans, emergency contingency plans, and protocol. If you are activity planning a spring break program, please plan to attend one of the discussions listed below:

Thursday, January 27, 11:00am – noon

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

https://psu.zoom.us/j/98297603209

Or Telephone:  +1 646 876 9923 (US Toll)

Meeting ID: 982 9760 3209

OR

Monday, February 7, 3:00pm – 4:00pm

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

https://psu.zoom.us/j/93519882191

Or Telephone: +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll)

       Meeting ID: 935 1988 2191

SP22 Embedded Program Deadline: January 15th (Reminder)

The deadline for your SP22 student roster, final detailed itinerary, emergency contact information, and export compliance information form is January 15th.  Please log into your program proposal to verify that you have completed this information. You can access your program proposal in TerraDotta.  The instructions for accessing your proposal are in the section directly below.

Accessing Your Embedded Proposal (Reminder)

Some of you have asked how to access an existing program proposal after you have initially entered your proposal in our TerraDotta system (the system where this online proposal process is housed). You might need to switch to your “Applicant” view to access the documents after signing in to the system. Instructions on how to get to the applicant screen are located below.

If you save your progress and log out, then return to finish it later, you might be taken to your Admin home screen or your “reviewer” homescreen (if you have access to review student applications in the system).

If you find yourself unable to find your program proposal, please follow these steps:

1. Go to the program brochure search page 
2. On the right side, near the top, there is a LOGIN/REGISTER link (on the black bar)
3. Log in using your PSU credentials
4. Locate the “home” icon on the left side of the dark gray menu bar
5. Click the “home” icon
6. From the dropdown options, select “applicant”
7. Now, you are on your homepage as an applicant
8. Here you will find the program proposal you had started as well as proposals from previous terms, if applicable.
9. If you are looking for your SP22 embedded program proposal, you may need to scroll down to the section labeled “Spring-Embedded (P), 2022.  It will look similar to this format: 

Summer 2022 Proposal Deadline January 15th (Reminder)

If you are planning an embedded program to travel over the summer semester the deadline is January 15, 2022 for travel dates:  May 7, 2022 – August 13, 2022.

In order to minimize institutional risk and to ensure compliance with University Policy FN20, Global Programs requires faculty and departments (graduate and undergraduate) organizing and/or sponsoring embedded programs to submit course information and essential documentation to Education Abroad via the online embedded course development and proposal process. Please note that the proposal deadlines are earlier this academic year due to additional COVID-19 considerations within the approval process. 

As you know, an embedded program faculty leader assumes a great deal of responsibility for the development, proposal, implementation, and execution of an embedded course – including the academic content, travel logistics, international site visits and activities, budgeting and payments, and health and safety of program participants.  This may seem like an overwhelming list of responsibilities, but there are a number of support resources to help the faculty leader throughout the entire process.  Please visit the embedded courses resource page for additional information.

Items to consider before submitting your program proposal and emergency action plan: 

• Please provide information related to hospitals and testing for every city/location of your itinerary.
• Please provide information related to quarantine/isolation plans for every city/location of your itinerary (please note you do not need to pre-book rooms, but you should indicate that rooms should be available and/or your partner would manage plans). 
• Access and details related to return testing should be clearly indicated in both the plan and reflected in your itinerary. As of December 2nd, all travelers will need to get a COVID-19 viral test (regardless of vaccination status or citizenship) no more than 1 day before you travel by air into the United States. You must show your negative result to the airline before you board your flight.
  • The 1-day period is 1 day before the flight’s departure. The Order uses a 1-day time frame instead of 24 hours to provide more flexibility to the air passenger and aircraft operator. By using a 1-day window, test acceptability does not depend on the time of the flight or the time of day that the test sample was taken.
  • For example, if your flight is at 1pm on a Friday, you could board with a negative test that was taken any time on the prior Thursday.
• Activities with ‘higher’ risk, including water activities (or access to/near water activities), physical excursions like hiking, climbing, etc. should be detailed in your itinerary. Please note, while these risks are not directly related to the ongoing pandemic, higher risk for injuries in an overburdened healthcare system are factors to consider. 
• If your housing accommodations have more than two students per room, please indicate the need and your detailed mitigation plans (if one or more students were required to quarantine).
• If your itinerary includes more than one country, please provide a detailed academic justification for the proposed border crossing. You will need to explicitly detail the travel plans between countries as well as the current entry requirements and/or limitations.
• We anticipate disruptions related to travel (flight delays or COVID-19 test delays) at the beginning and/or end of the program. Please detail your plans to accommodate students arriving late and how you will manage return travel delays. 

Updates Regarding Submitted Program Info 

To all of our valued program leaders and academic partners, we appreciate your continued support regarding the detailed processes this year. Please note, your submitted program information which include your academic continuity form, and emergency action plan will be passed through the restricted travel process, exactly as they are presented, and will be reviewed by several stakeholders, including the Provost. The information will not be filtered or summarized so your responses should be detailed, relevant, and professional. The International Restricted Travel Committee (IRTC) utilizes public information, such as the Department of State, Center for Disease Control, WorldWatch, UnitedHealthcare Global, and other country-level information. Paired with your programmatic information and itineraries, they will make recommendations to University leadership to help guide the ultimate program decision. Due to the volume of programs being reviewed, we will not be able to provide preliminary feedback on your submissions. Please note that the results of the restricted travel process will likely be final.

Travel Disruptions and Flight Information (Reminder) 

In the event that a program is canceled after being approved by the University’s restricted travel review process, students will be held harmless for any billable study abroad items such as the course fee or third-party provider costs. For an embedded course, tuition would generally not be refunded since the class would likely continue being taught without the travel element, though individual cases would be considered case-by-case.

In the event of a program cancellation, airfare will not be refunded to students by Penn State. We are at a point in the COVID-19 pandemic where students and their families understand that uncertainties remain present in many parts of our lives. No student should purchase a flight ticket unless they feel confident in their own personal risk tolerance level to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic and unless they fully understand the refund options associated with that ticket. For the specific expense of airfare, it is the responsibility of the student to explore refundable airline tickets, travel insurance/cancel for any reason insurance, and whether their credit card company provides assistance with cancellation/refunds.

Program Leader Checkpoints (Reminder)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. 

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update. Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• January 15:  Deadline for Summer 2022 embedded proposals
• January 15:  Deadline for Spring 2022 student rosters, final detailed travel itineraries, emergency contact information, and export compliance information forms
• January 27: Faculty-Led Embedded  Roundtable
• February 7: Faculty-Led Embedded Roundtable
• February 15: Deadline for Summer 2022 student rosters, final detailed travel itineraries, emergency contact information, and export compliance information forms
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad 

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park 

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 01/07/2022

Welcome back! We hope you had an enjoyable and restful winter break. We wish you the best as we start the spring semester and we look forward to working with you in this new year!

Global Learning and Engagement Week (Reminder) 

Faculty leading Summer 2022 freestanding and embedded programs are invited to participate in the Summer Study Abroad Expo on Wednesday, January 26th from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. EST in the HUB-Robeson Center, Heritage Hall at University Park scheduled during Penn State’s Global Learning and Engagement Week (GLEW), January 24 – 28, 2022. Please submit the Expo exhibitor registration by Monday, January 10, 2022.

Exhibitor registration will be limited due to the venue capacity (approx. 30 exhibitors). The Education Abroad staff will contact you in early January 2022 to confirm your registration and space at the event.  Confirmed registrants must attend the 2-hour event to answer program-related questions and promote the program to student Expo attendees.

Program Features on Social Media (Reminder) 

Are you interested in having your program featured on the Education Abroad social media platforms? This year our marketing team is putting out a call for program posts. If you would like to be featured through our channels, please complete and include the following requirements: 

• An infographic image, (photos cannot include students, faces, or animals – copyright of the images must be yours) with the following information:
  • Program name as used on the ea.psu.edu website 
  • Program dates 
  • Locations 
• A photo for the background of the image (dark blue in the included image format)
• A ready to post caption
  • Must include brief details 
  • You may include a short/shortened URL
  • Should be catchy!  
• Your campus, college, department (depending on the interest, these may be posted in a series rather than an individual post per program)
• Your department social media handle (ie @psuabroad) so we can tag them to cross-publish the post

This opportunity will be first come first serve. Program leaders that would like to be featured should send ALL the listed information to EAmarketing@psu.edu with the email subject, Education Abroad Customized Program Social Media Content (Your Last Name). If the information or photos provided do not meet the criteria for our social media page, it will not be published. These programs will be posted between November 22nd and January 15th. 

SP22 Embedded Program Deadline: January 15th (Reminder)

The deadline for your SP22 student roster, final detailed itinerary, emergency contact information, and export compliance information form is January 15th.  Please log into your program proposal to verify that you have completed this information. You can access your program proposal in TerraDotta.  The instructions for accessing your proposal are in the section directly below.

Accessing Your Embedded Proposal (Reminder)

Some of you have asked how to access an existing program proposal after you have initially entered your proposal in our TerraDotta system (the system where this online proposal process is housed). You might need to switch to your “Applicant” view to access the documents after signing in to the system. Instructions on how to get to the applicant screen are located below.

If you save your progress and log out, then return to finish it later, you might be taken to your Admin home screen or your “reviewer” homescreen (if you have access to review student applications in the system).

If you find yourself unable to find your program proposal, please follow these steps:

1. Go to the program brochure search page 
2. On the right side, near the top, there is a LOGIN/REGISTER link (on the black bar)
3. Log in using your PSU credentials
4. Locate the “home” icon on the left side of the dark gray menu bar
5. Click the “home” icon
6. From the dropdown options, select “applicant”
7. Now, you are on your homepage as an applicant
8. Here you will find the program proposal you had started as well as proposals from previous terms, if applicable.
9. If you are looking for your SP22 embedded program proposal, you may need to scroll down to the section labeled “Spring-Embedded (P), 2022. 

Summer 2022 Proposal Deadlines (Reminder)

If you are planning an embedded program to travel over the summer semester the deadline is as follows:

Deadline for Summer 2022 – January 15, 2022 

• Travel dates: May 7, 2022 – August 13, 2022

In order to minimize institutional risk and to ensure compliance with University Policy FN20, Global Programs requires faculty and departments (graduate and undergraduate) organizing and/or sponsoring embedded programs to submit course information and essential documentation to Education Abroad via the online embedded course development and proposal process. Please note that the proposal deadlines are earlier this academic year due to additional COVID-19 considerations within the approval process. 

As you know, an embedded program faculty leader assumes a great deal of responsibility for the development, proposal, implementation, and execution of an embedded course – including the academic content, travel logistics, international site visits and activities, budgeting and payments, and health and safety of program participants.  This may seem like an overwhelming list of responsibilities, but there are a number of support resources to help the faculty leader throughout the entire process.  Please visit the embedded courses resource page for additional information.

Items to consider before submitting your program proposal and emergency action plan: 

• Please provide information related to hospitals and testing for every city/location of your itinerary.
• Please provide information related to quarantine/isolation plans for every city/location of your itinerary (please note you do not need to pre-book rooms, but you should indicate that rooms should be available and/or your partner would manage plans). 
• Access and details related to return testing should be clearly indicated in both the plan and reflected in your itinerary. As of December 2nd, all travelers will need to get a COVID-19 viral test (regardless of vaccination status or citizenship) no more than 1 day before you travel by air into the United States. You must show your negative result to the airline before you board your flight.
  • The 1-day period is 1 day before the flight’s departure. The Order uses a 1-day time frame instead of 24 hours to provide more flexibility to the air passenger and aircraft operator. By using a 1-day window, test acceptability does not depend on the time of the flight or the time of day that the test sample was taken.
  • For example, if your flight is at 1pm on a Friday, you could board with a negative test that was taken any time on the prior Thursday.
• Activities with ‘higher’ risk, including water activities (or access to/near water activities), physical excursions like hiking, climbing, etc. should be detailed in your itinerary. Please note, while these risks are not directly related to the ongoing pandemic, higher risk for injuries in an overburdened healthcare system are factors to consider. 
• If your housing accommodations have more than two students per room, please indicate the need and your detailed mitigation plans (if one or more students were required to quarantine).
• If your itinerary includes more than one country, please provide a detailed academic justification for the proposed border crossing. You will need to explicitly detail the travel plans between countries as well as the current entry requirements and/or limitations.
• We anticipate disruptions related to travel (flight delays or COVID-19 test delays) at the beginning and/or end of the program. Please detail your plans to accommodate students arriving late and how you will manage return travel delays. 

Updates Regarding Submitted Program Info 

To all of our valued program leaders and academic partners, we appreciate your continued support regarding the detailed processes this year. Please note, your submitted program information which include your academic continuity form, and emergency action plan will be passed through the restricted travel process, exactly as they are presented, and will be reviewed by several stakeholders, including the Provost. The information will not be filtered or summarized so your responses should be detailed, relevant, and professional. The International Restricted Travel Committee (IRTC) utilizes public information, such as the Department of State, Center for Disease Control, WorldWatch, UnitedHealthcare Global, and other country-level information. Paired with your programmatic information and itineraries, they will make recommendations to University leadership to help guide the ultimate program decision. Due to the volume of programs being reviewed, we will not be able to provide preliminary feedback on your submissions. Please note that the results of the restricted travel process will likely be final.

Travel Disruptions and Flight Information (Reminder) 

In the event that a program is canceled after being approved by the University’s restricted travel review process, students will be held harmless for any billable study abroad items such as the course fee or third-party provider costs. For an embedded course, tuition would generally not be refunded since the class would likely continue being taught without the travel element, though individual cases would be considered case-by-case.

In the event of a program cancellation, airfare will not be refunded to students by Penn State. We are at a point in the COVID-19 pandemic where students and their families understand that uncertainties remain present in many parts of our lives. No student should purchase a flight ticket unless they feel confident in their own personal risk tolerance level to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic and unless they fully understand the refund options associated with that ticket. For the specific expense of airfare, it is the responsibility of the student to explore refundable airline tickets, travel insurance/cancel for any reason insurance, and whether their credit card company provides assistance with cancellation/refunds.

Program Leader Checkpoints (Reminder)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. 

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update. Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• January 15:  Deadline for Summer 2022 embedded proposals
• January 15:  Deadline for Spring 2022 student rosters, final detailed travel itineraries, emergency contact information, and export compliance information forms
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad 

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park 

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 12/16/2021

This is our last embedded weekly update for the year.  All of us here in Customized Programs wish you a happy and safe holiday break.  We look forward to working with you in the New Year!

Global Learning and Engagement Week (New) 

Faculty leading Summer 2022 freestanding and embedded programs are invited to participate in the Summer Study Abroad Expo on Wednesday, January 26th from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. EST in the HUB-Robeson Center, Heritage Hall at University Park scheduled during Penn State’s Global Learning and Engagement Week (GLEW), January 24 – 28, 2022. Please submit the Expo exhibitor registration by Monday, January 10, 2022.

Exhibitor registration will be limited due to the venue capacity (approx. 30 exhibitors). The Education Abroad staff will contact you in early January 2022 to confirm your registration and space at the event.  Confirmed registrants must attend the 2-hour event to answer program-related questions and promote the program to student Expo attendees.

If you are unable to attend this event or if you are hosting your own information sessions the GLEW Committee is now accepting submissions for the 2022 GLEW schedule. Please share your promo information by today to be featured in the overall schedule and on social media: Submit an event by December 17, 2021 to be included in GLEW 2022! 

Program Features on Social Media (New) 

Are you interested in having your program featured on the Education Abroad social media platforms? This year our marketing team is putting out a call for program posts. If you would like to be featured through our channels, please complete and include the following requirements: 

• An infographic image, (photos cannot include students, faces, or animals – copyright of the images must be yours) with the following information:
  • Program name as used on the ea.psu.edu website 
  • Program dates 
  • Locations 
• A photo for the background of the image (dark blue in the included image format)
• A ready to post caption
  • Must include brief details 
  • You may include a short/shortened URL
  • Should be catchy!  
• Your campus, college, department (depending on the interest, these may be posted in a series rather than an individual post per program)
• Your department social media handle (ie @psuabroad) so we can tag them to cross-publish the post

This opportunity will be first come first serve. Program leaders that would like to be featured should send ALL the listed information to EAmarketing@psu.edu with the email subject, Education Abroad Customized Program Social Media Content (Your Last Name). If the information or photos provided do not meet the criteria for our social media page, it will not be published. These programs will be posted between November 22nd and January 15th. 

Embedded Program Proposal Deadlines (Reminder)

The deadline for programs planning travel over spring has passed.  If you are planning an embedded program to travel over the summer semester the deadline is as follows:

Deadline for Summer 2022 – January 15, 2022 

• Travel dates: May 7, 2022 – August 13, 2022

In order to minimize institutional risk and to ensure compliance with University Policy FN20, Global Programs requires faculty and departments (graduate and undergraduate) organizing and/or sponsoring embedded programs to submit course information and essential documentation to Education Abroad via the online embedded course development and proposal process. Please note that the proposal deadlines are earlier this academic year due to additional COVID-19 considerations within the approval process. 

As you know, an embedded program faculty leader assumes a great deal of responsibility for the development, proposal, implementation, and execution of an embedded course – including the academic content, travel logistics, international site visits and activities, budgeting and payments, and health and safety of program participants.  This may seem like an overwhelming list of responsibilities, but there are a number of support resources to help the faculty leader throughout the entire process.  Please visit the embedded courses resource page for additional information.

Items to consider before submitting your program proposal and emergency action plan: 

• Please provide information related to hospitals and testing for every city/location of your itinerary.
• Please provide information related to quarantine/isolation plans for every city/location of your itinerary (please note you do not need to pre-book rooms, but you should indicate that rooms should be available and/or your partner would manage plans). 
• Access and details related to return testing should be clearly indicated in both the plan and reflected in your itinerary. As of December 2nd, all travelers will need to get a COVID-19 viral test (regardless of vaccination status or citizenship) no more than 1 day before you travel by air into the United States. You must show your negative result to the airline before you board your flight.
  • The 1-day period is 1 day before the flight’s departure. The Order uses a 1-day time frame instead of 24 hours to provide more flexibility to the air passenger and aircraft operator. By using a 1-day window, test acceptability does not depend on the time of the flight or the time of day that the test sample was taken.
  • For example, if your flight is at 1pm on a Friday, you could board with a negative test that was taken any time on the prior Thursday.
• Activities with ‘higher’ risk, including water activities (or access to/near water activities), physical excursions like hiking, climbing, etc. should be detailed in your itinerary. Please note, while these risks are not directly related to the ongoing pandemic, higher risk for injuries in an overburdened healthcare system are factors to consider. 
• If your housing accommodations have more than two students per room, please indicate the need and your detailed mitigation plans (if one or more students were required to quarantine).
• If your itinerary includes more than one country, please provide a detailed academic justification for the proposed border crossing. You will need to explicitly detail the travel plans between countries as well as the current entry requirements and/or limitations.
• We anticipate disruptions related to travel (flight delays or COVID-19 test delays) at the beginning and/or end of the program. Please detail your plans to accommodate students arriving late and how you will manage return travel delays. 

Updates Regarding Submitted Program Info 

To all of our valued program leaders and academic partners, we appreciate your continued support regarding the detailed processes this year. Please note, your submitted program information which include your academic continuity form, and emergency action plan will be passed through the restricted travel process, exactly as they are presented, and will be reviewed by several stakeholders, including the Provost. The information will not be filtered or summarized so your responses should be detailed, relevant, and professional. The International Restricted Travel Committee (IRTC) utilizes public information, such as the Department of State, Center for Disease Control, WorldWatch, UnitedHealthcare Global, and other country-level information. Paired with your programmatic information and itineraries, they will make recommendations to University leadership to help guide the ultimate program decision. Due to the volume of programs being reviewed, we will not be able to provide preliminary feedback on your submissions. Please note that the results of the restricted travel process will likely be final.

Accessing Your Embedded Proposal (Reminder)

Some of you have asked how to access an existing program proposal after you have initially entered your proposal in our TerraDotta system (the system where this online proposal process is housed). You might need to switch to your “Applicant” view to access the documents after signing in to the system. Instructions on how to get to the applicant screen are located below.

If you save your progress and log out, then return to finish it later, you might be taken to your Admin home screen or your “reviewer” homescreen (if you have access to review student applications in the system).

If you find yourself unable to find your program proposal, please follow these steps:

1. Go to the program brochure search page 
2. On the right side, near the top, there is a LOGIN/REGISTER link (on the black bar)
3. Log in using your PSU credentials
4. Locate the “home” icon on the left side of the dark gray menu bar
5. Click the “home” icon
6. From the dropdown options, select “applicant”
7. Now, you are on your homepage as an applicant
8. Here you will find the program proposal you had started as well as proposals from previous terms, if applicable.

COVID-19 Variant: Omicron (Reminder)

Many of you have seen in the media that a new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, has been identified as a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization in the last week. At this time very little is known about this new variant and there is no firm evidence that it is more transmissible or dangerous than earlier variants. The Penn State Global Safety Team along with the staff from the Education Abroad Office will continue to closely monitor the situation as more information becomes available, but at this time there is no change in the status of Penn State approved study abroad programs. 

Many countries have reacted to the news of the Omicron variant by altering entrance requirements and putting in place restrictions to prevent further spread of the COVID-19 virus. With these rapidly changing regulations, we encourage all faculty, staff, and students to regularly check the State Department COVID 19 Country Specific website to stay informed of the current protocols in place for their destination. 

Travel Disruptions and Flight Information (Reminder) 

In the event that a program is cancelled after being approved by the University’s restricted travel review process, students will be held harmless for any billable study abroad items such as the course fee or third-party provider costs. For an embedded course, tuition would generally not be refunded since the class would likely continue being taught without the travel element, though individual cases would be considered case-by-case.

In the event of a program cancellation, airfare will not be refunded to students by Penn State. We are at a point in the COVID-19 pandemic where students and their families understand that uncertainties remain present in many parts of our lives. No student should purchase a flight ticket unless they feel confident in their own personal risk tolerance level to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic and unless they fully understand the refund options associated with that ticket. For the specific expense of airfare, it is the responsibility of the student to explore refundable airline tickets, travel insurance/cancel for any reason insurance, and whether their credit card company provides assistance with cancellation/refunds.

Program Leader Checkpoints (Reminder)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. 

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update. Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• January 15:  Deadline for Summer 2022 embedded proposals
• January 15:  Deadline for Spring 2022 student rosters, final detailed travel itineraries, and emergency contact information
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad 

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park 

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 12/10/2021

COVID-19 Variant: Omicron (Reminder)

Many of you have seen in the media that a new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, has been identified as a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization in the last week. At this time very little is known about this new variant and there is no firm evidence that it is more transmissible or dangerous than earlier variants. The Penn State Global Safety Team along with the staff from the Education Abroad Office will continue to closely monitor the situation as more information becomes available, but at this time there is no change in the status of Penn State approved study abroad programs. 

Many countries have reacted to the news of the Omicron variant by altering entrance requirements and putting in place restrictions to prevent further spread of the COVID-19 virus. With these rapidly changing regulations, we encourage all faculty, staff, and students to regularly check the State Department COVID 19 Country Specific website to stay informed of the current protocols in place for their destination. 

Travel Disruptions and Flight Information (Reminder) 

In the event that a program is cancelled after being approved by the University’s restricted travel review process, students will be held harmless for any billable study abroad items such as the course fee or third-party provider costs. For an embedded course, tuition would generally not be refunded since the class would likely continue being taught without the travel element, though individual cases would be considered case-by-case.

In the event of a program cancellation, airfare will not be refunded to students by Penn State. We are at a point in the COVID-19 pandemic where students and their families understand that uncertainties remain present in many parts of our lives. No student should purchase a flight ticket unless they feel confident in their own personal risk tolerance level to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic and unless they fully understand the refund options associated with that ticket. For the specific expense of airfare, it is the responsibility of the student to explore refundable airline tickets, travel insurance/cancel for any reason insurance, and whether their credit card company provides assistance with cancellation/refunds.

Embedded Program Proposal Deadlines (Updated)

The deadline for programs planning travel over spring has passed.  If you are planning an embedded program to travel over the summer semester the deadline is as follows:

Deadline for Summer 2022 – January 15, 2022 

• Travel dates: May 7, 2022 – August 13, 2022

In order to minimize institutional risk and to ensure compliance with University Policy FN20, Global Programs requires faculty and departments (graduate and undergraduate) organizing and/or sponsoring embedded programs to submit course information and essential documentation to Education Abroad via the online embedded course development and proposal process. Please note that the proposal deadlines are earlier this academic year due to additional COVID-19 considerations within the approval process. 

As you know, an embedded program faculty leader assumes a great deal of responsibility for the development, proposal, implementation, and execution of an embedded course – including the academic content, travel logistics, international site visits and activities, budgeting and payments, and health and safety of program participants.  This may seem like an overwhelming list of responsibilities, but there are a number of support resources to help the faculty leader throughout the entire process.  Please visit the embedded courses resource page for additional information.

Items to consider before submitting your program proposal and emergency action plan: 

• Please provide information related to hospitals and testing for every city/location of your itinerary.
• Please provide information related to quarantine/isolation plans for every city/location of your itinerary (please note you do not need to pre-book rooms, but you should indicate that rooms should be available and/or your partner would manage plans). 
• Access and details related to return testing should be clearly indicated in both the plan and reflected in your itinerary. As of December 2nd, all travelers will need to get a COVID-19 viral test (regardless of vaccination status or citizenship) no more than 1 day before you travel by air into the United States. You must show your negative result to the airline before you board your flight.
• Activities with ‘higher’ risk, including water activities (or access to/near water activities), physical excursions like hiking, climbing, etc. should be detailed in your itinerary. Please note, while these risks are not directly related to the ongoing pandemic, higher risk for injuries in an overburdened healthcare system are factors to consider. 
• If your housing accommodations have more than two students per room, please indicate the need and your detailed mitigation plans (if one or more students were required to quarantine).
• If your itinerary includes more than one country, please provide a detailed academic justification for the proposed border crossing. You will need to explicitly detail the travel plans between countries as well as the current entry requirements and/or limitations.
• We anticipate disruptions related to travel (flight delays or COVID-19 test delays) at the beginning and/or end of the program. Please detail your plans to accommodate students arriving late and how you will manage return travel delays. 

Updates Regarding Submitted Program Info 

To all of our valued program leaders and academic partners, we appreciate your continued support regarding the detailed processes this year. Please note, your submitted program information which include your academic continuity form, and emergency action plan will be passed through the restricted travel process, exactly as they are presented, and will be reviewed by several stakeholders, including the Provost. The information will not be filtered or summarized so your responses should be detailed, relevant, and professional. The International Restricted Travel Committee (IRTC) utilizes public information, such as the Department of State, Center for Disease Control, WorldWatch, UnitedHealthcare Global, and other country-level information. Paired with your programmatic information and itineraries, they will make recommendations to University leadership to help guide the ultimate program decision. Due to the volume of programs being reviewed, we will not be able to provide preliminary feedback on your submissions. Please note that the results of the restricted travel process will likely be final.

Accessing Your Embedded Proposal (Reminder)

Some of you have asked how to access an existing program proposal after you have initially entered your proposal in our TerraDotta system (the system where this online proposal process is housed). You might need to switch to your “Applicant” view to access the documents after signing in to the system. Instructions on how to get to the applicant screen are located below.

If you save your progress and log out, then return to finish it later, you might be taken to your Admin home screen or your “reviewer” homescreen (if you have access to review student applications in the system).

If you find yourself unable to find your program proposal, please follow these steps:

1. Go to the program brochure search page 
2. On the right side, near the top, there is a LOGIN/REGISTER link (on the black bar)
3. Log in using your PSU credentials
4. Locate the “home” icon on the left side of the dark gray menu bar
5. Click the “home” icon
6. From the dropdown options, select “applicant”
7. Now, you are on your homepage as an applicant
8. Here you will find the program proposal you had started as well as proposals from previous terms, if applicable.

Save the Date: Summer Programs Expo (Reminder) 

As part of the new Global Learning and Engagement Week (GLEW, formally known as Study Abroad Week), we will be hosting a Summer Programs Expo on January 26th, 2022. The event will be held tentatively from 11AM -1PM in Heritage Hall, HUB at University Park. More information will be forthcoming, but please save the date on your calendars! 

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update. Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

Program Leader Checkpoints (No updates)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. 

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• January 15:  Deadline for Summer 2022 embedded proposals
• January 15:  Deadline for Spring 2022 student rosters and final detailed travel itinerary
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad 

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park 

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 12/03/2021

COVID-19 Variant: Omicron (New)

Many of you have seen in the media that a new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, has been identified as a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization in the last week. At this time very little is known about this new variant and there is no firm evidence that it is more transmissible or dangerous than earlier variants. The Penn State Global Safety Team along with the staff from the Education Abroad Office will continue to closely monitor the situation as more information becomes available, but at this time there is no change in the status of Penn State approved study abroad programs. 

Many countries have reacted to the news of the Omicron variant by altering entrance requirements and putting in place restrictions to prevent further spread of the COVID-19 virus. With these rapidly changing regulations, we encourage all faculty, staff, and students to regularly check the State Department COVID 19 Country Specific website to stay informed of the current protocols in place for their destination. 

Travel Disruptions and Flight Information (New) 

In the event that a program is cancelled after being approved by the University’s restricted travel review process, students will be held harmless for any billable study abroad items such as the course fee or third-party provider costs. For an embedded course, tuition would generally not be refunded since the class would likely continue being taught without the travel element, though individual cases would be considered case-by-case.

In the event of a program cancellation, airfare will not be refunded to students by Penn State. We are at a point in the COVID-19 pandemic where students and their families understand that uncertainties remain present in many parts of our lives. No student should purchase a flight ticket unless they feel confident in their own personal risk tolerance level to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic and unless they fully understand the refund options associated with that ticket. For the specific expense of airfare, it is the responsibility of the student to explore refundable airline tickets, travel insurance/cancel for any reason insurance, and whether their credit card company provides assistance with cancellation/refunds.

Embedded Program Proposal Deadlines (Updated)

The deadline for programs planning travel over spring has passed.  If you are planning an embedded program to travel over the summer semester the deadline is as follows:

Deadline for Summer 2022 – January 15, 2022 (please note change)

• Travel dates: May 7, 2022 – August 13, 2022

In order to minimize institutional risk and to ensure compliance with University Policy FN20, Global Programs requires faculty and departments (graduate and undergraduate) organizing and/or sponsoring embedded programs to submit course information and essential documentation to Education Abroad via the online embedded course development and proposal process. Please note that the proposal deadlines are earlier this academic year due to additional COVID-19 considerations within the approval process. Also, we have updated the proposal deadline for summer programs from December 1, 2021 to January 15, 2022. 

As you know, an embedded program faculty leader assumes a great deal of responsibility for the development, proposal, implementation, and execution of an embedded course – including the academic content, travel logistics, international site visits and activities, budgeting and payments, and health and safety of program participants.  This may seem like an overwhelming list of responsibilities, but there are a number of support resources to help the faculty leader throughout the entire process.  Please visit the embedded courses resource page for additional information.

Items to consider before submitting your program proposal and emergency action plan: 

• Please provide information related to hospitals and testing for every city/location of your itinerary.
• Please provide information related to quarantine/isolation plans for every city/location of your itinerary (please note you do not need to pre-book rooms, but you should indicate that rooms should be available and/or your partner would manage plans). 
• Access and details related to return testing should be clearly indicated in both the plan and reflected in your itinerary. As of December 2nd, all travelers will need to get a COVID-19 viral test (regardless of vaccination status or citizenship) no more than 1 day before you travel by air into the United States. You must show your negative result to the airline before you board your flight.
• Activities with ‘higher’ risk, including water activities (or access to/near water activities), physical excursions like hiking, climbing, etc. should be detailed in your itinerary. Please note, while these risks are not directly related to the ongoing pandemic, higher risk for injuries in an overburdened healthcare system are factors to consider. 
• If your housing accommodations have more than two students per room, please indicate the need and your detailed mitigation plans (if one or more students were required to quarantine).
• If your itinerary includes more than one country, please provide a detailed academic justification for the proposed border crossing. You will need to explicitly detail the travel plans between countries as well as the current entry requirements and/or limitations.
• We anticipate disruptions related to travel (flight delays or COVID-19 test delays) at the beginning and/or end of the program. Please detail your plans to accommodate students arriving late and how you will manage return travel delays. 

Updates Regarding Submitted Program Info 

To all of our valued program leaders and academic partners, we appreciate your continued support regarding the detailed processes this year. Please note, your submitted program information which include your academic continuity form, and emergency action plan will be passed through the restricted travel process, exactly as they are presented, and will be reviewed by several stakeholders, including the Provost. The information will not be filtered or summarized so your responses should be detailed, relevant, and professional. The International Restricted Travel Committee (IRTC) utilizes public information, such as the Department of State, Center for Disease Control, WorldWatch, UnitedHealthcare Global, and other country-level information. Paired with your programmatic information and itineraries, they will make recommendations to University leadership to help guide the ultimate program decision. Due to the volume of programs being reviewed, we will not be able to provide preliminary feedback on your submissions. Please note that the results of the restricted travel process will likely be final.

Accessing Your Embedded Proposal (Reminder)

Some of you have asked how to access an existing program proposal after you have initially entered your proposal in our TerraDotta system (the system where this online proposal process is housed). You might need to switch to your “Applicant” view to access the documents after signing in to the system. Instructions on how to get to the applicant screen are located below.

If you save your progress and log out, then return to finish it later, you might be taken to your Admin home screen or your “reviewer” homescreen (if you have access to review student applications in the system).

If you find yourself unable to find your program proposal, please follow these steps:

1. Go to the program brochure search page 
2. On the right side, near the top, there is a LOGIN/REGISTER link (on the black bar)
3. Log in using your PSU credentials
4. Locate the “home” icon on the left side of the dark gray menu bar
5. Click the “home” icon
6. From the dropdown options, select “applicant”
7. Now, you are on your homepage as an applicant
8. Here you will find the program proposal you had started as well as proposals from previous terms, if applicable.

Save the Date: Summer Programs Expo (New) 

As part of the new Global Learning and Engagement Week (GLEW, formally known as Study Abroad Week), we will be hosting a Summer Programs Expo on January 26th, 2022. The event will be held tentatively from 11AM -1PM in Heritage Hall, HUB at University Park. More information will be forthcoming, but please save the date on your calendars! 

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update. Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

Program Leader Checkpoints (No updates)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. 

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• January 15:  Deadline for Summer 2022 embedded proposals
• January 15:  Deadline for Spring 2022 student rosters and final detailed travel itinerary
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad 

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park 

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 11/19/2021

As we head into Thanksgiving week, our Customized Programs team would like to express our gratitude to all of our faculty, staff, college liaisons and campus representatives. We are thankful for your dedication to provide meaningful international programs for our Penn State students and look forward to our students returning to the world under your leadership. Please note, we will not be sending an update next week, but will promptly resume on December 3rd, 2021.

Asymptomatic COVID-19 Testing Costs (New) 

We have received many questions regarding asymptomatic student COVID-19 testing and whether or not these fees can be included in an embedded program budget and/or program fee. Penn State Global continues to inform students that they are required to pay out-of-pocket for all COVID-19 testing and entry requirements as part of their program participation. Furthermore, the costs associated with COVID-19 testing for pre-arrival and United States re-entry are not permitted to be built into your program budgets and/or program fees. However, there are a couple scenarios that are approved surrounding this testing:

• If your program needs to pay for transportation or other logistics to provide students access to testing, that can and should be included in the budget and/or program fees.
• If your program provider is offering complimentary COVID-19 testing and this testing is not listed as a line item charge to the students, this is also permissible.

Program Features on Social Media (Reminder) 

Are you interested in having your program featured on the Education Abroad social media platforms? This year our marketing team is putting out a call for program posts. If you would like to be featured through our channels, please complete and include the following requirements: 

• An infographic image (photos cannot include students, faces, or animals – copyright of the images must be yours) with the following information:
  • Program name as used on the ea.psu.edu website 
  • Program dates 
  • Locations 
• A ready to post caption
  • Must include brief details 
  • You may include a short/shortened URL
  • Should be catchy!  
• Your campus, college, department (depending on the interest, these may be posted in a series rather than an individual post per program)
• Your department social media handle (ie @psuabroad) so we can tag them to cross-publish the post

This opportunity will be first come first serve. Program leaders that would like to be featured should send ALL the listed information to EAmarketing@psu.edu with the email subject, Education Abroad Customized Program Social Media Content (Your Last Name). If the information or photos provided do not meet the criteria for our social media page, it will not be published. These programs will be posted between November 22nd and January 15th. 

Embedded Program Proposal Deadlines (Reminder)

The deadline for programs planning travel over spring has passed.  If you are planning an embedded program to travel over the summer semester the deadline is as follows:

Deadline for Summer 2022 – January 15, 2022 (please note change)

• Travel dates: May 7, 2022 – August 13, 2022

In order to minimize institutional risk and to ensure compliance with University Policy FN20, Global Programs requires faculty and departments (graduate and undergraduate) organizing and/or sponsoring embedded programs to submit course information and essential documentation to Education Abroad via the online embedded course development and proposal process. Please note that the proposal deadlines are earlier this academic year due to additional COVID-19 considerations within the approval process. Also, we have updated the proposal deadline for summer programs from December 1, 2021 to January 15, 2022. 

As you know, an embedded program faculty leader assumes a great deal of responsibility for the development, proposal, implementation, and execution of an embedded course – including the academic content, travel logistics, international site visits and activities, budgeting and payments, and health and safety of program participants.  This may seem like an overwhelming list of responsibilities, but there are a number of support resources to help the faculty leader throughout the entire process.  Please visit the embedded courses resource page for additional information.

Updates Regarding Submitted Program Info (Reminder)

To all of our valued program leaders and academic partners, we appreciate your continued support regarding the detailed processes this year. Please note, your submitted program information which include your academic continuity form, and emergency action plan will be passed through the restricted travel process, exactly as they are presented, and will be reviewed by several stakeholders, including the Provost. The information will not be filtered or summarized so your responses should be detailed, relevant, and professional. The International Restricted Travel Committee (IRTC) utilizes public information, such as the Department of State, Center for Disease Control, WorldWatch, UnitedHealthcare Global, and other country-level information. Paired with your programmatic information and itineraries, they will make recommendations to University leadership to help guide the ultimate program decision. Due to the volume of programs being reviewed, we will not be able to provide preliminary feedback on your submissions. Please note that the results of the restricted travel process will likely be final.

Accessing Your Embedded Proposal (Reminder)

Some of you have asked how to access an existing program proposal after you have initially entered your proposal in our TerraDotta system (the system where this online proposal process is housed). You might need to switch to your “Applicant” view to access the documents after signing in to the system. Instructions on how to get to the applicant screen are located below.

If you save your progress and log out, then return to finish it later, you might be taken to your Admin home screen or your “reviewer” homescreen (if you have access to review student applications in the system).

If you find yourself unable to find your program proposal, please follow these steps:

1. Go to the program brochure search page 
2. On the right side, near the top, there is a LOGIN/REGISTER link (on the black bar)
3. Log in using your PSU credentials
4. Locate the “home” icon on the left side of the dark gray menu bar
5. Click the “home” icon
6. From the dropdown options, select “applicant”
7. Now, you are on your homepage as an applicant
8. Here you will find the program proposal you had started as well as proposals from previous terms, if applicable.

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update. Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

Program Leader Checkpoints (No updates)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. 

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• January 15:  Deadline for Summer 2022 embedded proposals
• January 15:  Deadline for Spring 2022 student rosters and final detailed travel itinerary
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad 

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park 

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders:

Weekly Update, Published 11/12/2021

Program Features on Social Media (New)

Are you interested in having your program featured on the Education Abroad social media platforms? This year our marketing team is putting out a call for program posts. If you would like to be featured through our channels, please complete and include the following requirements:

• An infographic image (photos cannot include students, faces, or animals – copyright of the images must be yours) with the following information:
  • Program name as used on the ea.psu.edu website
  • Program dates
  • Locations
• A ready to post caption
  • Must include brief details
  • You may include a short/shortened URL
  • Should be catchy!
• Your campus, college, department (depending on the interest, these may be posted in a series rather than an individual post per program)
• Your department social media handle (ie @psuabroad) so we can tag them to cross-publish the post

 

This opportunity will be first come first serve. Program leaders that would like to be featured should send ALL the listed information to EAmarketing@psu.edu with the email subject, Education Abroad Customized Program Social Media Content (Your Last Name). If the information or photos provided do not meet the criteria for our social media page, it will not be published. These programs will be posted between November 22nd and January 15th.

Embedded Program Proposal Deadlines (Reminder)

The deadline for programs planning travel over spring has passed.  If you are planning an embedded program to travel over the summer semester the deadline is as follows:

Deadline for Summer 2022 – January 15, 2022 (please note change)

• Travel dates: May 7, 2022 – August 13, 2022

In order to minimize institutional risk and to ensure compliance with University Policy FN20, Global Programs requires faculty and departments (graduate and undergraduate) organizing and/or sponsoring embedded programs to submit course information and essential documentation to Education Abroad via the online embedded course development and proposal process. Please note that the proposal deadlines are earlier this academic year due to additional COVID-19 considerations within the approval process. Also, we have updated the proposal deadline for summer programs from December 1, 2021 to January 15, 2022.

 

As you know, an embedded program faculty leader assumes a great deal of responsibility for the development, proposal, implementation, and execution of an embedded course – including the academic content, travel logistics, international site visits and activities, budgeting and payments, and health and safety of program participants.  This may seem like an overwhelming list of responsibilities, but there are a number of support resources to help the faculty leader throughout the entire process.  Please visit the embedded courses resource page for additional information.

Updates Regarding Submitted Program Info (Reminder)

To all of our valued program leaders and academic partners, we appreciate your continued support regarding the detailed processes this year. Please note, your submitted program information which include your academic continuity form, and emergency action plan will be passed through the restricted travel process, exactly as they are presented, and will be reviewed by several stakeholders, including the Provost. The information will not be filtered or summarized so your responses should be detailed, relevant, and professional. The International Restricted Travel Committee (IRTC) utilizes public information, such as the Department of State, Center for Disease Control, WorldWatch, UnitedHealthcare Global, and other country-level information. Paired with your programmatic information and itineraries, they will make recommendations to University leadership to help guide the ultimate program decision. Due to the volume of programs being reviewed, we will not be able to provide preliminary feedback on your submissions. Please note that the results of the restricted travel process will likely be final.

Accessing Your Embedded Proposal (Reminder)

Some of you have asked how to access an existing program proposal after you have initially entered your proposal in our TerraDotta system (the system where this online proposal process is housed). You might need to switch to your “Applicant” view to access the documents after signing in to the system. Instructions on how to get to the applicant screen are located below.

If you save your progress and log out, then return to finish it later, you might be taken to your Admin home screen or your “reviewer” homescreen (if you have access to review student applications in the system).

If you find yourself unable to find your program proposal, please follow these steps:

1. Go to the program brochure search page
2. On the right side, near the top, there is a LOGIN/REGISTER link (on the black bar)
3. Log in using your PSU credentials
4. Locate the “home” icon on the left side of the dark gray menu bar
5. Click the “home” icon
6. From the dropdown options, select “applicant”
7. Now, you are on your homepage as an applicant
8. Here you will find the program proposal you had started as well as proposals from previous terms, if applicable.

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update. Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

Program Leader Checkpoints (No updates)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines.

What is Next?

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• January 15:  Deadline for Summer 2022 embedded proposals
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 11/05/2021

Embedded Program Proposal Deadlines (Reminder)

The deadline for programs planning travel over spring has passed.  If you are planning an embedded program to travel over the summer semester the deadline is as follows:

Deadline for Summer 2022 – January 15, 2022 (please note change)

• Travel dates: May 7, 2022 – August 13, 2022

In order to minimize institutional risk and to ensure compliance with University Policy FN20, Global Programs requires faculty and departments (graduate and undergraduate) organizing and/or sponsoring embedded programs to submit course information and essential documentation to Education Abroad via the online embedded course development and proposal process. Please note that the proposal deadlines are earlier this academic year due to additional COVID-19 considerations within the approval process. Also, we have updated the proposal deadline for summer programs from December 1, 2021 to January 15, 2022. 

 

As you know, an embedded program faculty leader assumes a great deal of responsibility for the development, proposal, implementation, and execution of an embedded course – including the academic content, travel logistics, international site visits and activities, budgeting and payments, and health and safety of program participants.  This may seem like an overwhelming list of responsibilities, but there are a number of support resources to help the faculty leader throughout the entire process.  Please visit the embedded courses resource page for additional information.

Updates Regarding Submitted Program Info (Reminder)

To all of our valued program leaders and academic partners, we appreciate your continued support regarding the detailed processes this year. Please note, your submitted program information which include your academic continuity form, and emergency action plan will be passed through the restricted travel process, exactly as they are presented, and will be reviewed by several stakeholders, including the Provost. The information will not be filtered or summarized so your responses should be detailed, relevant, and professional. The International Restricted Travel Committee (IRTC) utilizes public information, such as the Department of State, Center for Disease Control, WorldWatch, UnitedHealthcare Global, and other country-level information. Paired with your programmatic information and itineraries, they will make recommendations to University leadership to help guide the ultimate program decision. Due to the volume of programs being reviewed, we will not be able to provide preliminary feedback on your submissions. Please note that the results of the restricted travel process will likely be final.

Accessing Your Embedded Proposal (Reminder)

Some of you have asked how to access an existing program proposal after you have initially entered your proposal in our TerraDotta system (the system where this online proposal process is housed). You might need to switch to your “Applicant” view to access the documents after signing in to the system. Instructions on how to get to the applicant screen are located below.

If you save your progress and log out, then return to finish it later, you might be taken to your Admin home screen or your “reviewer” homescreen (if you have access to review student applications in the system).

If you find yourself unable to find your program proposal, please follow these steps:

1. Go to the program brochure search page 
2. On the right side, near the top, there is a LOGIN/REGISTER link (on the black bar)
3. Log in using your PSU credentials
4. Locate the “home” icon on the left side of the dark gray menu bar
5. Click the “home” icon
6. From the dropdown options, select “applicant”
7. Now, you are on your homepage as an applicant
8. Here you will find the program proposal you had started as well as proposals from previous terms, if applicable.

Roundtable Discussion (Reminder)

If you weren’t able to attend our meeting last week, the Customized Programs team will be facilitating another roundtable discussion to focus on academic continuity plan expectations, emergency contingency plans, and protocol for SP22 and SU22 embedded programs, as well as the most up-to-date topics, program leader guidelines, and checkpoints. We hope to see many of you there!

Monday, November 8, 3:00pm – 4:00pm

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

https://psu.zoom.us/j/98987884595

Or Telephone: +1 301 715 8592 (US Toll)

Meeting ID: 989 8788 4595

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update. Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

Program Leader Checkpoints (No updates)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. 

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• November 8th: Roundtable meeting for faculty
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad 

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park 

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 10/29/2021

Embedded Program Proposal Deadlines (Reminder)

Deadlines for programs planning travel over spring or summer are as follows:

Deadline for Spring 2022 programs – November 1, 2021

• Travel dates – January 10, 2022 – May 6, 2022

Deadline for Summer 2022 – January 15, 2022 (please note change)

• Travel dates: May 7, 2022 – August 13, 2022

In order to minimize institutional risk and to ensure compliance with University Policy FN20, Global Programs requires faculty and departments (graduate and undergraduate) organizing and/or sponsoring embedded programs to submit course information and essential documentation to Education Abroad via the online embedded course development and proposal process. Please note that the proposal deadlines are earlier this academic year due to additional COVID-19 considerations within the approval process. Also, we have updated the proposal deadline for summer programs from December 1, 2021 to January 15, 2022. 

As you know, an embedded program faculty leader assumes a great deal of responsibility for the development, proposal, implementation, and execution of an embedded course – including the academic content, travel logistics, international site visits and activities, budgeting and payments, and health and safety of program participants.  This may seem like an overwhelming list of responsibilities, but there are a number of support resources to help the faculty leader throughout the entire process.  Please visit the embedded courses resource page for additional information.

Updates Regarding Submitted Program Info (New)

To all of our valued program leaders and academic partners, we appreciate your continued support regarding the detailed processes this year. Please note, your submitted program information which include your academic continuity form, and emergency action plan will be passed through the restricted travel process, exactly as they are presented, and will be reviewed by several stakeholders, including the Provost. The information will not be filtered or summarized so your responses should be detailed, relevant, and professional. The International Restricted Travel Committee (IRTC) utilizes public information, such as the Department of State, Center for Disease Control, WorldWatch, UnitedHealthcare Global, and other country-level information. Paired with your programmatic information and itineraries, they will make recommendations to University leadership to help guide the ultimate program decision. Due to the volume of programs being reviewed, we will not be able to provide preliminary feedback on your submissions. Please note that the results of the restricted travel process will likely be final.

Accessing Your Embedded Proposal (Reminder)

Some of you have asked how to access an existing program proposal after you have initially entered your proposal in our TerraDotta system (the system where this online proposal process is housed). You might need to switch to your “Applicant” view to access the documents after signing in to the system. Instructions on how to get to the applicant screen are located below.

If you save your progress and log out, then return to finish it later, you might be taken to your Admin home screen or your “reviewer” homescreen (if you have access to review student applications in the system).

If you find yourself unable to find your program proposal, please follow these steps:

1. Go to the program brochure search page 
2. On the right side, near the top, there is a LOGIN/REGISTER link (on the black bar)
3. Log in using your PSU credentials
4. Locate the “home” icon on the left side of the dark gray menu bar
5. Click the “home” icon
6. From the dropdown options, select “applicant”
7. Now, you are on your homepage as an applicant
8. Here you will find the program proposal you had started as well as proposals from previous terms, if applicable.

Roundtable Discussion (Reminder)

If you weren’t able to attend our meeting last week, the Customized Programs team will be facilitating another roundtable discussion to focus on academic continuity plan expectations, emergency contingency plans, and protocol for SP22 and SU22 embedded programs, as well as the most up-to-date topics, program leader guidelines, and checkpoints. We hope to see many of you there!

Monday, November 8, 3:00pm – 4:00pm

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

https://psu.zoom.us/j/98987884595

Or Telephone: +1 301 715 8592 (US Toll)

Meeting ID: 989 8788 4595

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update. Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

Program Leader Checkpoints (No updates)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. 

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• November 1st: Deadline for Spring 2022 embedded proposals
• November 8th: Roundtable meeting for faculty
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad 

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park 

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 10/15/2021

It was such a pleasure to see so many of you at our Education Abroad Fair this week.  Thank you so much for your participation and hard work as we plan for our students to return to the world!  We had hundreds of students attend both the in-person and online events!

Tethering Spring Course to Summer International Travel for 2022 (New)

We have an important update concerning SP22 courses with a planned international travel component set for summer 2022.  For those of you who usually run a spring course (2-4 credits) plus an additional course during summer that contains the travel component (0.5-1 credit), the information below pertains to you. 

A task force was assembled to explore limiting student financial burden for participating in the summer travel component.  Representation from Penn State Global, Registrar, Bursar, academic units and a faculty program leader were able to weigh in on this issue, and the following proposal for a pilot procedure has received official approval from key leadership.  

• Embedded courses (residentially taught) can be listed for the number of credits that is appropriate for your students (typically 2-4 credits, depending on contact hours). Please note; however, that the residentially taught course in SP22 will need to be assigned a WHOLE credit, and not a partial credit (i.e., 3 credits rather than 2.5 credits).  Listing the course at WHOLE credit will allow students some level of certainty in the degree progress, in the event that the travel component in SU22 has to be cancelled for any reason.
• The summer travel component course can be listed as .25 credit summer course (required to be associated with spring course).  Please note that .25 credit course designation has never existed for a course taught at Penn State previously, so the mechanics might be a little complicated within your unit.  Please consult with your department’s academic coordinator or the person who typically assists with LionPATH course setup.
  • We have just received approval for a special “flat rate” cost to be associated with these 0.25 cr summer courses rather than utilizing regular tuition.  The flat rate will be $200.  This represents a significant savings compared to the amount charged when students enroll in a standard 0.5 or 1 cr summer course at regular tuition rates.
• If you wish to utilize this pilot procedure of 2-4 cr in SP22 and 0.25 cr in SU22, you will need to be in contact right away with the staff person who sets up LionPATH courses for your campus/college/department.  It may be possible to use the same course number you usually use for summer, with only a change to the number of credits being 0.25.  If that is not possible, we strongly recommend that your 0.25 cr course in summer term utilize the X97 (197/297) experimental course code already available to faculty. That code allows a faculty member to run an experimental course up to twice without an official course/Senate approval process.
• The task force has approved that no campus-based student fees be tied with the .25 credit course since students will not utilize campus-based activities and facilities while abroad on a short-term program. 
• If you typically charge a course fee/class fee on the Bursar account that helps to cover student travel, lodging, meals, etc. while abroad, the mechanism for tying that course/class fee to the .25 cr course in SU22 should remain intact through the same process of working with the Budget Office, Bursar, and charging through LionPATH.

We know this is a lot to consider and digest, so please do let us know if you have questions or would like to set a time to connect by phone/Zoom.  Thank you!

Multi-Institutional Research Study (New)

Our colleague and fellow program leader, Jacqueline McLaughlin, Associate Professor of Biology at the Lehigh Valley campus, on behalf of the Mentoring Undergraduate Research in Global Contexts committee, has invited you to participate in a multi-institutional research study on mentoring undergraduate research (UR) in global (domestic and international) contexts. Relatively little research has focused on the integration of UR with global learning and diversity or elucidated the mentoring practices that facilitate UR experiences in global contexts. The present study aims to address this gap through a survey of mentoring practices and models, the integration and assessment of intercultural learning and UR, and institutional support and opportunities for professional development. This multi-institutional research is being conducted in collaboration with Elon’s Center for Research on Global Engagement, AAC&U and the Forum on Education Abroad. 

SURVEY LINK with Informed Consent If the link does not open, please copy and paste the following link into your browser: https://pennstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d43q4P7QAiMoShg

Embedded Program Proposal Deadlines (Reminder)

In order to minimize institutional risk and to ensure compliance with University Policy FN20, Global Programs requires faculty and departments (graduate and undergraduate) organizing and/or sponsoring embedded programs to submit course information and essential documentation to Education Abroad via the online embedded course development and proposal process. Please note that the proposal deadlines are earlier this academic year due to additional COVID-19 considerations within the approval process. Deadlines for programs planning travel over winter break, spring, or summer are as follows:

Deadline for Spring 2022 programs – November 1, 2021

• Travel dates – January 10, 2022 – May 6, 2022

Deadline for Summer 2022 – December 1, 2021

• Travel dates: May 7, 2022 – August 13, 2022

As you know, an embedded program faculty leader assumes a great deal of responsibility for the development, proposal, implementation, and execution of an embedded course – including the academic content, travel logistics, international site visits and activities, budgeting and payments, and health and safety of program participants.  This may seem like an overwhelming list of responsibilities, but there are a number of support resources to help the faculty leader throughout the entire process.  Please visit the embedded courses resource page for additional information.

Accessing Your Embedded Proposal (Reminder)

Some of you have asked how to access an existing program proposal after you have initially entered your proposal in our TerraDotta system (the system where this online proposal process is housed). You might need to switch to your “Applicant” view to access the documents after signing in to the system. Instructions on how to get to the applicant screen are located below.

If you save your progress and log out, then return to finish it later, you might be taken to your Admin home screen or your “reviewer” homescreen (if you have access to review student applications in the system).

If you find yourself unable to find your program proposal, please follow these steps:

1. Go to the program brochure search page 
2. On the right side, near the top, there is a LOGIN/REGISTER link (on the black bar)
3. Log in using your PSU credentials
4. Locate the “home” icon on the left side of the dark gray menu bar
5. Click the “home” icon
6. From the dropdown options, select “applicant”
7. Now, you are on your homepage as an applicant
8. Here you will find the program proposal you had started as well as proposals from previous terms, if applicable.

Roundtable Discussions (Reminder)

The Customized Programs team will be facilitating two roundtable discussions to focus on academic continuity plan expectations, emergency contingency plans, and protocol for SP22 and SU22 embedded programs, as well as the most up-to-date topics, program leader guidelines, and checkpoints. 

Thursday, October 21, 2:00pm – 3:00pm

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

https://psu.zoom.us/j/92605690364

Or Telephone: +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll)

Meeting ID: 926 0569 0364

 

Monday, November 8, 3:00pm – 4:00pm

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

https://psu.zoom.us/j/98987884595

Or Telephone: +1 301 715 8592 (US Toll)

Meeting ID: 989 8788 4595

Student Vaccine Information (Reminder) 

Effective August 2021, Penn State students approved for international travel are required to attest that they are or will be fully vaccinated against the virus that causes COVID-19 by their date of departure, or that they have or are pursuing a medical or religious exemption via the appropriate Penn State office(s):   

• Medical condition: University Health Services at uhs-insurance@psu.edu  
• Documented disability: Student Disability Resources Office at edaccessibility@psu.edu  
• Religious belief: Affirmative Action Office at aao@psu.edu  

 Exemptions approved by Penn State offices hold no influence with foreign governments or international educational institutions, many of which have enacted strict vaccination protocols. Therefore, students who are not vaccinated, even those who have been approved for an exemption by Penn State, may face limitations or restrictions in their participation in education abroad programs, including cancellation of their admission, due to regulations by foreign governments or international educational institutions. The Penn State Education Abroad Office will work to identify reasonable accommodations which can be made for students who have been approved for a medical or religious exemption from the University’s vaccination requirement. If reasonable accommodations cannot be identified without fundamentally altering the nature of the educational program or activity, including if significant health and/or safety concerns remain, Penn State reserves the right to rescind the offer of admission to study abroad, regardless of any academic unit’s approval.   

 For students planning university-affiliated international travel that is not part of a Penn State Education Abroad program, in the case of an approved medical or religious exemption from vaccination, the University will explore whether reasonable accommodations can be identified for student participation without fundamentally altering the nature of the educational program or activity.  If reasonable accommodations cannot be identified, or if significant health and safety concerns remain, Penn State reserves the right to deny or rescind approval as a university-affiliated international trip.   

  Students planning university-affiliated international travel, including applicants who have been approved for Penn State Education Abroad programs, will be required to meet this policy by completing a vaccination attestation form through either the Travel Safety Network or the Penn State Education Abroad application portal.  Failure to submit the form by the stated deadline will result in denial of approval for travel and/or removal from the Education Abroad program (if applicable).  Students who have concerns about compliance with the policy should contact the Global Safety Office (for non-Education Abroad travel) or their education abroad adviser (for Penn State Education Abroad programs) to discuss their international travel prospects.    

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update.

Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

• Travel: Limit in-country group travel to only academically-necessary visits
• Programs are strongly encouraged to limit mobility to a single country and not cross international borders during program time. If crossing an international border is an academically-essential part of the program, it is recommended to have a single travel day and not return to the original host country. 
• Itineraries that involve city-to-city travel will be reviewed in great detail for health/safety protocol and development of a contingency plan if any group members fall ill or are required to quarantine during travel periods
• Program leaders must allocate ample time and guidance to complete return testing, as required by the United States, in advance of their return flight.
• In-country public transportation (i.e., metro, public buses, train transportation): generally speaking, program leaders should carefully assess and know the local protocols for using public or private transportation and be transparent with students regarding levels of exposure to potentially large crowds. 
• Group meals: avoid scenarios with shared utensils, cutlery, drink pitchers, etc. (large group meals, family style, and self-serve buffet). 
• While homestay accommodations will be permitted, all families must be contracted with set expectations either with a third-party provider or individually facilitated by the program leader. 
• Personal credit cards or personal funds are not to be used prior to the start of the program; in the event of a program cancellation, personal funds may not be subject to reimbursement. 

Program Leader Checkpoints (No updates)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. These checkpoints may be updated regularly and you will be responsible for reviewing the details and understanding the implications for your program and making the necessary changes. This information is subject to change and should only be utilized in the online location to ensure the most up-to-date information. 

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad 

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park 

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 10/08/2021

Embedded Program Proposal Deadlines (Reminder)

In order to minimize institutional risk and to ensure compliance with University Policy FN20, Global Programs requires faculty and departments (graduate and undergraduate) organizing and/or sponsoring embedded programs to submit course information and essential documentation to Education Abroad via the online embedded course development and proposal process. Please note that the proposal deadlines are earlier this academic year due to additional COVID-19 considerations within the approval process. Deadlines for programs planning travel over winter break, spring, or summer are as follows:

Deadline for Spring 2022 programs – November 1, 2021

• Travel dates – January 10, 2022 – May 6, 2022

Deadline for Summer 2022 – December 1, 2021

• Travel dates: May 7, 2022 – August 13, 2022

As you know, an embedded program faculty leader assumes a great deal of responsibility for the development, proposal, implementation, and execution of an embedded course – including the academic content, travel logistics, international site visits and activities, budgeting and payments, and health and safety of program participants.  This may seem like an overwhelming list of responsibilities, but there are a number of support resources to help the faculty leader throughout the entire process.  Please visit the embedded courses resource page for additional information.

Accessing Your Embedded Proposal (Reminder)

Some of you have asked how to access an existing program proposal after you have initially entered your proposal in our TerraDotta system (the system where this online proposal process is housed). You might need to switch to your “Applicant” view to access the documents after signing in to the system. Instructions on how to get to the applicant screen are located below.

If you save your progress and log out, then return to finish it later, you might be taken to your Admin home screen or your “reviewer” homescreen (if you have access to review student applications in the system).

If you find yourself unable to find your program proposal, please follow these steps:

1. Go to the program brochure search page 
2. On the right side, near the top, there is a LOGIN/REGISTER link (on the black bar)
3. Log in using your PSU credentials
4. Locate the “home” icon on the left side of the dark gray menu bar
5. Click the “home” icon
6. From the dropdown options, select “applicant”
7. Now, you are on your homepage as an applicant
8. Here you will find the program proposal you had started as well as proposals from previous terms, if applicable.

Roundtable Discussions (Reminder)

The Customized Programs team will be facilitating two roundtable discussions to focus on academic continuity plan expectations, emergency contingency plans, and protocol for SP22 and SU22 embedded programs, as well as the most up-to-date topics, program leader guidelines, and checkpoints. 

Thursday, October 21, 2:00pm – 3:00pm

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

https://psu.zoom.us/j/92605690364

Or Telephone: +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll)

Meeting ID: 926 0569 0364

 

Monday, November 8, 3:00pm – 4:00pm

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

https://psu.zoom.us/j/98987884595

Or Telephone: +1 301 715 8592 (US Toll)

Meeting ID: 989 8788 4595

Student Vaccine Information (Updated) 

Effective August 2021, Penn State students approved for international travel are required to attest that they are or will be fully vaccinated against the virus that causes COVID-19 by their date of departure, or that they have or are pursuing a medical or religious exemption via the appropriate Penn State office(s):   

• Medical condition: University Health Services at uhs-insurance@psu.edu  
• Documented disability: Student Disability Resources Office at edaccessibility@psu.edu  
• Religious belief: Affirmative Action Office at aao@psu.edu  

 Exemptions approved by Penn State offices hold no influence with foreign governments or international educational institutions, many of which have enacted strict vaccination protocols. Therefore, students who are not vaccinated, even those who have been approved for an exemption by Penn State, may face limitations or restrictions in their participation in education abroad programs, including cancellation of their admission, due to regulations by foreign governments or international educational institutions. The Penn State Education Abroad Office will work to identify reasonable accommodations which can be made for students who have been approved for a medical or religious exemption from the University’s vaccination requirement. If reasonable accommodations cannot be identified without fundamentally altering the nature of the educational program or activity, including if significant health and/or safety concerns remain, Penn State reserves the right to rescind the offer of admission to study abroad, regardless of any academic unit’s approval.   

For students planning university-affiliated international travel that is not part of a Penn State Education Abroad program, in the case of an approved medical or religious exemption from vaccination, the University will explore whether reasonable accommodations can be identified for student participation without fundamentally altering the nature of the educational program or activity.  If reasonable accommodations cannot be identified, or if significant health and safety concerns remain, Penn State reserves the right to deny or rescind approval as a university-affiliated international trip.   

Students planning university-affiliated international travel, including applicants who have been approved for Penn State Education Abroad programs, will be required to meet this policy by completing a vaccination attestation form through either the Travel Safety Network or the Penn State Education Abroad application portal.  Failure to submit the form by the stated deadline will result in denial of approval for travel and/or removal from the Education Abroad program (if applicable).  Students who have concerns about compliance with the policy should contact the Global Safety Office (for non-Education Abroad travel) or their education abroad adviser (for Penn State Education Abroad programs) to discuss their international travel prospects.    

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update.

Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

• Travel: Limit in-country group travel to only academically-necessary visits
• Programs are strongly encouraged to limit mobility to a single country and not cross international borders during program time. If crossing an international border is an academically-essential part of the program, it is recommended to have a single travel day and not return to the original host country. 
• Itineraries that involve city-to-city travel will be reviewed in great detail for health/safety protocol and development of a contingency plan if any group members fall ill or are required to quarantine during travel periods
• Program leaders must allocate ample time and guidance to complete return testing, as required by the United States, in advance of their return flight.
• In-country public transportation (i.e., metro, public buses, train transportation): generally speaking, program leaders should carefully assess and know the local protocols for using public or private transportation and be transparent with students regarding levels of exposure to potentially large crowds. 
• Group meals: avoid scenarios with shared utensils, cutlery, drink pitchers, etc. (large group meals, family style, and self-serve buffet). 
• While homestay accommodations will be permitted, all families must be contracted with set expectations either with a third-party provider or individually facilitated by the program leader. 
• Personal credit cards or personal funds are not to be used prior to the start of the program; in the event of a program cancellation, personal funds may not be subject to reimbursement. 

Program Leader Checkpoints (No updates)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. These checkpoints may be updated regularly and you will be responsible for reviewing the details and understanding the implications for your program and making the necessary changes. This information is subject to change and should only be utilized in the online location to ensure the most up-to-date information. 

What is Next? 

• October 12-14 Education Abroad Fair | Back to the World Series – for more info visit: https://sites.google.com/psu.edu/backtotheworld 
• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

The Customized Programs Team | Education Abroad 

The Pennsylvania State University | Penn State Global | University Park 

Email: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 10/01/2021

Introducing… Penn State Global! (New)

Penn State Global, formally known as Global Programs, has joined the ranks of some prestigious units across Penn State with the rebranding of our work mark and title. Starting today, October 1st,we will be sunsetting the use of ‘Global Programs’ and moving to Penn State Global. While we work to update our websites, program brochure pages, printed materials, and other items we are excited to share the news with our valued partners and program leaders first! Over the next several months, we will encourage you to take a look at your own websites and resources to remove references to ‘Global Programs’; with the understanding that this will take time! We appreciate your support and patience as we navigate this new branding. Should you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to EAmarketing@psu.edu or the Customized Programs team at embeddedprograms@psu.edu.

Embedded Program Proposal Deadlines (Reminder)

In order to minimize institutional risk and to ensure compliance with University Policy FN20, Global Programs requires faculty and departments (graduate and undergraduate) organizing and/or sponsoring embedded programs to submit course information and essential documentation to Education Abroad via the online embedded course development and proposal process. Please note that the proposal deadlines are earlier this academic year due to additional COVID-19 considerations within the approval process. Deadlines for programs planning travel over winter break, spring, or summer are as follows:

Deadline for Spring 2022 programs – November 1, 2021

• Travel dates – January 10, 2022 – May 6, 2022

Deadline for Summer 2022 – December 1, 2021

• Travel dates: May 7, 2022 – August 13, 2022

As you know, an embedded program faculty leader assumes a great deal of responsibility for the development, proposal, implementation, and execution of an embedded course – including the academic content, travel logistics, international site visits and activities, budgeting and payments, and health and safety of program participants.  This may seem like an overwhelming list of responsibilities, but there are a number of support resources to help the faculty leader throughout the entire process.  Please visit the embedded courses resource page for additional information.

Accessing Your Embedded Program Proposal (New)

Some of you have asked how to access an existing program proposal after you have initially entered your proposal in our TerraDotta system (the system where this online proposal process is housed). You might need to switch to your “Applicant” view to access the documents after signing in to the system. Instructions on how to get to the applicant screen are located below.

If you save your progress and log out, then return to finish it later, you might be taken to your Admin home screen or your “reviewer” homescreen (if you have access to review student applications in the system).

If you find yourself unable to find your program proposal, please follow these steps:

1. Go to the program brochure search page 
2. On the right side, near the top, there is a LOGIN/REGISTER link (on the black bar)
3. Log in using your PSU credentials
4. Locate the “home” icon on the left side of the dark gray menu bar
5. Click the “home” icon
6. From the dropdown options, select “applicant”
7. Now, you are on your homepage as an applicant
8. Here you will find the program proposal you had started as well as proposals from previous terms, if applicable.

Roundtable Discussions (Reminder)

The Customized Programs team will be facilitating two roundtable discussions to focus on academic continuity plan expectations, emergency contingency plans, and protocol for SP22 and SU22 embedded programs, as well as the most up-to-date topics, program leader guidelines, and checkpoints. 

Thursday, October 21, 2:00pm – 3:00pm

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

https://psu.zoom.us/j/92605690364

Or Telephone: +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll)

Meeting ID: 926 0569 0364

 

Monday, November 8, 3:00pm – 4:00pm

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

https://psu.zoom.us/j/98987884595

Or Telephone: +1 301 715 8592 (US Toll)

Meeting ID: 989 8788 4595

Delays in U.S. Passport Processing (Reminder)

Currently the U.S Department of State is warning that passport processing times are taking, on average, 12-18 weeks not including mailing time. We recommend that if you have not applied for a passport or need to have your passport renewed that you begin the process as soon as possible. 

All study abroad students, faculty and staff must have a passport that is valid for 6 months after the expected return to the U.S. You can find more information on applying for and renewing your passport, as well as processing times, on The U.S. Department of State passport website.

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update.

Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

• Travel: Limit in-country group travel to only academically-necessary visits
• Programs are strongly encouraged to limit mobility to a single country and not cross international borders during program time. If crossing an international border is an academically-essential part of the program, it is recommended to have a single travel day and not return to the original host country. 
• Itineraries that involve city-to-city travel will be reviewed in great detail for health/safety protocol and development of a contingency plan if any group members fall ill or are required to quarantine during travel periods
• Program leaders must allocate ample time and guidance to complete return testing, as required by the United States, in advance of their return flight.
• In-country public transportation (i.e., metro, public buses, train transportation): generally speaking, program leaders should carefully assess and know the local protocols for using public or private transportation and be transparent with students regarding levels of exposure to potentially large crowds. 
• Group meals: avoid scenarios with shared utensils, cutlery, drink pitchers, etc. (large group meals, family style, and self-serve buffet). 
• While homestay accommodations will be permitted, all families must be contracted with set expectations either with a third-party provider or individually facilitated by the program leader. 
• Personal credit cards or personal funds are not to be used prior to the start of the program; in the event of a program cancellation, personal funds may not be subject to reimbursement. 

Program Leader Checkpoints (No updates)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. These checkpoints may be updated regularly and you will be responsible for reviewing the details and understanding the implications for your program and making the necessary changes. This information is subject to change and should only be utilized in the online location to ensure the most up-to-date information. 

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

 

Penn State Education Abroad

Customized Programs Team 

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

 

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 09/24/2021

Customized Program Development Grant (New)

The Customized Program Development Grant (CPDG) is a three-year award to support faculty travel or other activities related to developing customized programs to improve global awareness, global literacy, and global competency among Penn State’s undergraduate population. Grantees will be required to complete annual progress reports describing the activities funded by the grant.

The deadline for the 2022-2023 application cycle is September 30th at 5:00 p.m. ET. More information and the grant application are available on our website (https://global.psu.edu/article/customized-program-development-grant) 

Roundtable Discussions (Reminder)

The Customized Programs team will be facilitating two roundtable discussions to focus on academic continuity plan expectations, emergency contingency plans, and protocol for SP22 and SU22 embedded programs, as well as the most up-to-date topics, program leader guidelines, and checkpoints. 

Thursday, October 21, 2:00pm – 3:00pm

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

https://psu.zoom.us/j/92605690364

Or Telephone: +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll)

Meeting ID: 926 0569 0364

 

Monday, November 8, 3:00pm – 4:00pm

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

https://psu.zoom.us/j/98987884595

Or Telephone: +1 301 715 8592 (US Toll)

Meeting ID: 989 8788 4595

Delays in U.S. Passport Processing (Reminder)

Currently the U.S Department of State is warning that passport processing times are taking, on average, 12-18 weeks not including mailing time. We recommend that if you have not applied for a passport or need to have your passport renewed that you begin the process as soon as possible. 

All study abroad students, faculty and staff must have a passport that is valid for 6 months after the expected return to the U.S. You can find more information on applying for and renewing your passport, as well as processing times, on The U.S. Department of State passport website.

Education Abroad Vaccine Attestation (Reminder)

Thank you to all our program leaders that attended our first roundtable meetings. We had several questions and concerns regarding the student, faculty and staff COVID-19 Vaccine Attestations. The new University policy states: Any student, faculty, or staff, participating in University-affiliated travel, including study abroad, must digitally sign an attestation that they will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by their departure/program start date. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine. Penn State will require an attestation which will be added to all student Education Abroad applications, and the program leader requirements, as a required questionnaire during the process of committing and agreeing to terms and conditions of participation, and students, faculty, or staff, that fail to complete it will be withdrawn and their participation in the education abroad course will be cancelled. Participants can request exemptions for the following reasons and by contacting the following units at Penn State, and this information is available to all participants on the vaccination attestation questionnaire.

• Medical condition
• Documented disability
• Religious belief

More information regarding exemptions is available on our website. An exemption for personal reasons will require approval from senior University Leadership. Participants are reminded that exemptions approved by Penn State offices hold no influence with foreign governments. Anyone who is not vaccinated, for whatever reason, may be denied entry into a country and/or access to travel means to or from that location. These policies and protocols are subject to change based on the current University guidelines; for more information please visit the University’s Travel Guidelines on the Virus Info website or read the Penn State News article, Penn State Revises International Travel Policy. Please note, we will not know the student’s vaccination status until they have been registered for the class, and are listed on the travel roster supplied to us from the program leader. At that time, we will prompt the students to complete the vaccination attestation as part of their required pre-departure signature documents. Please review last week’s edition (09/10/21) of the embedded leader update to view the student and program leader attestation documents.

 Programs officially begin when students arrive on site, so if a student should have an issue with entry, they are required to manage their own international documents (passports, visas, health/vaccination records, etc), but program leaders may be asked to act in good faith to support students in crisis, when appropriate. 

Embedded Program Proposal Deadlines (Reminder)

In order to minimize institutional risk and to ensure compliance with University Policy FN20, Global Programs requires faculty and departments (graduate and undergraduate) organizing and/or sponsoring embedded programs to submit course information and essential documentation to Education Abroad via the online embedded course development and proposal process. Please note that the proposal deadlines are earlier this academic year due to additional COVID-19 considerations within the approval process. Deadlines for programs planning travel over winter break, spring, or summer are as follows:

Deadline for Spring 2022 programs – November 1, 2021

• Travel dates – January 10, 2022 – May 6, 2022

Deadline for Summer 2022 – December 1, 2021

• Travel dates: May 7, 2022 – August 13, 2022

As you know, an embedded program faculty leader assumes a great deal of responsibility for the development, proposal, implementation, and execution of an embedded course – including the academic content, travel logistics, international site visits and activities, budgeting and payments, and health and safety of program participants.  This may seem like an overwhelming list of responsibilities, but there are a number of support resources to help the faculty leader throughout the entire process.  Please visit the embedded courses resource page for additional information.

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update.

Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

• Travel: Limit in-country group travel to only academically-necessary visits
• Programs are strongly encouraged to limit mobility to a single country and not cross international borders during program time. If crossing an international border is an academically-essential part of the program, it is recommended to have a single travel day and not return to the original host country. 
• Itineraries that involve city-to-city travel will be reviewed in great detail for health/safety protocol and development of a contingency plan if any group members fall ill or are required to quarantine during travel periods
• Program leaders must allocate ample time and guidance to complete return testing, as required by the United States, in advance of their return flight.
• In-country public transportation (i.e., metro, public buses, train transportation): generally speaking, program leaders should carefully assess and know the local protocols for using public or private transportation and be transparent with students regarding levels of exposure to potentially large crowds. 
• Group meals: avoid scenarios with shared utensils, cutlery, drink pitchers, etc. (large group meals, family style, and self-serve buffet). 
• While homestay accommodations will be permitted, all families must be contracted with set expectations either with a third-party provider or individually facilitated by the program leader. 
• Personal credit cards or personal funds are not to be used prior to the start of the program; in the event of a program cancellation, personal funds may not be subject to reimbursement. 

Program Leader Checkpoints (No updates)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. These checkpoints may be updated regularly and you will be responsible for reviewing the details and understanding the implications for your program and making the necessary changes. This information is subject to change and should only be utilized in the online location to ensure the most up-to-date information. 

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Customized Programs Team 

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

 

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 09/17/2021

Roundtable Discussions (New)

The Customized Programs team will be facilitating two roundtable discussions to focus on academic continuity plan expectations, emergency contingency plans, and protocol for SP22 and SU22 embedded programs, as well as the most up-to-date topics, program leader guidelines, and checkpoints. 

 

Thursday, October 21, 2:00pm – 3:00pm

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

https://psu.zoom.us/j/92605690364

Or Telephone: +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll)

Meeting ID: 926 0569 0364

 

Monday, November 8, 3:00pm – 4:00pm

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

https://psu.zoom.us/j/98987884595

Or Telephone: +1 301 715 8592 (US Toll)

Meeting ID: 989 8788 4595

Delays in U.S. Passport Processing (Reminder)

Currently the U.S Department of State is warning that passport processing times are taking, on average, 12-18 weeks not including mailing time. We recommend that if you have not applied for a passport or need to have your passport renewed that you begin the process as soon as possible. 

All study abroad students, faculty and staff must have a passport that is valid for 6 months after the expected return to the U.S. You can find more information on applying for and renewing your passport, as well as processing times, on The U.S. Department of State passport website.

Education Abroad Vaccine Attestation (Reminder)

Thank you to all our program leaders that attended our first roundtable meetings. We had several questions and concerns regarding the student, faculty and staff COVID-19 Vaccine Attestations. The new University policy states: Any student, faculty, or staff, participating in University-affiliated travel, including study abroad, must digitally sign an attestation that they will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by their departure/program start date. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine. Penn State will require an attestation which will be added to all student Education Abroad applications, and the program leader requirements, as a required questionnaire during the process of committing and agreeing to terms and conditions of participation, and students, faculty, or staff, that fail to complete it will be withdrawn and their participation in the education abroad course will be cancelled. Participants can request exemptions for the following reasons and by contacting the following units at Penn State, and this information is available to all participants on the vaccination attestation questionnaire.

• Medical condition
• Documented disability
• Religious belief

More information regarding exemptions is available on our website. An exemption for personal reasons will require approval from senior University Leadership. Participants are reminded that exemptions approved by Penn State offices hold no influence with foreign governments. Anyone who is not vaccinated, for whatever reason, may be denied entry into a country and/or access to travel means to or from that location. These policies and protocols are subject to change based on the current University guidelines; for more information please visit the University’s Travel Guidelines on the Virus Info website or read the Penn State News article, Penn State Revises International Travel Policy. Please note, we will not know the student’s vaccination status until they have been registered for the class, and are listed on the travel roster supplied to us from the program leader. At that time, we will prompt the students to complete the vaccination attestation as part of their required pre-departure signature documents. Please review last week’s edition (09/10/21) of the embedded leader update to view the student and program leader attestation documents.

Programs officially begin when students arrive on site, so if a student should have an issue with entry, they are required to manage their own international documents (passports, visas, health/vaccination records, etc), but program leaders may be asked to act in good faith to support students in crisis, when appropriate. 

Embedded Program Proposal Deadlines (Reminder)

In order to minimize institutional risk and to ensure compliance with University Policy FN20, Global Programs requires faculty and departments (graduate and undergraduate) organizing and/or sponsoring embedded programs to submit course information and essential documentation to Education Abroad via the online embedded course development and proposal process. Please note that the proposal deadlines are earlier this academic year due to additional COVID-19 considerations within the approval process. Deadlines for programs planning travel over winter break, spring, or summer are as follows:

Deadline for Spring 2022 programs – November 1, 2021

• Travel dates – January 10, 2022 – May 6, 2022

Deadline for Summer 2022 – December 1, 2021

• Travel dates: May 7, 2022 – August 13, 2022

As you know, an embedded program faculty leader assumes a great deal of responsibility for the development, proposal, implementation, and execution of an embedded course – including the academic content, travel logistics, international site visits and activities, budgeting and payments, and health and safety of program participants.  This may seem like an overwhelming list of responsibilities, but there are a number of support resources to help the faculty leader throughout the entire process.  Please visit the embedded courses resource page for additional information.

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update.

Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

• Travel: Limit in-country group travel to only academically-necessary visits
• Programs are strongly encouraged to limit mobility to a single country and not cross international borders during program time. If crossing an international border is an academically-essential part of the program, it is recommended to have a single travel day and not return to the original host country. 
• Itineraries that involve city-to-city travel will be reviewed in great detail for health/safety protocol and development of a contingency plan if any group members fall ill or are required to quarantine during travel periods
• Program leaders must allocate ample time and guidance to complete return testing, as required by the United States, in advance of their return flight.
• In-country public transportation (i.e., metro, public buses, train transportation): generally speaking, program leaders should carefully assess and know the local protocols for using public or private transportation and be transparent with students regarding levels of exposure to potentially large crowds. 
• Group meals: avoid scenarios with shared utensils, cutlery, drink pitchers, etc. (large group meals, family style, and self-serve buffet). 
• While homestay accommodations will be permitted, all families must be contracted with set expectations either with a third-party provider or individually facilitated by the program leader. 
• Personal credit cards or personal funds are not to be used prior to the start of the program; in the event of a program cancellation, personal funds may not be subject to reimbursement. 

Program Leader Checkpoints (No updates)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. These checkpoints may be updated regularly and you will be responsible for reviewing the details and understanding the implications for your program and making the necessary changes. This information is subject to change and should only be utilized in the online location to ensure the most up-to-date information. 

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Customized Programs Team 

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 09/10/2021

Delays in U.S. Passport Processing (New)

Currently the U.S Department of State is warning that passport processing times are taking, on average, 12-18 weeks not including mailing time. We recommend that if you have not applied for a passport or need to have your passport renewed that you begin the process as soon as possible. 

All study abroad students, faculty and staff must have a passport that is valid for 6 months after the expected return to the U.S. You can find more information on applying for and renewing your passport, as well as processing times, on The U.S. Department of State passport website.

Education Abroad Vaccine Attestation (New)

Thank you to all our program leaders that attended our first roundtable meetings. We had several questions and concerns regarding the student, faculty and staff COVID-19 Vaccine Attestations. The new University policy states: Any student, faculty, or staff, participating in University-affiliated travel, including study abroad, must digitally sign an attestation that they will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by their departure/program start date. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine. Penn State will require an attestation which will be added to all student Education Abroad applications, and the program leader requirements, as a required questionnaire during the process of committing and agreeing to terms and conditions of participation, and students, faculty, or staff, that fail to complete it will be withdrawn and their participation in the education abroad course will be cancelled. Participants can request exemptions for the following reasons and by contacting the following units at Penn State, and this information is available to all participants on the vaccination attestation questionnaire.

• Medical condition
• Documented disability
• Religious belief

More information regarding exemptions is available on our website. An exemption for personal reasons will require approval from senior University Leadership. Participants are reminded that exemptions approved by Penn State offices hold no influence with foreign governments. Anyone who is not vaccinated, for whatever reason, may be denied entry into a country and/or access to travel means to or from that location. These policies and protocols are subject to change based on the current University guidelines; for more information please visit the University’s Travel Guidelines on the Virus Info website or read the Penn State News article, Penn State Revises International Travel Policy. Please note, we will not know the student’s vaccination status until they have been registered for the class, and are listed on the travel roster supplied to us from the program leader. At that time, we will prompt the students to complete the vaccination attestation as part of their required pre-departure signature documents. Please review the attached student and program leader attestations.

Programs officially begin when students arrive on site, so if a student should have an issue with entry, they are required to manage their own international documents (passports, visas, health/vaccination records, etc), but program leaders may be asked to act in good faith to support students in crisis, when appropriate. 

Commonwealth Campus Group Travel Grant Deadline: September 15 (New)

The Office of the Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses and Global Programs has established a fund to support Commonwealth Campus student group international travel that is part of a faculty-led embedded course and preferably part of a campus-wide internationalization initiative. If you are interested in applying for this grant, the deadline for the online Commonwealth Campus Group Travel Grant application is September 15, 2021 at 5:00pm (EST).  

Embedded Program Proposal Deadlines (Reminder)

In order to minimize institutional risk and to ensure compliance with University Policy FN20, Global Programs requires faculty and departments (graduate and undergraduate) organizing and/or sponsoring embedded programs to submit course information and essential documentation to Education Abroad via the online embedded course development and proposal process. Please note that the proposal deadlines are earlier this academic year due to additional COVID-19 considerations within the approval process. Deadlines for programs planning travel over winter break, spring, or summer are as follows:

Deadline for Winter Break programs 2021-22 – September 15, 2021

• Travel dates: December 20, 2021 – January 9, 2022 (travel is prior to the start of classes for SP22) 

Deadline for Spring 2022 programs – November 1, 2021

• Travel dates – January 10, 2022 – May 6, 2022

Deadline for Summer 2022 – December 1, 2021

• Travel dates: May 7, 2022 – August 13, 2022

As you know, an embedded program faculty leader assumes a great deal of responsibility for the development, proposal, implementation, and execution of an embedded course – including the academic content, travel logistics, international site visits and activities, budgeting and payments, and health and safety of program participants.  This may seem like an overwhelming list of responsibilities, but there are a number of support resources to help the faculty leader throughout the entire process.  Please visit the embedded courses resource page for additional information.

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update.

Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

• Travel: Limit in-country group travel to only academically-necessary visits
• Programs are strongly encouraged to limit mobility to a single country and not cross international borders during program time. If crossing an international border is an academically-essential part of the program, it is recommended to have a single travel day and not return to the original host country. 
• Itineraries that involve city-to-city travel will be reviewed in great detail for health/safety protocol and development of a contingency plan if any group members fall ill or are required to quarantine during travel periods
• Program leaders must allocate ample time and guidance to complete return testing, as required by the United States, in advance of their return flight.
• In-country public transportation (i.e., metro, public buses, train transportation): generally speaking, program leaders should carefully assess and know the local protocols for using public or private transportation and be transparent with students regarding levels of exposure to potentially large crowds. 
• Group meals: avoid scenarios with shared utensils, cutlery, drink pitchers, etc. (large group meals, family style, and self-serve buffet). 
• While homestay accommodations will be permitted, all families must be contracted with set expectations either with a third-party provider or individually facilitated by the program leader. 
• Personal credit cards or personal funds are not to be used prior to the start of the program; in the event of a program cancellation, personal funds may not be subject to reimbursement. 

Program Leader Checkpoints (No updates)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. These checkpoints may be updated regularly and you will be responsible for reviewing the details and understanding the implications for your program and making the necessary changes. This information is subject to change and should only be utilized in the online location to ensure the most up-to-date information. 

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Customized Programs Team 

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

 

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 09/03/2021

European Union Travel Restrictions (New)

You may have seen in the news this week that the European Union has recommended its member countries to reimpose travel restrictions on travelers arriving from the United States.  The recommendation is nonbinding, meaning individual countries will be allowed to decide if they still wish to allow U.S. visitors with proof of vaccination, negative tests, quarantine upon arrival or some combination of these measures. In the coming days, we’re likely to see European Union member countries update their policies anew to reflect the European Council’s recommendations. Until such time that individual countries publish specific travel regulation updates, we do not know the impact for our programs. 

It is very likely that those who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 would face the strictest possible travel measures if departing from the United States. It is possible that unvaccinated U.S. travelers would be banned from entering certain countries altogether, so we impress upon you and your students once again how important it is to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to the program start date. Vaccinations are available on or near Penn State campuses and within most local communities in the United States.

We strongly encourage you to review country-specific information by searching for your destination on the U.S. Department of State travel site and then checking the “entry, exit and visa requirements” section. This section will link you to the U.S. Embassy COVID-19 page that is regularly updated for your destination country.

As more information about EU travel restrictions becomes available, we will share details with you. You may also receive updates on this topic from program providers, if they are helping you to plan your embedded program.  Please be sure to read emails regularly and in detail. 

Sustainability Workshop Series (Reminder) Application deadline is TODAY, September 3rd 

Penn State Global and the Penn State Sustainability Institute are teaming up to host a pilot workshop series and grant program for faculty leaders to help them introduce or increase sustainability-related themes in the curricula of their programs. Over the course of the Fall 2021 semester, faculty will develop a common language for sustainability centered on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), connect it to their disciplines and coursework, share practices, and workshop new materials with their peers. 

Leaders will also be expected to provide a short post-program report after the program runs with the proposed changes in order to document the impact of the changes on the student experience.The workshop series is open to all faculty leaders of existing embedded and/or freestanding programs abroad. While space will be limited, leaders across all disciplines are welcome, and we encourage all leaders to apply, but unfortunately we can only accept one leader per program. To apply, please complete this brief Sustainability Workshop Application form by TODAY, September 3rd.  For questions, please contact EAcustomized@psu.edu. 

Vaccine Requirements for Education Abroad (Reminder)

Employee Vaccination Requirements 

The Pennsylvania State University (“Penn State” or the “University”) requires all employees participating in international University-funded travel to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the date of departure unless: 

• they are granted an exemption by the Affirmative Action Office (AAO); 
• the travel is funded entirely by non-University funds (e.g., federal/state grants); or, 
• the appropriate unit executive has provided an exemption for an employee whose requested international travel is a component of their regularly assigned job responsibilities (including faculty members serving as principal investigators (PI) in sponsored research).

 

All program leaders will be required to complete a vaccination attestation. Please note, that unvaccinated faculty/staff are not guaranteed approval of program, entry into a country, or the ability to manage program activities abroad, even with an approved exemption.

Student Vaccination Requirements 

Any student participating in University-affiliated travel, including study abroad, must digitally sign an attestation that they will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by their departure/program start date. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine. This attestation will be added to all student Education Abroad applications as a required questionnaire during the process of committing and agreeing to terms and conditions of participation, and students that fail to complete it will have their applications withdrawn and their participation in the education abroad course will be cancelled. Students can request exemptions for the following reasons and by contacting the following units at Penn State, and this information is available to students on the vaccination attestation questionnaire.

 

• Medical condition: University Health Services at uhs-insurance@psu.edu 
• Documented disability: Student Disability Resources Office at edaccessibility@psu.edu 
• Religious belief: Affirmative Action Office at aao@psu.edu 

 

An exemption for personal reasons will require approval from the Assistant Vice Provost for Global Learning affirming that the study abroad program is essential to the student’s academic progress. Again, this process is included in the education abroad application system during the process of committing to the program.

 

Students are reminded that exemptions approved by Penn State offices hold no influence with foreign governments. Any student who is not vaccinated, for whatever reason, may be denied entry into a country and/or access to travel means to or from that location. Students whose approval for travel was granted prior to Aug. 1 are exempt from this requirement, but strongly recommended to be fully vaccinated. These policies and protocols are subject to change based on the current University guidelines; for more information please visit the University’s Travel Guidelines on the Virus Info website or read the Penn State News article, Penn State Revises International Travel Policy.

 

Embedded Program Proposal Deadlines (Reminder)

In order to minimize institutional risk and to ensure compliance with University Policy FN20, Global Programs requires faculty and departments (graduate and undergraduate) organizing and/or sponsoring embedded programs to submit course information and essential documentation to Education Abroad via the online embedded course development and proposal process. Please note that the proposal deadlines are earlier this academic year due to additional COVID-19 considerations within the approval process. Deadlines for programs planning travel over winter break, spring, or summer are as follows:

 

Deadline for Winter Break programs 2021-22 – September 15, 2021

• Travel dates: December 20, 2021 – January 9, 2022 (travel is prior to the start of classes for SP22) 

Deadline for Spring 2022 programs – November 1, 2021

• Travel dates – January 10, 2022 – May 6, 2022

Deadline for Summer 2022 – December 1, 2021

• Travel dates: May 7, 2022 – August 13, 2022

As you know, an embedded program faculty leader assumes a great deal of responsibility for the development, proposal, implementation, and execution of an embedded course – including the academic content, travel logistics, international site visits and activities, budgeting and payments, and health and safety of program participants.  This may seem like an overwhelming list of responsibilities, but there are a number of support resources to help the faculty leader throughout the entire process.  Please visit the embedded courses resource page for additional information.

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update.

Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

 

• Travel: Limit in-country group travel to only academically-necessary visits
• Programs are strongly encouraged to limit mobility to a single country and not cross international borders during program time. If crossing an international border is an academically-essential part of the program, it is recommended to have a single travel day and not return to the original host country. 
• Itineraries that involve city-to-city travel will be reviewed in great detail for health/safety protocol and development of a contingency plan if any group members fall ill or are required to quarantine during travel periods
• Program leaders must allocate ample time and guidance to complete return testing, as required by the United States, in advance of their return flight.
• In-country public transportation (i.e., metro, public buses, train transportation): generally speaking, program leaders should carefully assess and know the local protocols for using public or private transportation and be transparent with students regarding levels of exposure to potentially large crowds. 
• Group meals: avoid scenarios with shared utensils, cutlery, drink pitchers, etc. (large group meals, family style, and self-serve buffet). 
• While homestay accommodations will be permitted, all families must be contracted with set expectations either with a third-party provider or individually facilitated by the program leader. 
• Personal credit cards or personal funds are not to be used prior to the start of the program; in the event of a program cancellation, personal funds may not be subject to reimbursement. 

 

Program Leader Checkpoints (No updates)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. These checkpoints may be updated regularly and you will be responsible for reviewing the details and understanding the implications for your program and making the necessary changes. This information is subject to change and should only be utilized in the online location to ensure the most up-to-date information. 

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

 

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

 

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 08/27/2021

 

Vaccine Requirements for Education Abroad 

Employee Vaccination Requirements (New)

The Pennsylvania State University (“Penn State” or the “University”) requires all employees participating in international University-funded travel to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the date of departure unless: 

• they are granted an exemption by the Affirmative Action Office (AAO); 
• the travel is funded entirely by non-University funds (e.g., federal/state grants); or, 
• the appropriate unit executive has provided an exemption for an employee whose requested international travel is a component of their regularly assigned job responsibilities (including faculty members serving as principal investigators (PI) in sponsored research).

All program leaders will be required to complete a vaccination attestation. Please note, that unvaccinated faculty/staff are not guaranteed approval of program, entry into a country, or the ability to manage program activities abroad, even with an approved exemption.

Student Vaccination Requirements (Reminder)

Any student participating in University-affiliated travel, including study abroad, must digitally sign an attestation that they will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by their departure/program start date. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine. This attestation will be added to all student Education Abroad applications as a required questionnaire during the process of committing and agreeing to terms and conditions of participation, and students that fail to complete it will have their applications withdrawn and their participation in the education abroad course will be cancelled. Students can request exemptions for the following reasons and by contacting the following units at Penn State, and this information is available to students on the vaccination attestation questionnaire.

• Medical condition: University Health Services at uhs-insurance@psu.edu 
• Documented disability: Student Disability Resources Office at edaccessibility@psu.edu 
• Religious belief: Affirmative Action Office at aao@psu.edu 

An exemption for personal reasons will require approval from the Assistant Vice Provost for Global Learning affirming that the study abroad program is essential to the student’s academic progress. Again, this process is included in the education abroad application system during the process of committing to the program.

Students are reminded that exemptions approved by Penn State offices hold no influence with foreign governments. Any student who is not vaccinated, for whatever reason, may be denied entry into a country and/or access to travel means to or from that location. Students whose approval for travel was granted prior to Aug. 1 are exempt from this requirement, but strongly recommended to be fully vaccinated. These policies and protocols are subject to change based on the current University guidelines; for more information please visit the University’s Travel Guidelines on the Virus Info website or read the Penn State News article, Penn State Revises International Travel Policy.

Embedded Program Proposal Deadlines (New)

In order to minimize institutional risk and to ensure compliance with University Policy FN20, Global Programs requires faculty and departments (graduate and undergraduate) organizing and/or sponsoring embedded programs to submit course information and essential documentation to Education Abroad via the online embedded course development and proposal process. Please note that the proposal deadlines are earlier this academic year due to additional COVID-19 considerations within the approval process. Deadlines for programs planning travel over winter break, spring, or summer are as follows:

Deadline for Winter Break programs 2021-22 – September 15, 2021

• Travel dates: December 20, 2021 – January 9, 2022 (travel is prior to the start of classes for SP22) 

Deadline for Spring 2022 programs – November 1, 2021

• Travel dates – January 10, 2022 – May 6, 2022

Deadline for Summer 2022 – December 1, 2021

• Travel dates: May 7, 2022 – August 13, 2022

As you know, an embedded program faculty leader assumes a great deal of responsibility for the development, proposal, implementation, and execution of an embedded course – including the academic content, travel logistics, international site visits and activities, budgeting and payments, and health and safety of program participants.  This may seem like an overwhelming list of responsibilities, but there are a number of support resources to help the faculty leader throughout the entire process.  Please visit the embedded courses resource page for additional information.

Roundtable Discussions (Reminder)

The Customized Programs team and Global Safety will be facilitating two roundtable discussions to focus on academic continuity plan expectations, emergency contingency plans and protocol for FA21 and Winter Break 2021 embedded programs, as well as the most up-to-date topics, program leader guidelines, and checkpoints. Please plan to attend one of the meetings below in late August or early September.

Option #1: August 31st 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

https://psu.zoom.us/j/98495137320

Or Telephone: +1 301 715 8592 (US Toll)

Meeting ID: 984 9513 7320

-OR- 

Option #2: September 3, 10:00 am – 11:00 am

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

https://psu.zoom.us/j/98987884595

Or Telephone:  +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll)

Meeting ID: 989 8788 4595

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update.

Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

• Travel: Limit in-country group travel to only academically-necessary visits
• Programs are strongly encouraged to limit mobility to a single country and not cross international borders during program time. If crossing an international border is an academically-essential part of the program, it is recommended to have a single travel day and not return to the original host country. 
• Itineraries that involve city-to-city travel will be reviewed in great detail for health/safety protocol and development of a contingency plan if any group members fall ill or are required to quarantine during travel periods
• Program leaders must allocate ample time and guidance to complete return testing, as required by the United States, in advance of their return flight.
• In-country public transportation (i.e., metro, public buses, train transportation): generally speaking, program leaders should carefully assess and know the local protocols for using public or private transportation and be transparent with students regarding levels of exposure to potentially large crowds. 
• Group meals: avoid scenarios with shared utensils, cutlery, drink pitchers, etc. (large group meals, family style, and self-serve buffet). 
• While homestay accommodations will be permitted, all families must be contracted with set expectations either with a third-party provider or individually facilitated by the program leader. 
• Personal credit cards or personal funds are not to be used prior to the start of the program; in the event of a program cancellation, personal funds may not be subject to reimbursement. 

Program Leader Checkpoints (No updates)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. These checkpoints may be updated regularly and you will be responsible for reviewing the details and understanding the implications for your program and making the necessary changes. This information is subject to change and should only be utilized in the online location to ensure the most up-to-date information. 

Sustainability Workshop Series (Reminder) 

Penn State Global and the Penn State Sustainability Institute are teaming up to host a pilot workshop series and grant program for faculty leaders to help them introduce or increase sustainability-related themes in the curricula of their programs. Over the course of the Fall 2021 semester, faculty will develop a common language for sustainability centered on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), connect it to their disciplines and coursework, share practices, and workshop new materials with their peers. 

Leaders will also be expected to provide a short post-program report after the program runs with the proposed changes in order to document the impact of the changes on the student experience.The workshop series is open to all faculty leaders of existing embedded and/or freestanding programs abroad. While space will be limited, leaders across all disciplines are welcome, and we encourage all leaders to apply, but unfortunately we can only accept one leader per program. To apply, please complete this brief Sustainability Workshop Application form by September 3rd, 2021.For questions, please contact EAcustomized@psu.edu. 

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 08/20/2021

We hope everyone has a great start to the Fall semester! We have officially resumed our weekly updates and look forward to working with you all this academic year. 

Education Abroad Fair (Register Today) 

All program leaders should have received an email to register for the Education Abroad Fair(s), by the end of day today (August 20th)! As we come Back to the World, we recognize that our Education Abroad Fair participants are in different states of readiness to rejoin full activities. We look forward to this new hybrid format as we continue to evolve the opportunities for our students to engage globally. This year’s Education Abroad Fair will follow the succeeding schedule and format:

Welcome Back to the World! (Virtual)

Tuesday, October 12, 2021 | 5:00 – 7:00 PM EDT

Education Abroad staff will introduce students to the new hybrid fair format, including fun activities, helpful workshops, and the opportunity to learn more about the Education Abroad staff and office. Students will have the opportunity to meet staff and peer advisers as well as learn about the study abroad process.

We are BACK IN-PERSON! Penn State Day

Wednesday, October 13, 2021 | 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM EDT

Penn State faculty and staff will have the opportunity to meet with students in Alumni Hall of the Hetzel Union Building (HUB) at University Park Campus to discuss different college and department offerings to engage abroad. Please note that in accordance with University policy, those who are not fully vaccinated for COVID-19 must wear a mask inside all University buildings. We will follow all Penn State event protocols. Please see the COVID-19 Health Guidelines for the latest information.

Virtual Education Abroad Open House

Thursday, October 14, 2021 | 3:00 – 6:00 PM EDT

We invite all partners to participate in this virtual tabling day. Registrants will receive more information closer to the event date.

We hope you will help us provide students with the resources needed to compare and identify education abroad programs that will best suit their academic and personal goals.Please register to be included at the Education Abroad Fair by August 20, 2021. Questions should be directed to EAMarketing@psu.edu. 

Registration for the 2021 Education Abroad Fair (Hybrid and In-Person) 

Sustainability Workshop Series (New) 

Penn State Global and the Penn State Sustainability Institute are teaming up to host a pilot workshop series and grant program for faculty leaders to help them introduce or increase sustainability-related themes in the curricula of their programs. Over the course of three workshop sessions during the Fall 2021 semester, faculty will develop a common language for sustainability centered on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), connect it to their disciplines and coursework, share practices, and workshop new materials with their peers. This workshop series will be accompanied by a modest grant for each participating faculty leader and their program.

Leaders will also be expected to provide a short post-program report after the program runs with the proposed changes in order to document the impact of the changes on the student experience.The workshop series is open to all faculty leaders of existing embedded and/or freestanding programs abroad. While space will be limited, leaders across all disciplines are welcome, and we encourage all leaders to apply, but unfortunately we can only accept one leader per program. To apply, please complete this brief Sustainability Workshop Application form by September 3rd, 2021.For questions, please contact embeddedprograms@psu.edu. 

Student Vaccination Attestation (New)

As we prepare for faculty-led study abroad to resume, we have received many questions from program leaders regarding student vaccinations for the COVID-19 virus and how that relates to the program approval process that is currently in place.  As you know, all faculty-led programs are subject to review by Global Programs, and we anticipate that many will require review by the International Restricted Travel Committee (IRTC) as well, based on the University’s current guidelines.  If your embedded program is approved to run, ADDITIONAL consideration must be made regarding whether a student can participate in a program if they are not vaccinated for the COVID-19 virus. While we are hopeful that the University’s strong encouragement of all students, faculty, and staff to be vaccinated will prompt most students planning to travel abroad to do so, we realize that there will be students that cannot receive the vaccine, or choose not to receive it, based on different factors. Nevertheless, if a student has attested that they are not vaccinated, it is unlikely that they will be able to participate in these short term programs due to potential quarantine and testing requirements of the host country and/or of the United States upon their return. Please keep this in mind as this relates to vendors, program fees, flights and hotel reservations. If you are in the process of promoting your embedded program, please note that there may be students that may not be approved to travel on your rosters if they cannot attest that they have been vaccinated. 

NOTE: Please do not purchase any hotel accommodations, flights, or pay vendors until your program has been approved by Global Programs.   

Program Proposals Open: Winter Break 2021-22, Spring 2022 and Summer 2022 (Reminder)

In order to minimize institutional risk and to ensure compliance with University Policy FN20, Global Programs requires faculty and departments (graduate and undergraduate) organizing and/or sponsoring embedded programs to submit course information and essential documentation to Education Abroad via the online embedded course development and proposal process. This proposal process is now open for programs planning to travel during the following dates:

Winter Break 2021-22 travel dates  – December 20, 2021 – January 9, 2022 (travel is prior to the start of classes for SP22)

SP22 semester travel dates – January 10, 2022 – May 6, 2022

SU22 semester travel dates – May 7, 2022 – August 13, 2022

As you know, an embedded program faculty leader assumes a great deal of responsibility for the development, proposal, implementation, and execution of an embedded course – including the academic content, travel logistics, international site visits and activities, budgeting and payments, and health and safety of program participants.  This may seem like an overwhelming list of responsibilities, but there are a number of support resources to help the faculty leader throughout the entire process.  Please visit the embedded courses resource page for additional information.

Program Leader Guidelines (Reminder)

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update.

Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

• Travel: Limit in-country group travel to only academically-necessary visits
• Programs are strongly encouraged to limit mobility to a single country and not cross international borders during program time. If crossing an international border is an academically-essential part of the program, it is recommended to have a single travel day and not return to the original host country. 
• Itineraries that involve city-to-city travel will be reviewed in great detail for health/safety protocol and development of a contingency plan if any group members fall ill or are required to quarantine during travel periods
• Program leaders must allocate ample time and guidance to complete return testing, as required by the United States, in advance of their return flight.
• In-country public transportation (i.e., metro, public buses, train transportation): generally speaking, program leaders should carefully assess and know the local protocols for using public or private transportation and be transparent with students regarding levels of exposure to potentially large crowds. 
• Group meals: avoid scenarios with shared utensils, cutlery, drink pitchers, etc. (large group meals, family style, and self-serve buffet). 
• While homestay accommodations will be permitted, all families must be contracted with set expectations either with a third-party provider or individually facilitated by the program leader. 
• Personal credit cards or personal funds are not to be used prior to the start of the program; in the event of a program cancellation, personal funds may not be subject to reimbursement. 

Program Leader Checkpoints (Reminder)

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. These checkpoints may be updated regularly and you will be responsible for reviewing the details and understanding the implications for your program and making the necessary changes. This information is subject to change and should only be utilized in the online location to ensure the most up-to-date information. 

Roundtable Discussions (Reminder)

The Customized Programs team and Global Safety will be facilitating two roundtable discussions to focus on academic continuity plan expectations, emergency contingency plans and protocol for FA21 and Winter Break 2021 embedded programs, as well as the most up-to-date topics, program leader guidelines, and checkpoints. Please plan to attend one of the meetings below in late August or early September.

Option #1: August 31st 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

https://psu.zoom.us/j/98495137320

Or Telephone: +1 301 715 8592 (US Toll)

Meeting ID: 984 9513 7320

-OR- 

Option #2: September 3, 10:00 am – 11:00 am

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

https://psu.zoom.us/j/98987884595

Or Telephone:  +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll)

Meeting ID: 989 8788 4595

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

 

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

 

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 08/13/2021

We hope everyone had a happy and healthy summer! While we shift our focus to faculty-led programs for this academic year, we have some news to share with you all. The most noticeable change is that Kate Manni has accepted the position as our newest Director of Education Abroad. We are extremely excited for her new role and look forward to her leadership for our entire office. 

In the spirit of change, we have added some new colleagues to our team, Tiffany MacQuarrie and Tracy Coleman from Experiential Digital Global Engagement (EDGE). As we are no longer ‘just’ faculty-led programming, we have changed our team name to Customized Programs. We are looking forward to better serving all our faculty, staff, and students across the commonwealth. 

Status of Education Abroad Programs 

Effective Aug 1, 2021, the University-wide international travel suspension has been lifted and replaced with a more nuanced method that is an evolution of the approach Penn State used for travel to restricted destinations prior to the pandemic. After August 1, any student traveling to countries categorized as US State Department Level 3 or 4 must be reviewed by the International Restricted Travel Committee (IRTC), who will submit a recommendation to the Vice Provost for Global Programs and the Provost. In addition, there are additional considerations for Penn State employees traveling to some destinations because of workers comp or other employee-specific issues, so any group that includes an employee must also consult the list of restricted travel destinations specifically for employees. This means that any faculty-led group travel to these destinations would require IRTC review, even if they are not listed at a State Department Level 3 or 4.

Vaccine Requirements for Education Abroad 

Employee Vaccination Requirements 

Faculty and staff on University-affiliated international travel must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the date of departure, employees should note the following exceptions:

• Travel funded by non-University funds, such as sponsored research using federal or state grants, is excluded from the vaccination requirement.
• Unit executives may choose to exempt from the vaccination requirement those employees for whom the requested travel is part of their regular job responsibilities.

Unvaccinated employees who receive permission to travel must sign an acknowledgement of risk. Unvaccinated international travelers should get tested with a viral test three to five days after travel and stay home and self-quarantine for a full seven days after travel. Employees who are not vaccinated because of a medical condition, documented disability or religious belief may request an exemption by contacting the Affirmative Action Office at aao@psu.edu. These policies and protocols are subject to change based on the current University guidelines; for more information please visit the Academic Affairs website for travel guidance. 

Student Vaccination Requirements 

Any student participating in University-affiliated travel, including study abroad, must digitally sign an attestation that they will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by their departure/program start date. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine. This attestation will be added to all student Education Abroad applications as a required questionnaire during the process of committing and agreeing to terms and conditions of participation, and students that fail to complete it will have their applications withdrawn and their participation in the education abroad course will be cancelled. Students can request exemptions for the following reasons and by contacting the following units at Penn State, and this information is available to students on the vaccination attestation questionnaire.

• Medical condition: University Health Services at uhs-insurance@psu.edu 
• Documented disability: Student Disability Resources Office at edaccessibility@psu.edu 
• Religious belief: Affirmative Action Office at aao@psu.edu 

An exemption for personal reasons will require approval from the Assistant Vice Provost for Global Learning affirming that the study abroad program is essential to the student’s academic progress. Again, this process is included in the education abroad application system during the process of committing to the program.

Students are reminded that exemptions approved by Penn State offices hold no influence with foreign governments. Any student who is not vaccinated, for whatever reason, may be denied entry into a country and/or access to travel means to or from that location. Students whose approval for travel was granted prior to Aug. 1 are exempt from this requirement, but strongly recommended to be fully vaccinated. These policies and protocols are subject to change based on the current University guidelines; for more information please visit the University’s Travel Guidelines on the Virus Info website or read the Penn State News article, Penn State Revises International Travel Policy.

Program Proposals Open: Winter Break 2021-22, Spring 2022 and Summer 2022

In order to minimize institutional risk and to ensure compliance with University Policy FN20, Global Programs requires faculty and departments (graduate and undergraduate) organizing and/or sponsoring embedded programs to submit course information and essential documentation to Education Abroad via the online embedded course development and proposal process. This proposal process is now open for programs planning to travel during the following dates:

Winter Break 2021-22 travel dates  – December 20, 2021 – January 9, 2022 (travel is prior to the start of classes for SP22)

SP22 semester travel dates – January 10, 2022 – May 6, 2022

SU22 semester travel dates – May 7, 2022 – August 13, 2022

As you know, an embedded program faculty leader assumes a great deal of responsibility for the development, proposal, implementation, and execution of an embedded course – including the academic content, travel logistics, international site visits and activities, budgeting and payments, and health and safety of program participants.  This may seem like an overwhelming list of responsibilities, but there are a number of support resources to help the faculty leader throughout the entire process.  Please visit the embedded courses resource page for additional information.

Program Leader Guidelines

We updated the robust set embedded program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021-22. The guidelines will live at the following link and will be updated regularly. For any important updates to the guidelines, we will alert you to the changes via the weekly update.

Embedded program leader guidelines section of faculty resource page: https://sites.psu.edu/eaembeddedprograms/covid-19-considerations/embedded-program-leader-guidelines/

• Travel: Limit in-country group travel to only academically-necessary visits
• Programs are strongly encouraged to limit mobility to a single country and not cross international borders during program time. If crossing an international border is an academically-essential part of the program, it is recommended to have a single travel day and not return to the original host country. 
• Itineraries that involve city-to-city travel will be reviewed in great detail for health/safety protocol and development of a contingency plan if any group members fall ill or are required to quarantine during travel periods
• Program leaders must allocate ample time and guidance to complete return testing, as required by the United States, in advance of their return flight.
• In-country public transportation (i.e., metro, public buses, train transportation): generally speaking, program leaders should carefully assess and know the local protocols for using public or private transportation and be transparent with students regarding levels of exposure to potentially large crowds. 
• Group meals: avoid scenarios with shared utensils, cutlery, drink pitchers, etc. (large group meals, family style, and self-serve buffet). 
• While homestay accommodations will be permitted, all families must be contracted with set expectations either with a third-party provider or individually facilitated by the program leader. 
• Personal credit cards or personal funds are not to be used prior to the start of the program; in the event of a program cancellation, personal funds may not be subject to reimbursement. 

Program Leader Checkpoints

As part of the program process, there will be additional requirements and expectations for faculty leading programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, referred to as Program Leader Checkpoints. The information detailed will be supplemental requirements as part of the Leader Responsibilities outlined in the Leader Guidelines. These checkpoints may be updated regularly and you will be responsible for reviewing the details and understanding the implications for your program and making the necessary changes. This information is subject to change and should only be utilized in the online location to ensure the most up-to-date information. 

Roundtable Discussions

The Customized Programs team and Global Safety will be facilitating two roundtable discussions to focus on academic continuity plan expectations, emergency contingency plans and protocol for FA21 and Winter Break 2021 embedded programs, as well as the most up-to-date topics, program leader guidelines, and checkpoints. Please plan to attend one of the meetings below in late August or early September.

Option #1: August 31st 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

https://psu.zoom.us/j/98495137320

Or Telephone: +1 301 715 8592 (US Toll)

Meeting ID: 984 9513 7320

-OR- 

Option #2: September 3, 10:00 am – 11:00 am

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

https://psu.zoom.us/j/98987884595

Or Telephone:  +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll)

Meeting ID: 989 8788 4595

What is Next? 

• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please email us at  embeddedprograms@psu.edu.
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.

Contact Information

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 04/30/2021

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message.

Final Weekly Update of SP21

This is the final weekly update of the semester. We do not plan to send weekly updates during summer 2021, but we will send important notices to this same recipient list if there are significant changes to Penn State policies or procedures. Otherwise, we plan to resume weekly updates in the fall semester.

Fall 2021/Winter Break 2021-22 Embedded Program Roundtable Discussion (NEW recording)

On April 27, we hosted a recorded roundtable discussion to facilitate dialogue with program leaders about any questions or concerns they have about planning a FA21 and/or Winter Break embedded program. The main purpose of this session was to review the PSU program leader guidelines and the guidelines put forth by The Forum on Education Abroad. We encourage you to view this one hour recording.  We will offer similar group sessions early in the fall semester, and we remain available for individual discussions as needed. 

FA21, Winter Break 2021-22, SP22 and SU22 Program Proposals Are Now Open (Reminder)

In order to minimize institutional risk and to ensure compliance with University Policy FN20, Global Programs requires faculty and departments (graduate and undergraduate) organizing and/or sponsoring embedded programs to submit course information and essential documentation to Education Abroad via the online embedded course development and proposal process. This proposal process is now open for programs planning to travel during the following dates:

FA21 semester travel dates  – August 24 – December 19, 2021

Winter Break 2021-22 travel dates  – December 20, 2021 – January 9, 2022 (travel is prior to the start of classes for SP22)

SP22 semester travel dates – January 10, 2022 – May 6, 2022

SU22 semester travel dates – May 7, 2022 – August 13, 2022

As you know, an embedded program faculty leader assumes a great deal of responsibility for the development, proposal, implementation, and execution of an embedded course – including the academic content, travel logistics, international site visits and activities, budgeting and payments, and health and safety of program participants.  This may seem like an overwhelming list of responsibilities, but there are a number of support resources to help the faculty leader throughout the entire process.  Please visit the embedded courses resource page for additional information.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Will Global Programs require vaccines for study abroad?

We have spoken with the COVID-19 response task force and they have strongly advised against putting any such requirement in place for specific education abroad programs at this time.  Global Programs agrees with this approach, but will emphasize to all program leaders and students that it’s very likely certain destinations will require the vaccine in order to enter the country.  So the messaging to students will be along the lines of: airlines and foreign governments are likely to require proof of vaccination for international arrivals in the coming year.  We cannot predict which countries will enact such policies and on what timeline, so anyone considering study abroad during academic year 2021-22 is strongly encouraged to get a COVID-19 vaccine and keep their vaccination record in a safe place. Note that we will continue to mirror and amplify the University’s stance on COVID-19 vaccines.

NOTE that if Penn State ends up requiring vaccinations for certain on-campus academic or living activities, that we would revisit this question with the COVID-19 response team for the University to see if any adaptations to our language are necessary. 

What is the process for my program to get approved to run?

Currently, the International Risk Travel Committee (IRTC) is typically reviewing study abroad course plans in detail about 2-3 months before the program start date.  Once they complete their review and make recommendations (approve or cancel), the vice provost for Global Programs and the provost review the recommendations and make a decision about the viability of the program.  The IRTC is not inclined to review programs earlier than this typical timeframe so that their recommendations reflect the most up-to-date information about the destination.  The pandemic and its impacts change so rapidly that it’s not possible for that committee to predict the status of infection rates, health care capacities, entry requirements, testing protocol, vaccine availability in the local community, etc. farther in advance.  Our advice to leaders is to plan – with caution.  If a leader is willing to go through the planning process, be prepared to modify itinerary or cancel the program if necessary.  

The program checkpoint and review schedule is published for FA21/Winter Break Travel.  Faculty who are considering an embedded course for SP22 or SU22 can use this as a baseline planning tool to predict approximately when their proposal materials will be reviewed by the relevant committees and University leaders.

What are the financial implications of planning for a study abroad course in AY21-22? Who is taking on the financial risk?

As we look ahead to the next academic year, many faculty and academic units are anxious to resume their education abroad courses.  At this time, it is difficult to anticipate which program itineraries and locations will be most viable for group-based travel in FA21, SP22 and SU22.  As such, it is very important that faculty members and their respective academic leadership understand the financial implications of starting to plan for international travel during AY21-22.  The enclosed financial language has recently been reviewed and approved by the vice provost for Global Programs and the provost in hopes that it will help to inform planning decisions among our valued faculty leaders and academic unit colleagues.  Please review the information carefully and share it with your department head, associate dean, or other academic leadership that may be involved in determining whether to launch plans for embedded courses for next year.  As always, we are available to address any questions or concerns.

Please note that there are two different scenarios described below, and the financial responsibility varies based on the particular circumstances of the University’s international travel restriction and the destination of the education abroad program.

Given the uncertain nature of international travel as various parts of the world continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative that program leaders and academic units make every effort possible to mitigate financial risks to the University when planning education abroad courses.  

1. While the University’s international travel restriction is in place worldwide, it is wholly the academic unit’s responsibility to shoulder any financial risk for Embedded courses up until the date by which the University leadership decides if the program is approved via the international restricted travel committee (IRTC) review process. (For example, no faculty or student should book accommodations or flights until it is known that the program is approved.)  If an Embedded course program is reviewed by IRTC and is approved by the vice provost for Global Programs and the provost, then the financial risk is to be borne by the Global Programs in the event that the program is cancelled by University leadership at a later date prior to the program start.
2. When the University’s international travel restriction is lifted, not all programs will be reviewed by the international restricted travel committee (IRTC) or the University leadership,  as not all travel destinations are considered restricted per protocol.  In such cases, the academic unit would consult directly with Global Programs about the plans for the Embedded course and will be expected to follow advice from Education Abroad on prudent planning with regard to financial risk mitigation and health and safety concerns.  Since there would be no official date on which the program would be approved through official review channels, the financial risk in these cases would be assumed by the academic unit.

What happened to the flight vouchers from my cancelled program in SP/SU20?

The travel voucher question is certainly a valid one as travel may be in the horizon for the near future. When programs were cancelled for SP20 and SU20, Global Programs reimbursed individual students and/or departments (in the event of group flights), and in doing so, we essentially bought the flight voucher that the airline provided for future travel.  It is preferable that the flight vouchers be used if possible, so if you and your students may have the opportunity to utilize them during their window of validity, we are happy to help facilitate that.  We would charge students or employees who utilize them. Most airlines are allowing name changes on flight vouchers so the ones that GP “bought” from students and faculty could be utilized by others at the University (i.e., your colleagues going on business travel) with the appropriate associated cost to utilize them.

We are hopeful that travel will resume to some degree relatively soon and that during the next academic year, study abroad will be possible in many more locations. If travel is not possible next year either pedagogically or due to lingering uncertainty about travel during that time period, Global Programs is prepared to lose the flight vouchers or make them available to others at the University who may be able to utilize them. 

Who can I talk to about my concerns? How can I schedule a meeting with you?

Our embedded programs team is always happy to talk to you about your concerns and/or schedule a meeting with you.  To contact us, please email embeddedprograms@psu.edu.

Virtual Program Planning for Summer and Fall 2021

We realize that during these COVID-19 times, program leaders may be interested in planning, or are in the planning stages, of a VIRTUAL international program as an alternative to traditional international travel. We would like to offer our assistance to help promote your virtual program by gathering information from you and publishing your course details on the Virtual Embedded Programs Offerings tab on our Penn State Education Abroad Sites page. Here, students, faculty and staff can view the list of virtual programs and contact you for details. If you have a virtual program that you would like us to help you promote on our sites page, please email the following information to embeddedprogram@psu.edu.

• course name
• course number
• semester the course/virtual travel will be offered
• contact information of the leader/professor
• brief description of the course

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

 

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

 

Thank you!

 

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 04/23/2021

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message.

Frequently Asked Questions (NEW)

Will Global Programs require vaccines for study abroad? (This language was updated 04/27/2021.)

Currently, the International Risk Travel Committee (IRTC) is typically reviewing study abroad course plans in detail about 2-3 months before the program start date.  Once they complete their review and make recommendations (approve or cancel), the vice provost for Global Programs and the provost review the recommendations and make a decision about the viability of the program.  The IRTC is not inclined to review programs earlier than this typical timeframe so that their recommendations reflect the most up-to-date information about the destination.  The pandemic and its impacts change so rapidly that it’s not possible for that committee to predict the status of infection rates, health care capacities, entry requirements, testing protocol, vaccine availability in the local community, etc. farther in advance.  Our advice to leaders is to plan – with caution.  If a leader is willing to go through the planning process, be prepared to modify itinerary or cancel the program if necessary.

The program checkpoint and review schedule is published for FA21/Winter Break Travel.  Faculty who are considering an embedded course for SP22 or SU22 can use this as a baseline planning tool to predict approximately when their proposal materials will be reviewed by the relevant committees and University leaders

What are the financial implications of planning for a study abroad course in AY21-22? Who is taking on the financial risk?

As we look ahead to the next academic year, many faculty and academic units are anxious to resume their education abroad courses.  At this time, it is difficult to anticipate which program itineraries and locations will be most viable for group-based travel in FA21, SP22 and SU22.  As such, it is very important that faculty members and their respective academic leadership understand the financial implications of starting to plan for international travel during AY21-22.  The enclosed financial language has recently been reviewed and approved by the vice provost for Global Programs and the provost in hopes that it will help to inform planning decisions among our valued faculty leaders and academic unit colleagues.  Please review the information carefully and share it with your department head, associate dean, or other academic leadership that may be involved in determining whether to launch plans for embedded courses for next year.  As always, we are available to address any questions or concerns.

Please note that there are two different scenarios described below, and the financial responsibility varies based on the particular circumstances of the University’s international travel restriction and the destination of the education abroad program.

Given the uncertain nature of international travel as various parts of the world continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative that program leaders and academic units make every effort possible to mitigate financial risks to the University when planning education abroad courses.  

1. While the University’s international travel restriction is in place worldwide, it is wholly the academic unit’s responsibility to shoulder any financial risk for Embedded courses up until the date by which the University leadership decides if the program is approved via the international restricted travel committee (IRTC) review process. (For example, no faculty or student should book accommodations or flights until it is known that the program is approved.)  If an Embedded course program is reviewed by IRTC and is approved by the vice provost for Global Programs and the provost, then the financial risk is to be borne by the Global Programs in the event that the program is cancelled by University leadership at a later date prior to the program start.
2. When the University’s international travel restriction is lifted, not all programs will be reviewed by the international restricted travel committee (IRTC) or the University leadership,  as not all travel destinations are considered restricted per protocol.  In such cases, the academic unit would consult directly with Global Programs about the plans for the Embedded course and will be expected to follow advice from Education Abroad on prudent planning with regard to financial risk mitigation and health and safety concerns.  Since there would be no official date on which the program would be approved through official review channels, the financial risk in these cases would be assumed by the academic unit.

What happened to the flight vouchers from my cancelled program in SP/SU20?

The travel voucher question is certainly a valid one as travel may be in the horizon for the near future. When programs were cancelled for SP20 and SU20, Global Programs reimbursed individual students and/or departments (in the event of group flights), and in doing so, we essentially bought the flight voucher that the airline provided for future travel.  It is preferable that the flight vouchers be used if possible, so if you and your students may have the opportunity to utilize them during their window of validity, we are happy to help facilitate that.  We would charge students or employees who utilize them. Most airlines are allowing name changes on flight vouchers so the ones that GP “bought” from students and faculty could be utilized by others at the University (i.e., your colleagues going on business travel) with the appropriate associated cost to utilize them.

We are hopeful that travel will resume to some degree relatively soon and that during the next academic year, study abroad will be possible in many more locations. If travel is not possible next year either pedagogically or due to lingering uncertainty about travel during that time period, Global Programs is prepared to lose the flight vouchers or make them available to others at the University who may be able to utilize them. 

Who can I talk to about my concerns? How can I schedule a meeting with you?

Our embedded programs team is always happy to talk to you about your concerns and/or schedule a meeting with you.  To contact us, please email embeddedprograms@psu.edu.

FA21, Winter Break 2021-22, SP22 and SU22 Program Proposals Are Now Open (NEW)

In order to minimize institutional risk and to ensure compliance with University Policy FN20, Global Programs requires faculty and departments (graduate and undergraduate) organizing and/or sponsoring embedded programs to submit course information and essential documentation to Education Abroad via the online embedded course development and proposal process. This proposal process is now open for programs planning to travel during the following dates:

FA21 semester travel dates  – August 24 – December 19, 2021

Winter Break 2021-22 travel dates  – December 20, 2021 – January 9, 2022 (travel is prior to the start of classes for SP22)

SP22 semester travel dates – January 10, 2022 – May 6, 2022

SU22 semester travel dates – May 7, 2022 – August 13, 2022

As you know, an embedded program faculty leader assumes a great deal of responsibility for the development, proposal, implementation, and execution of an embedded course – including the academic content, travel logistics, international site visits and activities, budgeting and payments, and health and safety of program participants.  This may seem like an overwhelming list of responsibilities, but there are a number of support resources to help the faculty leader throughout the entire process.  Please visit the embedded courses resource page for additional information.

Fall 2021/Winter Break 2021-22 Embedded Program Roundtable Discussion (Reminder)

We have scheduled the following roundtable discussion to facilitate dialogue with program leaders about any questions or concerns they have about planning a FA21 and/or Winter Break embedded program. The main purpose of these sessions is to go over the PSU program leader guidelines and the guidelines put forth by The Forum on Education Abroad. We encourage you to attend if your schedule permits (totally fine to arrive late or leave early based on your schedule).

Please feel free to invite your financial coordinators or unit administrators.

Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at 11:00AM – Noon

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/93084942723

Or Telephone: Dial: +1 301 715 8592 (US Toll)

Meeting ID: 930 8494 2723     

Virtual Program Planning for Summer and Fall 2021

We realize that during these COVID-19 times, program leaders may be interested in planning, or are in the planning stages, of a VIRTUAL international program as an alternative to traditional international travel. We would like to offer our assistance to help promote your virtual program by gathering information from you and publishing your course details on the Virtual Embedded Programs Offerings tab on our Penn State Education Abroad Sites page. Here, students, faculty and staff can view the list of virtual programs and contact you for details. If you have a virtual program that you would like us to help you promote on our sites page, please email the following information to embeddedprogram@psu.edu.

• course name
• course number
• semester the course/virtual travel will be offered
• contact information of the leader/professor
• brief description of the course

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

 

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

 

Thank you!

 

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 04/16/2021

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message.

NOTE: There are no new updates today, but we are sharing the same information as last week in case anyone missed it.

Official Language on Financial Commitment/Financial Risk of Planning Embedded Courses for Academic Year 2021-2022 (Reminder)

As we look ahead to the next academic year, many faculty and academic units are anxious to resume their education abroad courses.  At this time, it is difficult to anticipate which program itineraries and locations will be most viable for group-based travel in FA21, SP22 and SU22.  As such, it is very important that faculty members and their respective academic leadership understand the financial implications of starting to plan for international travel during AY21-22.  The enclosed financial language has recently been reviewed and approved by the vice provost for global programs and the provost in hopes that it will help to inform planning decisions among our valued faculty leaders and academic unit colleagues.  Please review the information carefully and share it with your department head, associate dean, or other academic leadership that may be involved in determining whether to launch plans for embedded courses for next year.  As always, we are available to address any questions or concerns.

Please note that there are two different scenarios described below, and the financial responsibility varies based on the particular circumstances of the University’s international travel restriction and the destination of the education abroad program.

Given the uncertain nature of international travel as various parts of the world continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative that program leaders and academic units make every effort possible to mitigate financial risks to the University when planning education abroad courses.  

1. While the University’s international travel restriction is in place worldwide, it is wholly the academic unit’s responsibility to shoulder any financial risk for Embedded courses up until the date by which the University leadership decides if the program is approved via the international restricted travel committee (IRTC) review process. (For example, no faculty or student should book accommodations or flights until it is known that the program is approved.)  If an Embedded course program is reviewed by IRTC and is approved by the vice provost for Global Programs and the provost, then the financial risk is to be borne by the Global Programs in the event that the program is cancelled by University leadership at a later date prior to the program start.
2. When the University’s international travel restriction is lifted, not all programs will be reviewed by the international restricted travel committee (IRTC) or the University leadership,  as not all travel destinations are considered restricted per protocol.  In such cases, the academic unit would consult directly with Global Programs about the plans for the Embedded course and will be expected to follow advice from Education Abroad on prudent planning with regard to financial risk mitigation and health and safety concerns.  Since there would be no official date on which the program would be approved through official review channels, the financial risk in these cases would be assumed by the academic unit.

Fall 2021/Winter Break 2021-22 Program Proposals Are Now Open (Reminder)

In order to minimize institutional risk and to ensure compliance with University Policy FN20, Global Programs requires faculty and departments (graduate and undergraduate) organizing and/or sponsoring embedded programs to submit course information and essential documentation to Education Abroad via the online embedded course development and proposal process. This proposal process is now open for programs planning to travel during the following dates:

FA21 semester travel dates  – August 24 – December 19, 2021

Winter Break 2021-22 travel dates  – December 20, 2021 – January 9, 2022

As you know, an embedded program faculty leader assumes a great deal of responsibility for the development, proposal, implementation, and execution of an embedded course – including the academic content, travel logistics, international site visits and activities, budgeting and payments, and health and safety of program participants.  This may seem like an overwhelming list of responsibilities, but there are a number of support resources to help the faculty leader throughout the entire process.  Please visit the embedded courses resource page for additional information.

Fall 2021/Winter Break 2021-22 Embedded Program Roundtable Discussion (Reminder)

We have scheduled the following roundtable discussion to facilitate dialogue with program leaders about any questions or concerns they have about planning a FA21 and/or Winter Break embedded program. The main purpose of these sessions is to go over the PSU program leader guidelines and the guidelines put forth by The Forum on Education Abroad. We encourage you to attend if your schedule permits (totally fine to arrive late or leave early based on your schedule).

Please feel free to invite your financial coordinators or unit administrators.

Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at 11:00AM – Noon

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/93084942723

Or Telephone: Dial: +1 301 715 8592 (US Toll)

Meeting ID: 930 8494 2723

     

Virtual Program Planning for Summer and Fall 2021

We realize that during these COVID-19 times, program leaders may be interested in planning, or are in the planning stages, of a VIRTUAL international program as an alternative to traditional international travel. We would like to offer our assistance to help promote your virtual program by gathering information from you and publishing your course details on the Virtual Embedded Programs Offerings tab on our Penn State Education Abroad Sites page. Here, students, faculty and staff can view the list of virtual programs and contact you for details. If you have a virtual program that you would like us to help you promote on our sites page, please email the following information to embeddedprogram@psu.edu.

• course name
• course number
• semester the course/virtual travel will be offered
• contact information of the leader/professor
• brief description of the course

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

 

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

 

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 04/09/2021

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message.

Official Language on Financial Commitment/Financial Risk of Planning Embedded Courses for Academic Year 2021-2022 (NEW!)

As we look ahead to the next academic year, many faculty and academic units are anxious to resume their education abroad courses.  At this time, it is difficult to anticipate which program itineraries and locations will be most viable for group-based travel in FA21, SP22 and SU22.  As such, it is very important that faculty members and their respective academic leadership understand the financial implications of starting to plan for international travel during AY21-22.  The enclosed financial language has recently been reviewed and approved by the vice provost for global programs and the provost in hopes that it will help to inform planning decisions among our valued faculty leaders and academic unit colleagues.  Please review the information carefully and share it with your department head, associate dean, or other academic leadership that may be involved in determining whether to launch plans for embedded courses for next year.  As always, we are available to address any questions or concerns.

Please note that there are two different scenarios described below, and the financial responsibility varies based on the particular circumstances of the University’s international travel restriction and the destination of the education abroad program.

Given the uncertain nature of international travel as various parts of the world continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative that program leaders and academic units make every effort possible to mitigate financial risks to the University when planning education abroad courses.  

1. While the University’s international travel restriction is in place worldwide, it is wholly the academic unit’s responsibility to shoulder any financial risk for Embedded courses up until the date by which the University leadership decides if the program is approved via the international restricted travel committee (IRTC) review process. (For example, no faculty or student should book accommodations or flights until it is known that the program is approved.)  If an Embedded course program is reviewed by IRTC and is approved by the vice provost for Global Programs and the provost, then the financial risk is to be borne by the Global Programs in the event that the program is cancelled by University leadership at a later date prior to the program start.
2. When the University’s international travel restriction is lifted, not all programs will be reviewed by the international restricted travel committee (IRTC) or the University leadership,  as not all travel destinations are considered restricted per protocol.  In such cases, the academic unit would consult directly with Global Programs about the plans for the Embedded course and will be expected to follow advice from Education Abroad on prudent planning with regard to financial risk mitigation and health and safety concerns.  Since there would be no official date on which the program would be approved through official review channels, the financial risk in these cases would be assumed by the academic unit.

Fall 2021/Winter Break 2021-22 Program Proposals Are Now Open (Reminder)

In order to minimize institutional risk and to ensure compliance with University Policy FN20, Global Programs requires faculty and departments (graduate and undergraduate) organizing and/or sponsoring embedded programs to submit course information and essential documentation to Education Abroad via the online embedded course development and proposal process. This proposal process is now open for programs planning to travel during the following dates:

FA21 semester travel dates  – August 24 – December 19, 2021

Winter Break 2021-22 travel dates  – December 20, 2021 – January 19, 2022

As you know, an embedded program faculty leader assumes a great deal of responsibility for the development, proposal, implementation, and execution of an embedded course – including the academic content, travel logistics, international site visits and activities, budgeting and payments, and health and safety of program participants.  This may seem like an overwhelming list of responsibilities, but there are a number of support resources to help the faculty leader throughout the entire process.  Please visit the embedded courses resource page for additional information.

Fall 2021/Winter Break 2021-22 Embedded Program Roundtable Discussion (Reminder)

We have scheduled the following roundtable discussion to facilitate dialogue with program leaders about any questions or concerns they have about planning a FA21 and/or Winter Break embedded program. The main purpose of these sessions is to go over the PSU program leader guidelines and the guidelines put forth by The Forum on Education Abroad. We encourage you to attend if your schedule permits (totally fine to arrive late or leave early based on your schedule).

Please feel free to invite your financial coordinators or unit administrators.

Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at 11:00AM – Noon

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/93084942723

Or Telephone: Dial: +1 301 715 8592 (US Toll)

Meeting ID: 930 8494 2723

     

Virtual Program Planning for Summer and Fall 2021

We realize that during these COVID-19 times, program leaders may be interested in planning, or are in the planning stages, of a VIRTUAL international program as an alternative to traditional international travel. We would like to offer our assistance to help promote your virtual program by gathering information from you and publishing your course details on the Virtual Embedded Programs Offerings tab on our Penn State Education Abroad Sites page. Here, students, faculty and staff can view the list of virtual programs and contact you for details. If you have a virtual program that you would like us to help you promote on our sites page, please email the following information to embeddedprogram@psu.edu.

• course name
• course number
• semester the course/virtual travel will be offered
• contact information of the leader/professor
• brief description of the course

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

 

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

 

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 04/02/2021

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message.

Fall 2021/Winter Break 2021-22 Program Proposals Are Now Open (NEW this week!)

In order to minimize institutional risk and to ensure compliance with University Policy FN20, Global Programs requires faculty and departments (graduate and undergraduate) organizing and/or sponsoring embedded programs to submit course information and essential documentation to Education Abroad via the online embedded course development and proposal process. This proposal process is now open for programs planning to travel during the following dates:

FA21 semester travel dates  – August 24 – December 19, 2021

Winter Break 2021-22 travel dates  – December 20, 2021 – January 9, 2022

As you know, an embedded program faculty leader assumes a great deal of responsibility for the development, proposal, implementation, and execution of an embedded course – including the academic content, travel logistics, international site visits and activities, budgeting and payments, and health and safety of program participants.  This may seem like an overwhelming list of responsibilities, but there are a number of support resources to help the faculty leader throughout the entire process.  Please visit the embedded courses resource page for additional information.

Fall 2021/Winter Break 2021-22 Embedded Program Roundtable Discussion (NEW this week!)

We have scheduled the following roundtable discussion to facilitate dialogue with program leaders about any questions or concerns they have about planning a FA21 and/or Winter Break embedded program. The main purpose of these sessions is to go over the PSU program leader guidelines and the guidelines put forth by The Forum on Education Abroad. We encourage you to attend if your schedule permits (totally fine to arrive late or leave early based on your schedule).

Please feel free to invite your financial coordinators or unit administrators.

Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at 11:00AM – Noon

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/93084942723

Or Telephone: Dial: +1 301 715 8592 (US Toll)

Meeting ID: 930 8494 2723

    

Fall 2021/Winter Break 2021-22 Embedded Survey (Reminder)

In case you missed this last week, we are trying to determine which academic units and faculty members are considering traveling abroad with an embedded course for FA21 or winter break 21-22.  If you are considering an embedded program with travel occurring in Fall 2021 or Winter Break 2021-2022, please take a few minutes to complete this short Google form by 5:00 PM on Friday, April 9.  

Please note that expressing interest via this form does not obligate you to move forward with the program; you can change your mind later.  We will use this information to tailor our messaging and timelines to faculty and departments who may support student travel abroad in the next 6-9 months.

Virtual Program Planning for Summer and Fall 2021

We realize that during these COVID-19 times, program leaders may be interested in planning, or are in the planning stages, of a VIRTUAL international program as an alternative to traditional international travel. We would like to offer our assistance to help promote your virtual program by gathering information from you and publishing your course details on the Virtual Embedded Programs Offerings tab on our Penn State Education Abroad Sites page. Here, students, faculty and staff can view the list of virtual programs and contact you for details. If you have a virtual program that you would like us to help you promote on our sites page, please email the following information to embeddedprogram@psu.edu.

• course name
• course number
• semester the course/virtual travel will be offered
• contact information of the leader/professor
• brief description of the course

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

 

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

 

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 03/26/2021

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message.

Fall 2021/Winter Break 2021-22 Embedded Survey

We are trying to determine which academic units and faculty members are considering traveling abroad with an embedded course for FA21 or winter break 21-22.  If you are considering an embedded program with travel occurring in Fall 2021 or Winter Break 2021-2022, please complete this short Google form by 5:00 PM on Friday, April 2.  

Please note that expressing interest via this form does not obligate you to move forward with the program; you can change your mind later.  We will use this information to tailor our messaging and timelines to faculty and departments who may support student travel abroad in the next 6-9 months.

Virtual Program Planning for Summer and Fall 2021

We realize that during these COVID-19 times, program leaders may be interested in planning, or are in the planning stages, of a VIRTUAL international program as an alternative to traditional international travel. We would like to offer our assistance to help promote your virtual program by gathering information from you and publishing your course details on the Virtual Embedded Programs Offerings tab on our Penn State Education Abroad Sites page. Here, students, faculty and staff can view the list of virtual programs and contact you for details. If you have a virtual program that you would like us to help you promote on our sites page, please email the following information to embeddedprogram@psu.edu.

• course name
• course number
• semester the course/virtual travel will be offered
• contact information of the leader/professor
• brief description of the course

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

 

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

 

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 02/19/2021

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message.

Virtual Program Planning for Summer and Fall 2021 (NEW This Week)

We realize that during these COVID-19 times, program leaders may be interested in planning, or are in the planning stages, of a VIRTUAL international program as an alternative to traditional international travel. We would like to offer our assistance to help promote your virtual program by gathering information from you and publishing your course details on the Virtual Embedded Programs Offerings tab on our Penn State Education Abroad Sites page. Here, students, faculty and staff can view the list of virtual programs and contact you for details. If you have a virtual program that you would like us to help you promote on our sites page, please email the following information to embeddedprogram@psu.edu.

• course name
• course number
• semester the course/virtual travel will be offered
• contact information of the leader/professor
• brief description of the course

Summer 2021 Embedded Course Proposals: Next Steps (Reminder)

For the small number of embedded courses still under development for summer 2021 travel, the course proposal deadline was February 1, 2021.  At this time, the Education Abroad staff and Global Safety team are reviewing submissions and will follow up as necessary with any faculty member or program coordinator if additional information is required.  

Course proposals and itineraries will be reviewed by the following entities, in chronological order: Education Abroad, Global Safety Team, the International Restricted Travel Committee (IRTC), the vice provost for global programs, and the provost.

For programs traveling on/prior to June 13, 2021: we hope to notify faculty in early March about whether their program is approved to continue planning for travel.

For programs traveling June 14, 2021 or later: we hope to notify faculty in early April about whether their program is approved to continue planning for travel.

Note: program leaders should work with host organizations and travel companies to delay any deposits or cancellation penalties to fall after the time by which Penn State will decide if the program can continue for SU21.  Any financial liability undertaken before Penn State renders its decision (either early March or April as indicated above) is solely the responsibility of the sponsoring academic unit/college/campus.

Update Bookmarks for Studio Abroad (Reminder)

Please note that our Terra Dotta (Studio Abroad) program proposal system has recently migrated to a new host server. To access your existing or prior semester proposals, you will need to update your bookmarks for our site to https://ea.psu.edu. From the landing page, click the “login/register” button on the top right of the page.  After entering your two-factor identification select the “home” button on the top left of page to access your applicant home page. (For those of you that have had to use the “enclave” access, we are happy to report that this is no longer utilized.)

Emergency Preparedness Workshop Requirements Have Changed (No updates)

Please note this new change in our emergency preparedness workshop requirements for program leaders.  ALL program leaders (faculty, staff, TAs, etc.) will now be required to attend an emergency preparedness workshop within 6 months of the program’s return date.  This is a change from previous years, where the requirement was within 2 years of the program’s return date. Currently, all University travel continues to be suspended. The Global Safety Office has posted dates and times for upcoming workshops and you can register for a session on our website. 

Program Leader Guidelines and Checkpoints (No Updates)

The Education Abroad team has compiled a series of checkpoints for program leaders to meet in advance of potential SU21 education abroad course travel.  All programs must meet or exceed the specialized program leader guidelines for travel during COVID-19 restrictions. 

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

 

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

 

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 02/12/2021

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message.

Summer 2021 Embedded Course Proposals: Next Steps (Reminder)

For the small number of embedded courses still under development for summer 2021 travel, the course proposal deadline was February 1, 2021.  At this time, the Education Abroad staff and Global Safety team are reviewing submissions and will follow up as necessary with any faculty member or program coordinator if additional information is required.  

Course proposals and itineraries will be reviewed by the following entities, in chronological order: Education Abroad, Global Safety Team, the International Restricted Travel Committee (IRTC), the vice provost for global programs, and the provost.

For programs traveling on/prior to June 13, 2021: we hope to notify faculty in early March about whether their program is approved to continue planning for travel.

For programs traveling June 14, 2021 or later: we hope to notify faculty in early April about whether their program is approved to continue planning for travel.

Note: program leaders should work with host organizations and travel companies to delay any deposits or cancellation penalties to fall after the time by which Penn State will decide if the program can continue for SU21.  Any financial liability undertaken before Penn State renders its decision (either early March or April as indicated above) is solely the responsibility of the sponsoring academic unit/college/campus.

Update Bookmarks for Studio Abroad (Reminder)

Please note that our Terra Dotta (Studio Abroad) program proposal system has recently migrated to a new host server. To access your existing or prior semester proposals, you will need to update your bookmarks for our site to https://ea.psu.edu. From the landing page, click the “login/register” button on the top right of the page.  After entering your two-factor identification select the “home” button on the top left of page to access your applicant home page. (For those of you that have had to use the “enclave” access, we are happy to report that this is no longer utilized.)

Emergency Preparedness Workshop Requirements Have Changed (No updates)

Please note this new change in our emergency preparedness workshop requirements for program leaders.  ALL program leaders (faculty, staff, TAs, etc.) will now be required to attend an emergency preparedness workshop within 6 months of the program’s return date.  This is a change from previous years, where the requirement was within 2 years of the program’s return date. Currently, all University travel continues to be suspended. The Global Safety Office has posted dates and times for upcoming workshops and you can register for a session on our website. 

Program Leader Guidelines and Checkpoints (No Updates)

The Education Abroad team has compiled a series of checkpoints for program leaders to meet in advance of potential SU21 education abroad course travel.  All programs must meet or exceed the specialized program leader guidelines for travel during COVID-19 restrictions. 

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

 

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

 

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 02/05/2021

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message.

Summer 2021 Embedded Course Proposals: Next Steps (New This Week)

For the small number of embedded courses still under development for summer 2021 travel, the course proposal deadline was February 1, 2021.  At this time, the Education Abroad staff and Global Safety team are reviewing submissions and will follow up as necessary with any faculty member or program coordinator if additional information is required.  

Course proposals and itineraries will be reviewed by the following entities, in chronological order: Education Abroad, Global Safety Team, the International Restricted Travel Committee (IRTC), the vice provost for global programs, and the provost.

For programs traveling on/prior to June 13, 2021: we hope to notify faculty in early March about whether their program is approved to continue planning for travel.

For programs traveling June 14, 2021 or later: we hope to notify faculty in early April about whether their program is approved to continue planning for travel.

Note: program leaders should work with host organizations and travel companies to delay any deposits or cancellation penalties to fall after the time by which Penn State will decide if the program can continue for SU21.  Any financial liability undertaken before Penn State renders its decision (either early March or April as indicated above) is solely the responsibility of the sponsoring academic unit/college/campus.

Update Bookmarks for Studio Abroad (Reminder)

Please note that our Terra Dotta (Studio Abroad) program proposal system has recently migrated to a new host server. To access your existing or prior semester proposals, you will need to update your bookmarks for our site to https://ea.psu.edu. From the landing page, click the “login/register” button on the top right of the page.  After entering your two-factor identification select the “home” button on the top left of page to access your applicant home page. (For those of you that have had to use the “enclave” access, we are happy to report that this is no longer utilized.)

Emergency Preparedness Workshop Requirements Have Changed (No updates)

Please note this new change in our emergency preparedness workshop requirements for program leaders.  ALL program leaders (faculty, staff, TAs, etc.) will now be required to attend an emergency preparedness workshop within 6 months of the program’s return date.  This is a change from previous years, where the requirement was within 2 years of the program’s return date. Currently, all University travel continues to be suspended. The Global Safety Office has posted dates and times for upcoming workshops and you can register for a session on our website. 

Program Leader Guidelines and Checkpoints (No Updates)

The Education Abroad team has compiled a series of checkpoints for program leaders to meet in advance of potential SU21 education abroad course travel.  Main checkpoint submissions are due by February 1, 2021.  All programs must meet or exceed the specialized program leader guidelines for travel during COVID-19 restrictions. 

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

 

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

 

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 01/29/2021

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message.

Due Feb. 1: Embedded Course Proposal Materials (Reminder)

Any faculty member who is currently planning to travel abroad with students in summer 2021 must adhere to the deadlines outlined in the leader checkpoints below.  Note that the preliminary embedded course materials are due from the faculty leader by 11:59 PM on February 1, 2021.  The preliminary materials include:

• general program information questionnaire
• draft itinerary
• academic continuity plan (in the event that any member of the program cannot attend sessions in person)
• emergency action plan
• confirmation that your plans adhere to the faculty leader guidelines for summer 2021

You can begin your embedded course proposal on our website.

Update Bookmarks for Studio Abroad (Reminder)

Please note that our Terra Dotta (Studio Abroad) program proposal system has recently migrated to a new host server. To access your existing or prior semester proposals, you will need to update your bookmarks for our site to https://ea.psu.edu. From the landing page, click the “login/register” button on the top right of the page.  After entering your two-factor identification select the “home” button on the top left of page to access your applicant home page. (For those of you that have had to use the “enclave” access, we are happy to report that this is no longer utilized.)

Spring 2021 Semester Remote Start (No updates)

As you know, the University has announced that the start of SP21 semester will be remote for all courses.  In-person activities are scheduled to resume on February 15, 2021.  We are aware that recruitment for your education abroad programs has been challenging this year, and we recognize that the delay of on-campus activities may present additional challenges in marketing and recruitment.  Please note that the deadlines for submitting your course details to our office remain the same.

Emergency Preparedness Workshop Requirements Have Changed (No updates)

Please note this new change in our emergency preparedness workshop requirements for program leaders.  ALL program leaders (faculty, staff, TAs, etc.) will now be required to attend an emergency preparedness workshop within 6 months of the program’s return date.  This is a change from previous years, where the requirement was within 2 years of the program’s return date. Currently, all University travel continues to be suspended. The Global Safety Office has posted dates and times for upcoming workshops and you can register for a session on our website. 

Program Leader Guidelines and Checkpoints (No Updates)

The Education Abroad team has compiled a series of checkpoints for program leaders to meet in advance of potential SU21 education abroad course travel.  Main checkpoint submissions are due by February 1, 2021.  All programs must meet or exceed the specialized program leader guidelines for travel during COVID-19 restrictions. 

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

 

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

 

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 01/22/2021

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message.

Due Feb. 1: Embedded Course Proposal Materials (Reminder)

Any faculty member who is currently planning to travel abroad with students in summer 2021 must adhere to the deadlines outlined in the leader checkpoints below.  Note that the preliminary embedded course materials are due from the faculty leader by 11:59 PM on February 1, 2021.  The preliminary materials include:

• general program information questionnaire
• draft itinerary
• academic continuity plan (in the event that any member of the program cannot attend sessions in person)
• emergency action plan
• confirmation that your plans adhere to the faculty leader guidelines for summer 2021

You can begin your embedded course proposal on our website.

Update Bookmarks for Studio Abroad (NEW this week)

Please note that our Terra Dotta (Studio Abroad) program proposal system has recently migrated to a new host server. To access your existing or prior semester proposals, you will need to update your bookmarks for our site to https://ea.psu.edu. From the landing page, click the “login/register” button on the top right of the page.  After entering your two-factor identification select the “home” button on the top left of page to access your applicant home page. (For those of you that have had to use the “enclave” access, we are happy to report that this is no longer utilized.)

Spring 2021 Semester Remote Start (No updates)

As you know, the University has announced that the start of SP21 semester will be remote for all courses.  In-person activities are scheduled to resume on February 15, 2021.  We are aware that recruitment for your education abroad programs has been challenging this year, and we recognize that the delay of on-campus activities may present additional challenges in marketing and recruitment.  Please note that the deadlines for submitting your course details to our office remain the same.

Emergency Preparedness Workshop Requirements Have Changed (No updates)

Please note this new change in our emergency preparedness workshop requirements for program leaders.  ALL program leaders (faculty, staff, TAs, etc.) will now be required to attend an emergency preparedness workshop within 6 months of the program’s return date.  This is a change from previous years, where the requirement was within 2 years of the program’s return date. Currently, all University travel continues to be suspended. The Global Safety Office has posted dates and times for upcoming workshops and you can register for a session on our website. 

Program Leader Guidelines and Checkpoints (No Updates)

The Education Abroad team has compiled a series of checkpoints for program leaders to meet in advance of potential SU21 education abroad course travel.  Main checkpoint submissions are due by February 1, 2021.  All programs must meet or exceed the specialized program leader guidelines for travel during COVID-19 restrictions. 

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

 

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

 

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 01/15/2021

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message.

Education Abroad Application System Outage (New this week)

The Education Abroad application program, known as Terra Dotta/StudioAbroad, has been upgraded and migrated to a hosted and secure environment.  The site will be reopening soon – either January 15 or 16 – and we will share additional information as soon as we have it.

We will be sure to communicate with you all once the system is up and running. Please feel free to share this information with any individuals who you think may be affected. If you have any questions, please reach out to Tara Johnson (tam5210@psu.edu). 

Due Feb. 1: Embedded Course Proposal Materials (Reminder)

Any faculty member who is currently planning to travel abroad with students in summer 2021 must adhere to the deadlines outlined in the leader checkpoints below.  Note that the preliminary embedded course materials are due from the faculty leader by Feb. 1, 2021.  The preliminary materials include the general program information questionnaire, draft itinerary, academic continuity plan (in the event that any member of the program cannot attend sessions in person), and emergency action plan. We encourage you to attend a roundtable discussion (schedule below) prior to submitting your proposal.

You can begin your embedded course proposal on our website.

Roundtable Discussions (No Updates)

We highly encourage program leaders and campus/college coordinators to attend one of the meetings below hosted by the Faculty-Led Embedded Team and Global Safety to discuss academic continuity plan expectations and emergency contingency plans and protocol.

Option #2:  Monday, 01/18/2021 at 3:00-4:00 PM

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/7172730395

Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll):  +13126266799,7172730395# 

Or Telephone:  +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll) Meeting ID: 717 273 0395

Spring 2021 Semester Remote Start (No updates)

As you know, the University has announced that the start of SP21 semester will be remote for all courses.  In-person activities are scheduled to resume on February 15, 2021.  We are aware that recruitment for your education abroad programs has been challenging this year, and we recognize that the delay of on-campus activities may present additional challenges in marketing and recruitment.  Please note that the deadlines for submitting your course details to our office remain the same.

Emergency Preparedness Workshop Requirements Have Changed (Updated this week)

Please note this new change in our emergency preparedness workshop requirements for program leaders.  ALL program leaders (faculty, staff, TAs, etc.) will now be required to attend an emergency preparedness workshop within 6 months of the program’s return date.  This is a change from previous years, where the requirement was within 2 years of the program’s return date. Currently, all University travel continues to be suspended. The Global Safety Office has posted dates and times for upcoming workshops and you can register for a session on our website. 

Program Leader Checkpoints (No Updates)

The Education Abroad team has compiled a series of checkpoints for program leaders to meet in advance of potential SU21 education abroad course travel.  Main checkpoint submissions are due by February 1, 2021, but suggested reading and roundtable discussions are available in December and January.

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

 

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 01/08/2021

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message.

Education Abroad Application System Outage (New this week)

The Education Abroad application program, known as Terra Dotta will be migrating to a new hosted system. The entire site will be offline for students, faculty and staff from January 12 through sometime on January 16, 2021. All students with open applications have been notified of the outage. We have also contacted all recommenders with pending student recommendations that they will be unable to submit their academic comments during that time.  Faculty leaders will be unable to access the student applications for their program during this outage.

We will be sure to communicate with you all once the system is up and running. Please feel free to share this information with any individuals who you think may be affected. If you have any questions, please reach out to Tara Johnson (tam5210@psu.edu). 

Spring 2021 Semester Remote Start (New this week)

As you know, the University has announced that the start of SP21 semester will be remote for all courses.  In-person activities are scheduled to resume on February 15, 2021.  We are aware that recruitment for your education abroad programs has been challenging this year, and we recognize that the delay of on-campus activities may present additional challenges in marketing and recruitment.  Please note that the deadlines for submitting your course details to our office remain the same.

Emergency Preparedness Workshop Requirements Have Changed (New this week)

Please note this new change in our emergency preparedness workshop requirements for program leaders.  ALL program leaders (faculty, staff, TAs, etc.) will now be required to attend an emergency preparedness workshop within 6 months of the program’s return date.  This is a change from previous years, where the requirement was within 2 years of the program’s return date. Currently, all University travel continues to be suspended. While there is no published schedule yet, our Global Safety Office will post dates and times for upcoming workshops soon and you will be able to register for a session on our website. 

Due Feb. 1: Embedded Course Proposal Materials (New this week)

Any faculty member who is currently planning to travel abroad with students in summer 2021 must adhere to the deadlines outlined in the leader checkpoints below.  Note that the preliminary embedded course materials are due from the faculty leader by Feb. 1, 2021.  The preliminary materials include the general program information questionnaire, draft itinerary, academic continuity plan (in the event that any member of the program cannot attend sessions in person), and emergency action plan. We encourage you to attend a roundtable discussion (schedule below) prior to submitting your proposal.

You can begin your embedded course proposal on our website.

Roundtable Discussions (No Updates)

We highly encourage program leaders and campus/college coordinators to attend one of the meetings below hosted by the Faculty-Led Embedded Team and Global Safety to discuss academic continuity plan expectations and emergency contingency plans and protocol.

Option #1: Wednesday, 01/13/2021 at 3:00-4:00 PM

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/7172730395 

Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll):  +13126266799,7172730395#

Or Telephone:  +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll) Meeting ID: 717 273 0395 

Option #2:  Monday, 01/18/2021 at 3:00-4:00 PM

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/7172730395

Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll):  +13126266799,7172730395# 

Or Telephone:  +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll) Meeting ID: 717 273 0395

Program Leader Checkpoints (No Updates)

The Education Abroad team has compiled a series of checkpoints for program leaders to meet in advance of potential SU21 education abroad course travel.  Main checkpoint submissions are due by February 1, 2021, but suggested reading and roundtable discussions are available in December and January.

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 12/18/2020

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message.

Holiday Greetings!

To all of the embedded course leaders, campus and college coordinators, and colleagues who work so hard to provide our Penn State students with education abroad opportunities, we extend our warmest holiday greetings and sincere wishes for a restful and joyful winter break.

Program Leader Checkpoints (No Updates)

The Education Abroad team has compiled a series of checkpoints for program leaders to meet in advance of potential SU21 education abroad course travel.  Main checkpoint submissions are due by February 1, 2021, but suggested reading and roundtable discussions are available in December and January.

Roundtable Discussions (No Updates)

We highly encourage program leaders and campus/college coordinators to attend one of the meetings below hosted by the Faculty-Led Embedded Team and Global Safety to discuss academic continuity plan expectations and emergency contingency plans and protocol.

Option #1: Wednesday, 01/13/2021 at 3:00-4:00 PM

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/7172730395 

Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll):  +13126266799,7172730395#

Or Telephone:  +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll) Meeting ID: 717 273 0395 

Option #2:  Monday, 01/18/2021 at 3:00-4:00 PM

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/7172730395

Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll):  +13126266799,7172730395# 

Or Telephone:  +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll) Meeting ID: 717 273 0395

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

 

Thank you!

 

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 12/11/2020

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message.

Program Leader Checkpoints 

The Education Abroad team has compiled a series of checkpoints for program leaders to meet in advance of potential SU21 education abroad course travel.  Main checkpoint submissions are due by February 1, 2021, but suggested reading and roundtable discussions are available in December and January.

Roundtable Discussion for Program Leaders and Campus/College Coordinators 

We highly encourage program leaders and campus/college coordinators to attend one of the meetings below hosted by the Faculty-Led Embedded Team and Global Safety to discuss academic continuity plan expectations and emergency contingency plans and protocol.

Option #1: Wednesday, 01/13/2021 at 3:00-4:00 PM

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/7172730395 

Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll):  +13126266799,7172730395#

Or Telephone:  +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll) Meeting ID: 717 273 0395 

Option #2:  Monday, 01/18/2021 at 3:00-4:00 PM

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/7172730395

Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll):  +13126266799,7172730395# 

Or Telephone:  +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll) Meeting ID: 717 273 0395

 

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

 

Thank you!

 

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 12/04/2020

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message.

Program Leader Checkpoints (NEW This Week)

The Education Abroad team has compiled a series of checkpoints for program leaders to meet in advance of potential SU21 education abroad course travel.  Main checkpoint submissions are due by February 1, 2021, but suggested reading and roundtable discussions are available in December and January.

Roundtable Discussion for Program Leaders and Campus/College Coordinators (NEW this week)

We highly encourage program leaders and campus/college coordinators to attend one of the meetings below hosted by the Faculty-Led Embedded Team and Global Safety to discuss academic continuity plan expectations and emergency contingency plans and protocol.

Option #1: Wednesday, 01/13/2021 at 3:00-4:00 PM

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/7172730395 

Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll):  +13126266799,7172730395#

Or Telephone:  +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll) Meeting ID: 717 273 0395 

Option #2:  Monday, 01/18/2021 at 3:00-4:00 PM

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/7172730395

Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll):  +13126266799,7172730395# 

Or Telephone:  +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll) Meeting ID: 717 273 0395

 

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

 

Thank you!

 

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 11/20/2020

 

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, the faculty led programs team reflects on the hard work and dedication of our wonderful program leaders and campus/college liaisons.  Please know that we are incredibly grateful for the work that you do each day to provide education abroad opportunities for our Penn State students.  We wish you a happy Thanksgiving and a safe and restful fall break.

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message.

 

We do not have any new updates to share with you this week. If you would like to review our COVID-19 program leader requirements and the embedded program leader updates from previous weeks, please check our Penn State Embedded Programs Sites page.

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

 

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

 

Thank you!

 

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

 

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 11/13/2020

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message.

We do not have any new updates to share with you this week. If you would like to review our COVID-19 program leader requirements and the embedded program leader updates from previous weeks, please check our Penn State Embedded Programs Sites page.

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

 

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 11/06/2020

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message.

We do not have any new updates to share with you this week. If you would like to review our COVID-19 program leader requirements and the embedded program leader updates from previous weeks, please check our Penn State Embedded Programs Sites page.

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

 

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 10/30/2020

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message.

Status of Education Abroad Programs

All Spring 2021 education abroad programs are cancelled.  We continue planning for summer 2021 with cautious optimism.

Some of you may be planning to still teach in spring and move the travel component to Maymester or summer.  We are happy to talk you through some of the considerations related to that option.   Please note that there is no guarantee about the viability of student group travel during summer 2021, but we are optimistic about the prospect and continue planning for summer with enthusiasm. 

Others might want to continue teaching the course with no travel at all or a virtual international experience.  We are working on ways to support faculty members who want to incorporate virtual international experiences. Please reach out if you have questions or ideas to discuss.

Roundtable Discussions

We have scheduled the following roundtable discussions on a series of critical topics. 

Budgets and Finance Roundtables

We will talk through financial changes related to p-cards, travel arrangements, personal funds/personal credit cards for program expenses (not allowed for SU21), and building and managing budgets during uncertain times. The two sessions will be very similar; there is no reason to attend both.

Please feel free to invite your financial coordinators or unit administrators.

Option #1:  Wednesday, 11/04/2020 at 3:00-4:00 PM
Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/7172730395
Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll):  +13126266799,7172730395#
Or Telephone:  +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll) Meeting ID: 717 273 0395 

Option #2: Thursday, 11/05/2020 at 1:00-2:00 PM
Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/7172730395
Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll):  +13126266799,7172730395# 
Or Telephone:  +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll) Meeting ID: 717 273 0395

Program Leader Guidelines (No updates)

We are pleased to share the preliminary guidelines for embedded program leaders that we have developed for summer 2021.  These guidelines reflect principles set forth by Penn State in its resources and guidelines for on-campus instruction in fall semester and for experiential courses such as field work and clinical courses as well as Forum on Education Abroad: Conducting Education Abroad during COVID-19.  Please note that the guidelines are subject to change and will be updated on the site regularly.  We will alert you to significant changes via this weekly update and will link you to the guidelines for you to review changes.

Program Leader Resource Page (No updates)

We are pleased to share the online Faculty-Led Embedded COVID-19 Support Center page to include information on program planning during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Here you will find information, Penn State guidelines, resources from the professional field of education abroad, and a repository of all the weekly updates we will send to program leaders.

Virtual Programs and Resources (NEW This Week!)

We recognize that program leaders may be interested in planning, or are in the planning stages, of a VIRTUAL travel element to your faculty-led programs as an alternative to the traditional travel component, typically offered during spring break.  

Virtual Survey and Course List

We would like to offer our assistance to help promote your virtual program by gathering information from our virtual program survey. Once we receive your virtual program details from this survey, we will post your course details on the new Virtual Embedded Programs Offerings tab on our Penn State Education Abroad Sites page. Here, students, faculty and staff can view the list of virtual programs and contact you for details. 

Virtual Planning Resources

Faculty-Led programs seeking virtual alternatives to travel should work with your department or academic unit to determine possibilities in lieu of travel this year. As this is not considered study abroad, but internationalizing an existing course, Global Programs can only provide resources.  Here are a few resources for planning virtual programs.

• Teaching and Learning with Technology TLT (https://tlt.psu.edu/) – Collaborates with faculty to enhance teaching and learning through cutting-edge technology.
• Global Programs – Global Engagement Network and Education Abroad can help to connect faculty with international partners and classrooms abroad.
• Penn State EDGE (https://sites.psu.edu/edge/) – Penn State faculty who participate in the EDGE program connect their students to classrooms around the world for collaborative projects.

Embedded Proposals OPEN for Summer 2021

The Global Programs online proposal process is a key requirement to the planning and execution of an embedded course. The Global Programs online embedded course proposals are currently open for summer 2021 courses.  Deadlines are included here for your reference.  For embedded courses with travel during Maymester or summer terms:

• February 1 – Phase 1 (“pre-decision”) items due, such as general program information, approval from academic leadership
• March 1 – Phase 2 (“post-decision”) items due such as final roster, detailed itinerary, emergency contact information

Please create or access an existing embedded course proposal by logging in to the online proposal for embedded courses.

What’s Next?

• We are working on a calendar of “checkpoints” that will help program leaders to know, understand, and meet guidelines put forth by Penn State and The Forum on Education Abroad (the professional organization and standards designating organization – SDO – for the professional field of education abroad).  
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.
• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please contact embeddedprograms@psu.edu.

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

 

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 10/23/2020

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message.

Status of Education Abroad Programs

All Spring 2021 education abroad programs are cancelled.  We continue planning for summer 2021 with cautious optimism.

Some of you may be planning to still teach in spring and move the travel component to Maymester or summer.  We are happy to talk you through some of the considerations related to that option.   Please note that there is no guarantee about the viability of student group travel during summer 2021, but we are optimistic about the prospect and continue planning for summer with enthusiasm. 

Others might want to continue teaching the course with no travel at all or a virtual international experience.  We are working on ways to support faculty members who want to incorporate virtual international experiences. Please reach out if you have questions or ideas to discuss.

Roundtable Discussions

We have scheduled the following roundtable discussions on a series of critical topics. 

Budgets and Finance Roundtables

We will talk through financial changes related to p-cards, travel arrangements, personal funds/personal credit cards for program expenses (not allowed for SU21), and building and managing budgets during uncertain times. The two sessions will be very similar; there is no reason to attend both.

Please feel free to invite your financial coordinators or unit administrators.

Option #1:  Wednesday, 11/04/2020 at 3:00-4:00 PM
Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/7172730395
Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll):  +13126266799,7172730395#
Or Telephone:  +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll) Meeting ID: 717 273 0395 

Option #2: Thursday, 11/05/2020 at 1:00-2:00 PM
Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/7172730395
Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll):  +13126266799,7172730395# 
Or Telephone:  +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll) Meeting ID: 717 273 0395

Program Leader Guidelines – (No updates)

We are pleased to share the preliminary guidelines for embedded program leaders that we have developed for summer 2021.  These guidelines reflect principles set forth by Penn State in its resources and guidelines for on-campus instruction in fall semester and for experiential courses such as field work and clinical courses as well as Forum on Education Abroad: Conducting Education Abroad during COVID-19.  Please note that the guidelines are subject to change and will be updated on the site regularly.  We will alert you to significant changes via this weekly update and will link you to the guidelines for you to review changes.

Program Leader Resource Page – (No updates)

We are pleased to share the online Faculty-Led Embedded COVID-19 Support Center page to include information on program planning during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Here you will find information, Penn State guidelines, resources from the professional field of education abroad, and a repository of all the weekly updates we will send to program leaders.

Embedded Proposals OPEN for Summer 2021

The Global Programs online proposal process is a key requirement to the planning and execution of an embedded course. The Global Programs online embedded course proposals are currently open for summer 2021 courses.  Deadlines are included here for your reference.  For embedded courses with travel during Maymester or summer terms:

• February 1 – Phase 1 (“pre-decision”) items due, such as general program information, approval from academic leadership
• March 1 – Phase 2 (“post-decision”) items due such as final roster, detailed itinerary, emergency contact information

Please create or access an existing embedded course proposal by logging in to the online proposal for embedded courses.

What’s Next?

• We are working on a calendar of “checkpoints” that will help program leaders to know, understand, and meet guidelines put forth by Penn State and The Forum on Education Abroad (the professional organization and standards designating organization – SDO – for the professional field of education abroad).  
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.
• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please contact embeddedprograms@psu.edu.

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu
Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu
Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 10/15/2020

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message.

Status of Education Abroad Programs

All Spring 2021 education abroad programs are cancelled.  We continue planning for summer 2021 with cautious optimism.

Some of you may be planning to still teach in spring and move the travel component to Maymester or summer.  We are happy to talk you through some of the considerations related to that option.   Please note that there is no guarantee about the viability of student group travel during summer 2021, but we are optimistic about the prospect and continue planning for summer with enthusiasm. 

Others might want to continue teaching the course with no travel at all or a virtual international experience.  We are working on ways to support faculty members who want to incorporate virtual international experiences. Please reach out if you have questions or ideas to discuss.

Roundtable Discussions

We have scheduled the following roundtable discussions on a series of critical topics. 

Teaching and Learning with Technology Roundtable

Thinking about making your traditional study abroad course a virtual experience instead?  Teaching and Learning with Technology will demonstrate and discuss a number of ways in which immersive technology like virtual reality, augmented reality, and 360° video, can be used to enhance course content and cultural experiences through uses of both common and cutting-edge technologies.

Facilitators: Ryan Wetzel, Dan Getz and Bart Pursel, Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT)

TODAY!  Thursday, October 15
https://psu.zoom.us/j/94857566473?pwd=TWpLeFFwTVYxeDZuaFJtSnMwTWpKUT09 

Password: 902264

Budgets and Finance Roundtables

We will talk through financial changes related to p-cards, travel arrangements, personal funds/personal credit cards for program expenses (not allowed for SU21), and building and managing budgets during uncertain times. The two sessions will be very similar; there is no reason to attend both.

Please feel free to invite your financial coordinators or unit administrators.

Option #1:  Wednesday, 11/04/2020 at 3:00-4:00 PM
Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/7172730395
Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll):  +13126266799,7172730395#
Or Telephone:  +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll) Meeting ID: 717 273 0395 

Option #2: Thursday, 11/05/2020 at 1:00-2:00 PM
Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/7172730395
Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll):  +13126266799,7172730395# 
Or Telephone:  +1 312 626 6799 (US Toll) Meeting ID: 717 273 0395

Program Leader Guidelines – Updated This Week!

We are pleased to share the preliminary guidelines for embedded program leaders that we have developed for summer 2021.  These guidelines reflect principles set forth by Penn State in its resources and guidelines for on-campus instruction in fall semester and for experiential courses such as field work and clinical courses as well as Forum on Education Abroad: Conducting Education Abroad during COVID-19.  Please note that the guidelines are subject to change and will be updated on the site regularly.  We will alert you to significant changes via this weekly update and will link you to the guidelines for you to review changes.

Updated housing guideline (10/15/2020): Students must be given the option to have a single occupancy bedroom because of COVID-19 concerns.  There will likely be an added cost for a single-occupancy room, and we encourage program leaders to consult with their financial staff and with the host organization or third-party vendor to estimate pricing.  Typically, this cost ranges from $500-800 per week.

Program Leader Resource Page

We are pleased to share the online Faculty-Led Embedded COVID-19 Support Center page to include information on program planning during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Here you will find information, Penn State guidelines, resources from the professional field of education abroad, and a repository of all the weekly updates we will send to program leaders.

Embedded Proposals OPEN for Summer 2021

The Global Programs online proposal process is a key requirement to the planning and execution of an embedded course. The Global Programs online embedded course proposals are currently open for summer 2021 courses.  Deadlines are included here for your reference.  For embedded courses with travel during Maymester or summer terms:

• February 1 – Phase 1 (“pre-decision”) items due, such as general program information, approval from academic leadership
• March 1 – Phase 2 (“post-decision”) items due such as final roster, detailed itinerary, emergency contact information

Please create or access an existing embedded course proposal by logging in to the online proposal for embedded courses.

Virtual Education Abroad Fair Success!

Many thanks to those of you who exhibited at our Education Abroad Fair yesterday (10/14/2020).  It was our first-ever virtual fair, and there were successes and challenges, but we are happy with the turnout (over 500 students!) and the level of engagement the students and faculty leaders had.  We encourage you to find additional opportunities within your academic units to promote your programs.

What’s Next?

• We are working on a calendar of “checkpoints” that will help program leaders to know, understand, and meet guidelines put forth by Penn State and The Forum on Education Abroad (the professional organization and standards designating organization – SDO – for the professional field of education abroad).  
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.
• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please contact embeddedprograms@psu.edu.

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu
Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu
Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

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Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 10/09/2020

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message requesting such.  Thank you.

Status of Education Abroad Programs

Spring 2021 semester-long programs: Spring 2021 semester-long study abroad programs have been cancelled.

Spring 2021 embedded courses: New this week!  All spring education abroad embedded courses are cancelled for spring 2021.  This means that although you may still plan to teach the course you intend to offer in spring 2021, there can be no international travel associated with that course that include travel dates in spring term. 

Some of you may be planning to still teach in spring and move the travel component to Maymester or summer.  We are happy to talk you through some of the considerations related to that option.  Please contact us if you would like to explore this option.  Please note that there is no guarantee about the viability of student group travel during summer 2021, but we are optimistic about the prospect and continue planning for summer with enthusiasm. 

Others might want to continue teaching the course with no travel at all or a virtual international experience.  We are working on ways to support faculty members who want to incorporate virtual international experiences. Please reach out if you have questions or ideas to discuss.

Roundtable Discussions

We have scheduled the following roundtable discussion to facilitate dialogue with program leaders about utilizing technology and virtual experiences in lieu of international travel.

Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT) Demonstration and Q&A

Thursday, October 15
3:00-4:00 PM Eastern time

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://psu.zoom.us/j/94857566473?pwd=TWpLeFFwTVYxeDZuaFJtSnMwTWpKUT09
    Password: 902264

Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll):  +16468769923,94857566473#  or +13017158592,94857566473# 

Or Telephone:    +1 646 876 9923 (US Toll)    Meeting ID: 948 5756 6473    Password: 902264

Program Leader Guidelines – NEW This Week!

We are pleased to share the preliminary guidelines for embedded program leaders that we have developed for summer 2021.  These guidelines reflect principles set forth by Penn State in its resources and guidelines for on-campus instruction in fall semester and for experiential courses such as field work and clinical courses as well as Forum on Education Abroad: Conducting Education Abroad during COVID-19.  Please note that the guidelines are subject to change and will be updated on the site regularly.  We will alert you to significant changes via this weekly update and will link you to the guidelines for you to review changes.

Program Leader Resource Page – NEW This Week!

We are pleased to share the online Faculty-Led Embedded COVID-19 Support Center page to include information on program planning during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Here you will find information, Penn State guidelines, resources from the professional field of education abroad, and a repository of all the weekly updates we will send to program leaders.

Embedded Proposals OPEN for Summer 2021

The Global Programs online proposal process is a key requirement to the planning and execution of an embedded course. The Global Programs online embedded course proposals are currently open for summer 2021 courses.  Deadlines are included here for your reference.  For embedded courses with travel during Maymester or summer terms:

• February 1 – Phase 1 (“pre-decision”) items due, such as general program information, approval from academic leadership
• March 1 – Phase 2 (“post-decision”) items due such as final roster, detailed itinerary, emergency contact information

Please create or access an existing embedded course proposal by logging in to the online proposal for embedded courses.

Virtual Education Abroad Fair

We are pleased to be offering our annual Education Abroad Fair in a virtual format this year. We will be hosting the event through the Brazen platform on October 14, 2020, from 4:00 – 7:00 PM (EDT).  The deadline to register as an exhibitor has passed, so if you already signed up to exhibit, please check your Penn State email for information on setting up your booth and having a successful event!

What’s Next?

• We are working on a calendar of “checkpoints” that will help program leaders to know, understand, and meet guidelines put forth by Penn State and The Forum on Education Abroad (the professional organization and standards designating organization – SDO – for the professional field of education abroad).  We hope to release the checkpoints schedule next week so that we can discuss it at the roundtable sessions.
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.
• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please contact embeddedprograms@psu.edu.

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

 

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Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 10/02/2020

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message requesting such.  Thank you.

Status of Education Abroad Programs

Spring 2021 semester-long programs: With the health and safety of our students as our primary consideration, we are deeply saddened to announce that study abroad for semester-long programs have been suspended through the spring 2021 term.  We do look forward to working with all of you on finding ways to continue to promote  programming that helps students gain global awareness and intercultural competencies including study abroad as soon as it is safe for our students. We are actively working on plans for summer 2021, and are looking forward to collaborating with you all on these future projects.

Spring 2021 embedded courses: A decision about the viability of SP21 embedded courses is expected next week.

At this time, we are strongly discouraging faculty from planning embedded courses that involve travel during the spring semester dates. If you teach a spring course that typically travels during spring semester, we are happy to talk about your options, which would include cancellation of all travel, launching a virtual international experience as part of the course, or postponing the travel component to summer 2021 (note that travel in summer is not guaranteed to be approved).

The professional field of education abroad is evolving quickly, and the staff in Penn State Global Programs are working diligently to plan for a return to study abroad programming that is responsible and carefully managed, with the health and safety of our students, program leaders, and host communities as top priorities.

Roundtable Discussions

We have scheduled the following roundtable discussion to facilitate dialogue with program leaders about any questions or concerns they have about study abroad.The main purpose of this session is to go over the PSU program leader guidelines and the guidelines put forth by The Forum on Education Abroad.  This is an optional session and we encourage you to attend if your schedule permits (totally fine to arrive late or leave early based on your schedule).

• Monday, October 5

03:00 PM – 04:00 PM

Faculty-Led Embedded Programs: Fall Roundtable 2

https://psu.zoom.us/        Meeting ID: 949 5632 0106   Password: 615440
Or https://psu.zoom.us/j/94956320106?pwd=QVR0ZFlXbVNaT0crLzRyYTZWSWZlZz09

Program Leader Guidelines

We were hoping to share the preliminary guidelines for program leaders that we have developed for summer 2021. However, we are currently making some edits to align our University guidelines with the recently-released Forum on Education Abroad’s Guidelines for Conducting Education Abroad During COVID-19.  The Forum on Education Abroad is the official professional organization for our field, and it is recognized as the Standards Development Organization (SDO) by the Department of Justice.  As such, Penn State commits to upholding standards put forth by The Forum and is working diligently to adapt our program leader guidelines accordingly.  We anticipate releasing the Penn State Education Abroad program leader guidelines next week.

Please note that the guidelines will be a living document that  will be updated as information, policies, and travel restrictions change.  We will highlight critical updates in our weekly update email.

Program Leader Resource Page

We are currently building an online Faculty-Led Embedded COVID-19 Support Center website to include information on program planning during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Here you will find information, Penn State guidelines, resources from the professional field of education abroad, and a repository of all the weekly updates we will send to program leaders. We will share this site with you in the very near future. 

Virtual Education Abroad Fair

We are pleased to be offering our annual Education Abroad Fair in a virtual format this year. We will be hosting the event through the Brazen platform on October 14, 2020, from 4:00 – 7:00 PM (EDT), and we invite you to register as an exhibitor.

 We understand that the future of international travel is uncertain at this time, but we are hopeful that this event can inspire students to pursue an international experience once it is safe to do so. Whether you have cancelled your planned travel for the upcoming year, or you are still unsure what next year will hold, we believe this can still be a great way to share with students the opportunities that could be available to them once student, faculty, and staff travel resumes. We want to remind you that many of the students who attend this event are first-year students and therefore may not be planning for an experience in the near future, but rather in the coming years.

Details on this event and using the Brazen platform were included in last week’s update.  Whether you’re a Penn State faculty member, campus/college coordinator, or one of our valued partners at an international institution or provider, we can’t wait to have you exhibiting at our fair! If you have any questions, please contact eamarketing@psu.edu.

• Registration will remain open through Wednesday, October 7. Please feel free to contact us should you have questions about promoting your program at this event. We understand that not all faculty feel comfortable promoting their programs at this particular time.
• Exhibitor link to register for the virtual education abroad fair.

 

What’s Next?

• We are working on a calendar of “checkpoints” that will help program leaders to know, understand, and meet guidelines put forth by Penn State and The Forum on Education Abroad (the professional organization and standards designating organization – SDO – for the professional field of education abroad).  We hope to release the checkpoints schedule next week so that we can discuss it at the roundtable sessions.
• The proposal process to register the details of your program has been delayed.  We will provide an update to you on the process and timeline next week.
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.
• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please contact embeddedprograms@psu.edu.

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

 

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

 

---

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 09/25/2020

We are sending this email to faculty and administrators who have been involved in planning short-term education abroad courses in recent years so as to be sure this information is reaching any colleague who might possibly be thinking about upcoming international travel with students. If you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please reply to this message requesting such.  Thank you.

Status of Education Abroad Programs

Spring 2021 semester-long programs: A decision about viability of SP21 semester study abroad programs is expected next week.

Spring 2021 embedded courses: A decision about the viability of SP21 embedded courses is expected next week.

At this time, we are strongly discouraging faculty from planning embedded courses that involve travel during the spring semester dates. If you teach a spring course that typically travels during spring semester, we are happy to talk about your options, which would include cancellation of all travel, launching a virtual international experience as part of the course, or postponing the travel component to summer 2021 (note that travel in summer is not guaranteed to be approved).

The professional field of education abroad is evolving quickly, and the staff in Penn State Global Programs are working diligently to plan for a return to study abroad programming that is responsible and carefully managed, with the health and safety of our students, program leaders, and host communities as top priorities.

Roundtable Discussions

We have scheduled the following roundtable discussions to facilitate dialogue with program leaders about any questions or concerns they have about study abroad.The main purpose of these sessions is to go over the PSU program leader guidelines and the guidelines put forth by The Forum on Education Abroad.  Both sessions will cover the same topics, so there is no need to attend both, but we encourage you to attend one if your schedule permits (totally fine to arrive late or leave early based on your schedule).

• Thursday, October 1

04:00 PM – 05:00 PM

Faculty-Led Embedded Programs: Fall Roundtable 1

https://psu.zoom.us/        Meeting ID: 924 2179 0163   Password: 229768
Or https://psu.zoom.us/j/92421790163?pwd=UC9hSzNremRHdU04M1kydXdlYVpBUT09

• Monday, October 5

03:00 PM – 04:00 PM

Faculty-Led Embedded Programs: Fall Roundtable 2

https://psu.zoom.us/        Meeting ID: 949 5632 0106   Password: 615440
Or https://psu.zoom.us/j/94956320106?pwd=QVR0ZFlXbVNaT0crLzRyYTZWSWZlZz09

Program Leader Guidelines

We were hoping to share the preliminary guidelines for program leaders that we have developed for summer 2021. However, we are currently making some edits to align our University guidelines with the recently-released Forum on Education Abroad’s Guidelines for Conducting Education Abroad During COVID-19.  The Forum on Education Abroad is the official professional organization for our field, and it is recognized as the Standards Development Organization (SDO) by the Department of Justice.  As such, Penn State commits to upholding standards put forth by The Forum and is working diligently to adapt our program leader guidelines accordingly.  We anticipate releasing the Penn State Education Abroad program leader guidelines next week.

Please note that the guidelines will be a living document that  will be updated as information, policies, and travel restrictions change.  We will highlight critical updates in our weekly update email.

Program Leader Resource Page

We are currently building an online Faculty-Led Embedded COVID-19 Support Center website to include information on program planning during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Here you will find information, Penn State guidelines, resources from the professional field of education abroad, and a repository of all the weekly updates we will send to program leaders. We will share this site with you in the very near future. 

Virtual Education Abroad Fair

We are pleased to be offering our annual Education Abroad Fair in a virtual format this year. We will be hosting the event through the Brazen platform on October 14, 2020, from 4:00 – 7:00 PM (EDT), and we invite you to register as an exhibitor. 

We understand that the future of international travel is uncertain at this time, but we are hopeful that this event can inspire students to pursue an international experience once it is safe to do so. Whether you have cancelled your planned travel for the upcoming year, or you are still unsure what next year will hold, we believe this can still be a great way to share with students the opportunities that could be available to them once student, faculty, and staff travel resumes. We want to remind you that many of the students who attend this event are first-year students and therefore may not be planning for an experience in the near future, but rather in the coming years.

Event and registration information is included below.  Please review all the details prior to registering. 

• Through the Brazen virtual platform, exhibitors will have their own virtual booths that will allow them to text or video chat with interested students. 
• Registration will remain open through Wednesday, October 7. Please feel free to contact us should you have questions about promoting your program at this event. We understand that not all faculty feel comfortable promoting their programs at this particular time. 
• Once you are registered for this event, one of our event administrators will add you to the event. You will then receive an email from Notifications@Brazen.com instructing you to log in and create your booth. Please keep an eye out for this and regularly check your junk/spam folders. The sooner you log in to create your booth, the better, as students will be able to browse the booths prior to the event. 
• Registration for this event will allow you to choose whether you would like to customize your own virtual booth (with program information, links, videos, or any other content you’d like students to see), or have Education Abroad staff create your booth for you. Please note that if Education Abroad is creating your booth, we will follow a standard format with limited information. 
• During the event, you may have unlimited representatives in your booth, so please feel free to invite returned students or other colleagues to assist you. Please include these individuals in your registration. If you do not yet know who will be exhibiting with you, they can be added at a later time. 
• Chats will be given a time limit of 10 minutes and can be extended if necessary by the exhibitor. Exhibitors can also choose the number of chats that they would like to engage in simultaneously. 
• The Brazen platform will offer exhibitor trainings for those interested. Education Abroad will also be hosting open Zoom hours prior to the event to help in answering any questions about the platform. Please register in advance for an open Zoom session (link here). 
• If you are unable to stay for the entire event, please consider sharing a virtual booth with another exhibitor or faculty leader. You may want to group by program location or by discipline/college. Representatives within the booth can be tagged based on the particular program they are representing. 
• If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. Questions regarding this event and the Brazen platform can be directed to EAMarketing@psu.edu. Questions for our Faculty-led Programs Team can be directed to embeddedprograms@psu.edu. 
• Exhibitor link to register for the virtual education abroad fair.

What’s Next?

• We are working on a calendar of “checkpoints” that will help program leaders to know, understand, and meet guidelines put forth by Penn State and The Forum on Education Abroad (the professional organization and standards designating organization – SDO – for the professional field of education abroad).  We hope to release the checkpoints schedule next week so that we can discuss it at the roundtable sessions.
• The proposal process to register the details of your program has been delayed.  We will provide an update to you on the process and timeline next week.
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.
• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please contact embeddedprograms@psu.edu.

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu 

Thank you!

Penn State Education Abroad

Faculty-Led Programs Team 

———————————————————————————–

Embedded Program Leaders: 

Weekly Update, Published 09/18/2020

Status of Education Abroad Programs

Penn State education abroad programs have been cancelled through the fall 2020 semester.  For spring 2021, education abroad is still an option, but many critical decisions must be made in the coming weeks.  For semester-long programs abroad in spring 2021, we received over 650 completed applications for students hoping to study abroad for the entire semester.  Within the next few weeks, those students will receive updates on whether their program and location of choice is viable for a January start abroad.

 

For shorter-term education abroad experiences, such as embedded courses that typically occur over spring break, there are many issues being closely evaluated.  Due to the many levels of uncertainty about spring 2021 course delivery at Penn State, coupled with the strict travel restrictions in place around the world, we are strongly discouraging faculty from continuing to plan any travel that occurs within the calendar dates of spring semester.  If you teach a spring course that typically travels during spring semester, we are happy to talk about your options, which would include cancellation of all travel, launching a virtual international experience as part of the course, or postponing the travel component to summer 2021 (note that travel in summer is not guaranteed to be approved).

 

Many of our valued program leaders provided input over the summer, and we are working closely with experts and University leaders to address the questions raised by program leaders.  The professional field of education abroad is evolving quickly, and the staff in Penn State Global Programs are working diligently to plan for a return to study abroad programming that is responsible and carefully managed, with the health and safety of our students, program leaders, and host communities as top priorities.

Program Leader Survey Results

In mid-summer, our faculty-led programs team sent a program leader survey to gauge interests, questions, concerns, and general feelings (i.e., go or no go) about leading an education abroad program in academic year 20-21.  We are providing a general summary for your reference.

 

For embedded courses that include travel in spring semester, a majority of program leaders were inclined to cancel their travel or postpone the travel to summer 2021.

 

For courses that include travel in summer semester, a majority of program leaders intend to continue with planning, in hopes that circumstances allow for greater mobility in May 2021 and beyond.

 

Some of our program leaders are pursuing an alternative opportunity for students such as a virtual exchange or online dialogues with international partners.  If Global Programs can be of any support or assistance in developing such an opportunity, please reach out using the contact information at the end of this newsletter.  We plan to host a roundtable session very soon that links Penn State Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT) with interested faculty or program leaders.

 

Program leaders submitted critical questions that are shaping important conversations across the University.  Many of those questions are addressed in the faculty leader guidelines (see below) and others remain listed as a “big question” to be addressed in the coming months as the University continues to navigate a potential return to study abroad programming.

Roundtable Discussions

In mid-summer, the faculty-led programs team hosted virtual roundtable discussions with program leaders as a more informal way of collecting concerns, addressing questions, and opening the difficult dialogue around what study abroad might “look like” when it resumes at Penn State.  We thank those of you who were able to attend.  In next week’s update, we will post links to a new series of roundtable discussions.  We hope to see many of you there!

Program Leader Guidelines

We are currently editing a robust set of program leader guidelines that will help you think through the logistical, financial, and health and safety changes that may need to be implemented for your program to run in 2021.  We hope to share the complete document with you in next week’s update, but for now we are sharing a few essential considerations that are very likely to be in the official guidelines, forthcoming.

 

• General: There will be a requirement of at least two PSU employees serving as group leaders.  This could be two faculty members or one faculty member plus one staff member or graduate TA.  This requirement is in place even if you have a third-party provider hosting the program that includes 24/7 emergency support.
• Mask/PPE:  Masks must be worn by all students and employees during any official program activity, in accordance with Penn State Instruction, Universal Masking and PPE Recommendations and Penn State  Experiential Courses Guidelines.
• Housing: plan for only two students per room.  If this is not possible, contact embeddedprograms@psu.edu to discuss the option of triple occupancy as an absolute maximum number of students per room.
• General: We are waiting for clarification on whether students who are rooming together could be considered a “family unit” and would be able to sit together on buses, at meals, etc.
• Travel: Limit in-country group travel to only academically-necessary visits
• Travel: Itineraries that involve city-to-city travel will be reviewed in great detail for health/safety protocol and development of a contingency plan if any group members fall ill or are required to quarantine during travel periods
• Travel: For private coach/bus travel, social distancing should be observed on the bus (so, a 44-passenger bus would only accommodate 12 passengers, per Penn State Experiential Courses Guidelines).  See note above about roommates.
• Travel: In-country public transportation (i.e., metro, public buses, train transportation)- generally speaking, programs should avoid or limit using public transportation due to exposure to large crowds.  We realize that in some cases, using public transportation is necessary. Program leaders should review country-specific information about health and safety concerns related to utilizing public transportation by utilizing the following resources.
  • US Department of State Travel Advisory for your destination country
  • Most of the travel advisories include a link to the local in-country embassy’s COVID-19 information and travel protocol, with reference to local public transportation
• Group meals: no self-serve buffets; avoid “family style” servings; each person order their own meal and beverage
• Group meals: avoid large group at big table; break group into smaller groups, with roommates sitting together;  outdoor seating strongly encouraged
• General:   Please note that at current time, the typical family accompaniment policy is in place, which means any program leader must request approval for a family member to travel with the group.  Approval is subject to review by the Vice Provost for Global Programs, in conjunction with the office of risk management and possible consultation with academic leadership of the sponsoring academic unit.  Please note that the family accompaniment policy could shift in the coming months.  Global Programs will update program leaders if there are any changes to this policy (https://policy.psu.edu/policies/tr01).

Big Questions

The questions that remain unanswered are plentiful at this time, and we appreciate your patience, understanding and support as we work through the innumerable “what ifs” with the ultimate goal of resuming study abroad for the benefit of our Penn State students.  We are including a list of essential questions, many raised by you – the program leaders – so that you are aware of the ongoing conversations in Global Programs and beyond at the University.

• Will Global Programs undertake the entire financial risk of planning faculty-led education abroad programs for SP or SU 21 or will my home academic unit assume some of the risk? (to be determined)
• Will Global Programs provide me with comprehensive program leader responsibilities? (Yes, forthcoming.)
• Will Global Programs provide me with training and resources to support me? (Yes, forthcoming.)
• Will Penn State require a negative COVID-19 test result prior to any participant arriving at a study abroad program? (To be determined)
• If a vaccine is widely available in advance of the program start date, will Penn State require participants to show proof of the vaccination? (To be determined)
• How will Global Programs support me and my students if anyone on the program needs to quarantine or self-isolate while abroad due to being a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 positive case? (To be determined)
• If I teach my embedded course in spring term, but the travel is moved to May/June, can students who graduate in May participate without registering for a summer course?  Can all students be considered for a tuition waiver for the summer course enrollment required for summer travel? (To be determined)
• On what date will I know “for sure” if I can run my program? (To be determined)

What’s Next?

• The embedded programs proposal will be opened within approximately the next week.  There will be new questions included, and we hope to send out the more comprehensive program leader guidelines at the same time that we open the proposals so that you have essential information at your fingertips while reviewing and submitting the proposal.
• We plan to send a weekly update each Friday.  
• We plan to launch a website containing resources, training information, and a repository of all the weekly updates for leaders.  We will send the link next week!
• We remain committed to supporting you and your program to the best of our abilities.  If you wish to schedule a time to discuss your program, please contact embeddedprograms@psu.edu.

Contact Information

Embedded Programs: embeddedprograms@psu.edu

 

Kate Manni, Assistant Director for Faculty-Led Programs, kaf29@psu.edu

Michelle Smeal, Embedded Programs Coordinator, mms106@psu.edu

Matt Lockaby, Campus Associate for Education Abroad, mkl5651@psu.edu