International Agreements FAQ

• What is the difference between a Departmental Agreement and an Institutional Agreement?
• What is an Originating Department (OD)? What are the rights and responsibilities of an OD?
• What does it mean that an agreement commits WKU resources?
• My department is interested in developing an agreement with a University in Country X. What do I need to do to get the ball rolling?
• What if I am applying for an external grant that requires developing a partnership with a foreign institution?
• I am working with a potential partner school and they have requested that we use their agreement template. How do I ensure it meets all WKU international agreement requirements?"
• If I am using an external template (e.g., the potential partner university's template), what items/details MUST be included to receive WKU approval?

What is the difference between a Departmental Agreement and an Institutional Agreement?

A Departmental/College Agreement in the context of international partnerships is a formal arrangement between a WKU academic Department or College and an overseas academic institution. The purpose(s) of the agreement may center on research or faculty or student exchanges within the target discipline(s). The relationship is typically initiated by the academic Department/College.

An Institutional (or University-wide) Agreement governs a university partnership for the purposes of research, faculty or student exchange with an overseas institution.   Unlike a Departmental/College Agreement, an Institutional Agreement has the potential to involve multiple WKU Colleges. Essentially, WKU and the Partner University overlap in a number of ways—allowing for a "university-wide" level of engagement. Typically, the Office of International Programs (OIP) will initiate an institutional relationship, however, depending on the partner university, some Departmental/College Agreements can develop into Institutional Agreements.

NOTE: OIP will help those proposing an international partnership determine whether the agreement would be classified a Departmental/College or Institutional.

Departmental/College	Institutional
Supports the exchange of students or faculty within one College/Department	Supports the exchange of students or faculty in three or more Colleges
Supports a project or program within a single Department or College	Supports a project or program involving multiple Colleges
Creates opportunities for research in discipline(s) within the Department or College	Creates opportunities for research in multiple disciplines that cross Colleges

NOTE: The CIO will make the final determination as to whether an agreement is Departmental/College or Institutional.

What is an Originating Department (OD)? What are the rights and responsibilities of an OD?

When the academic focus and activities of an international partnership (whether research or exchange) center on a particular Department or College, that unit is deemed an Originating Department. The Originating Department (or College) is typically responsible for initiating the partnership and will always be involved, with assistance from the Office of International Programs, in the development and maintenance of the collaborative agreement.

Once an agreement has been established, the OD's responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

• Recruiting students for exchanges;
• Covering all outstanding fees resulting from uneven exchange balances;
• Providing academic support and guidance to both inbound and outbound students (for example, making a good faith effort to get inbound exchange students enrolled into desired courses—assuming appropriate pre-requisites);
• Initiating review of the agreement within the appropriate time period;
• Working with OIP when amending the agreement;
• Nominating faculty for exchange;
• Hosting faculty from partner university (including arranging for transportation, housing, campus integration, workspace, etc);

Please note that housing, for tax purposes, is considered compensation and should be on paystubs for all J visa foreign nationals. For further information regarding tax implications of housing contact the WKU Tax Compliance Accountant.

For more information on the role of Originating Department in the development and maintenance of agreements, please click here.

What does it mean that an agreement commits WKU resources?

An agreement is said to "commit WKU resources" when the intended activities of the partnership require (or might require) any kind of support from WKU resources (facilities, funds, etc.) in order to be carried out. For example, student or faculty exchanges commit WKU resources. More specifically, if a student exchange falls out of balance, WKU is required to cover the costs of tuition for the incoming students.

My department is interested in developing an agreement with a University in Country X. What do I need to do to get the ball rolling?

Firstly, you'll want to find out if WKU already had an agreement with that University. The MOA Database will be your best resource.

Depending on what is driving your department to partner with that University, you might also want to look at what other partner universities WKU has in that country/region. It is possible that we are already partnered with a university that might meet your department's particular needs.

If you can determine that WKU does not currently have a partnership with that University and that the partner universities in that country/region will not meet your needs, I recommend the following:

If you have not already done so, communicate with your Department Head and Dean to ensure that they are aware and supportive of this endeavor.

If you have not already done so, reach out to the potential partner University to ascertain their interest.

Carefully review the Guidelines for Developing an International Agreement which will provide direction as to your next steps.

What if I am applying for an external grant that requires developing a partnership with a foreign institution?

You will want to proceed as you normally would—work with the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) on the grant and with OIP on developing the MOU or MOA. As with any grant or international agreement, the sooner you communicate with the relevant offices, the better. OIP and OSP have a process in place to handle these type situations and, once you have communicated your goals with both offices, will work together to ensure all is handled properly. Essentially, the international agreement will have an additional step in the approval process—from OSP.

I am working with a potential partner school and they have requested that we use their agreement template. How do I ensure it meets all WKU international agreement requirements?"

Collaborations with international partners that necessitate a formal framework will, in all likelihood, fall into one of the following categories:

• Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is a general document drafted to reflect or promote good will between the parties. It usually does not specify detailed actions or projects, although it may allude to the development of such plans at a later date. The MOU may be a precursor to a more detailed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), which does normally stipulate the specific terms, conditions, and implementation processes that govern the proposed partnership. (PDF of template)
• Memorandums of Agreement (MOA)* are typically developed to govern the exchange of students, faculty, or projects that require specific commitments from the involved parties.
  • MOA for Student Exchange binds WKU and the partner institution(s) to an academic, tuition, and logistics plan for the exchange of students between the two institutions.
  • MOA for Faculty/Staff Exchange binds WKU and the partner institution(s) to a financial and logistics plan for the exchange of faculty or staff.

*Each MOA is likely to differ from another—due to variations of purpose, academic focus of Originating Department, etc. For that reason, no general template can be made available. OIP will help each department find and develop a document that meets the needs of the intended collaboration.

WKU recommends using the templates found above when developing international agreements. Where necessary, they may be modified to better outline the purposes of the partnership. However, the following items are required:

• Start and End Dates
• Dates for Review
• Review Process
• Termination Clause (i.e., a "get out" clause)
• Responsible unit(s) and contact person(s) in managing the partnership
• For an agreement committing WKU resources, the agreement must clearly state the responsible unit(s)* and how costs will be covered.

*Responsible unit(s) must be listed as signatories.

• For agreements involving the sharing or exchange of academic resources, students, faculty or staff, the following accreditation statement must be included for partnership with institutions not accredited by SACS:

Western Kentucky University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' Commission on Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate, masters, specialist, and doctorate degrees. [Name of Partner Institution] is not accredited by the Commission on Colleges and the accreditation of Western Kentucky University does not extend to or include [name of Partner Institution] or its students. Although Western Kentucky University accepts certain course work in transfer toward a credential from [name of Partner Institution], or collaborates in other ways for generation of course credits or program credentials, other colleges and universities may or may not accept this work in transfer, even if it appears on a transcript from Western Kentucky University. This decision is made by the institution subsequently considering the possibility of accepting such credits. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097 or call (404) 679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Western Kentucky University.

NOTE: The omission of or alteration to any of the aforementioned items should be considered exceptional and requiring of approval.

Be sure to make (2) two copies (or more if there are more than two parties involved) so that each party may have an original.

Once you have secured all signatures, scan and send a copy to the Coordinator of International Programs.

In some instances, potential partners will have an agreement template they are committed to using. In those cases, the aforementioned items must be included in the external template. When altering a template or using an external version, please feel free to direct any questions or concerns to the Coordinator of International Programs.

If I am using an external template (e.g., the potential partner university's template), what items/details MUST be included to receive WKU approval?

WKU recommends using the templates found above when developing international agreements. Where necessary, they may be modified to better outline the purposes of the partnership. However, the following items are required:

• Start and End Dates
• Dates for Review
• Review Process
• Termination Clause (i.e., a "get out" clause)
• Responsible unit(s) and contact person(s) in managing the partnership
• For an agreement committing WKU resources, the agreement must clearly state the responsible unit(s)* and how costs will be covered.

*Responsible unit(s) must be listed as signatories.

• For agreements involving the sharing or exchange of academic resources, students, faculty or staff, the following accreditation statement must be included for partnership with institutions not accredited by SACS:

Western Kentucky University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' Commission on Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate, masters, specialist, and doctorate degrees. [Name of Partner Institution] is not accredited by the Commission on Colleges and the accreditation of Western Kentucky University does not extend to or include [name of Partner Institution] or its students. Although Western Kentucky University accepts certain course work in transfer toward a credential from [name of Partner Institution], or collaborates in other ways for generation of course credits or program credentials, other colleges and universities may or may not accept this work in transfer, even if it appears on a transcript from Western Kentucky University. This decision is made by the institution subsequently considering the possibility of accepting such credits. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097 or call (404) 679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Western Kentucky University.

NOTE: The omission of or alteration to any of the aforementioned items should be considered exceptional and requiring of approval.