Start an International Agreement

Faculty or staff associated with the program are required to submit the Partnership Proposal Form four to six months before the collaborative activities begin. This allows for appropriate administrative processing times. If the form is submitted later, there is no guarantee the document will be finalized by the anticipated date.

The form is submitted electronically and sent to the Office for Global Engagement.

Visit the Partnership Proposal Form

The Associate Director for International Partnerships will review the proposal. If necessary, the Center for Education Abroad will also be involved. The review process may take up to 10 working days.

If the partnership needs further discussion, Global will set up a meeting to discuss in more detail. If the proposal includes student mobility, a member from the Center for Education Abroad will attend.

It is helpful for Global and the department to connect with the partner directly prior to drafting the agreement. This can make sure terms are clearly defined and agreed to and helps to calibrate the goals of the partnership.

Before developing an agreement, senior leadership must be supportive of the partnership. This would likely be the Dean or Director. If senior leadership is not included in the initial discussions, Global will connect with them to confirm their support.

Global will begin drafting the agreement following the meeting. We have template agreements developed in coordination with the Office of Counsel. Templates will be used as appropriate.

If activities fall outside of the scope of a traditional agreement, additional time may be needed. This will be discussed at the initial meeting.

Sometimes partners prefer to use their own agreement templates. These will be reviewed in a similar manner but will need extra time.

A series of internal reviews will occur. Global will engage relevant stakeholders throughout this process. This may include legal counsel, the Center for Education Abroad (if necessary), the Office of Research and Project Administration, and the initiating department.

This process is iterative and may take a few weeks to months to complete. One agreement may be passed between stakeholders multiple times.

Global will send the drafted agreement to the contacts at the partner school for review. Each partner organization has their own review processes and may vary in time to complete. Once they have completed their review, the partner will send the document back to Global.

If necessary, the agreement may be circulated again. If significant changes are proposed, the document will be sent to legal counsel for another review.

A final iteration of the agreement will be reviewed by all parties. Once agreement is confirmed, the first needed signature will be obtained.

Global will facilitate electronic signatures at Rochester and send to the partner for countersignatures. If the partner requires a physical signature, this can be obtained but will take extra time.

These are official contracts, so only those with University signatory permissions may sign. This is typically the Vice Provost for Global Engagement, University Provost, or President.

When both signatures are secured on the document, Global will send the document to relevant stakeholders. Global keeps a digital and physical record of all agreements. If the partner needs a physical signature, Global will send in the mail.