Faculty in Rome

Guidelines for Faculty Teaching in Rome

Approved by the Rome Center Advisory Committee and International Education Advisory Council January 2019

---

The University of Arkansas Rome Center (UARC) is administered by the Graduate School and International Education (GSIE). The Rome Campus has NO central administrative funding and functionally operates as an auxiliary unit with all financial resources derived from participating student fees. Program offerings consist of an expanding standing catalog of courses and focused ‘programs of study’ developed and offered periodically by U of A campus faculty to supplement the standing curriculum in Rome.

The following guidelines have been established for University of Arkansas faculty proposing to teach courses at the UA Rome Center. This document has been approved by the International Education Advisory Council (IEAC), Rome Center Academic Advisory Committee and endorsed by the individual colleges/schools.

U of A Faculty Proposal Deadline

Proposals to teach in Rome are due APRIL 1 (for the next calendar year and beyond)

Proposals submitted by April 1, 2019 will be considered for teaching during May/Summer 2020, Fall 2020 and Spring 2021. This cycle will repeat annually.

Initial Considerations

Faculty should first

• Consider their area(s) of academic expertise and knowledge of Rome, Italy, and the region to be able to create and justify an attractive study abroad offering;
• Consider what year and term (spring or fall semester, May intersession, summer sessions) they would want to teach (need 18-36 months lead-time);
• Consider the time needed to recruit, mentor and prepare students prior to departure. Much responsibility falls to faculty to engage and recruit a minimum number of students for their course offering.
• Discuss plans to propose the courses with their department chair/head to determine if it is supported and would be approved by the department.
• Determine if their college has its own internal guidelines for proposing faculty taught courses in Rome and understand that process and timeline;
• Meet with the Rome coordinator in the Office of Study Abroad and International Exchange (STAB) to address any additional questions.

Course Program Models

UARC will maintain a set of courses for general studies to be taught by Rome Center Faculty (mostly core and electives) during the fall, spring and summer terms. U of A Campus faculty are invited to propose two to three upper-level courses for the semester or one to two courses for the summer that will attract a minimum cohort (12 to 15) of students to support the course offering. Students typically enroll in a combination of courses taught by U of A campus faculty and UARC faculty to attain full-time enrollment.

Teaching may occur in one of three session formats

May Intersession teaching assignment

The typical teaching assignment for the May intersession is one, 3-credit course. The summer session teaching assignment at the Rome Center closely resembles a faculty-led study abroad experience and includes increased student-faculty interaction.

Summer 5-week session teaching assignment

The typical teaching assignment for a summer session is two, 3-credit courses. The summer session teaching assignment at the Rome Center closely resembles a faculty-led study abroad experience and includes increased student-faculty interaction. Historically, the first summer session constitutes an 'open campus' program where students enroll in 6 credit hours taught by a variety of visiting faculty & Rome Center resident faculty. Proposals in this term may include one or two classes to be taught together (in a 'block') or separately (meaning, students would take one of your classes and one class taught by another faculty member). Each course will have to meet the minimum enrollment set forth by the college.

Semester teaching assignment

The typical teaching assignment expectation is two, 3-credit courses. Faculty teaching in Rome would also be expected to fulfill other work expectations of their normal assignment including their normal expected scholarship (research or creative activity), maintaining regular office hours, supporting the activities of the department, and participating as an active faculty member with the Rome Center faculty.

Academic Expectations

Teaching at the UA Rome Campus is fundamentally different than teaching at the UA campus and requires more faculty preparation and involvement. It requires the faculty to be more self-sustaining, flexible, available and resilient.

The “Rome Center Program Proposal,” is located in the Office of Study Abroad’s “Hogs Abroad” portal and will require the faculty leaders to submit course syllabi and to articulate overall learning objectives and outcomes of the proposed courses.

Faculty Led Program Development Information and Application

The learning outcomes must incorporate proposed additional class travel or excursions with a suggested itinerary, to be confirmed with the Rome Center Director, specifically connecting the lectures, excursions, and cultural activities to those outcomes. The faculty’s sponsoring department or college may have additional criteria for evaluating the appropriateness of the courses and overall program proposal in meeting the department, program, or college’s priorities. Faculty are expected to participate in field excursions that are scheduled for students.

Faculty Assignment at the U of A Rome Center

A UA campus faculty teaching at the Rome Campus is approved by way of a joint agreement between the campus department/college and the Rome Campus.

• Student credit hours for all instruction in Rome are assigned to academic units on campus even when they are taught by Rome faculty. The assigned location is the U of A Rome Campus, not the UA FAY campus.
• The primary beneficiaries are the students and the program reputation of the Department/College.
• A secondary benefit to the U of A campus faculty being in Rome is for their scholarship and/or other relief of normal campus duties (committee assignments, etc.). This is a joint activity – the primary benefit is to the Department.
• Salary for U of A faculty teaching for the semester is paid for by the home department/college. It is not the responsibility of the U of A Rome Campus.
• This is the assigned teaching responsibility for that faculty member.
• The Rome Campus, GSIE or Study Abroad are not responsible for replacement teaching faculty to cover any U of A on-campus responsibilities of the faculty while they are assigned to teach at the Rome campus.
• Any “fill” faculty/instructors are the responsibility of the Department/College of that faculty member.
• For semester classes, no additional compensation is provided as teaching is considered assigned teaching workload.

For intersession and summer sessions, compensation is provided by the college’s summer school salary and is approved with the understanding that the minimum enrollment and projected tuition will cover the anticipated salary.

• For every 3-credit hour intersession or summer session course, the named instructor of record, assuming a 9-month appointment, is provided 7.5% of his/her annual salary + benefits.
• Faculty or staff on 12-month appointments do not receive extra compensation for teaching at the Rome Center during an intersession or summer session and this should be considered part of the assigned work load responsibility.
• Direct travel costs and living expenses approved expenses for U of A faculty are prorated into student program fees.
• For Intersession/summer teaching - Costs to be covered include round-trip airfare; mileage to/from and parking at XNA, lodging (single accommodation); meals (up to $60 per day), in-country transportation and additional expenses for planned class excursions.

Housing is provided in reasonable proximity to the Rome Campus for that faculty member for the duration of the teaching assignment. Housing is paid for by the student fees.

This does not include any family, partners, or friends.

Housing is provided only for the duration of the courses/program being taught.

There may be income tax implications for the U of A campus faculty depending upon domestic housing situation.

The Rome Campus provides an Italian cellphone for local use only – not international use.

The Rome Center sponsors several events with food including welcome reception, a picnic and faculty dinners.

Faculty costs NOT covered include passport; vaccinations and medications required or recommended; daily meal expenses during the semester, local transportation in Rome, any personal or nonteaching related travel, and any personal expenses not required to meet expectations of the courses.

Enrollment and Recruiting

Faculty play a large role in recruiting students. Typically, enrollment below 12 students per class is subject to cancellation, unless otherwise negotiated with the department/unit chair and appropriate Dean’s office.

It is expected that a proposed faculty program will recruit a minimum of 12 students to justify a course offering and cover the faculty’s travel/living expenses.

If fewer than the minimum of 12 are enrolled, then an additional agreement with department/unit leader and dean must be made.

For a program to operate while under-enrolled, the department/unit/college must agree to subsidize any expenses incurred on behalf of the faculty which are not covered by student fees. This includes the transportation and housing that is provided to the faculty (see below).

These agreements should be made in-advance of a decision for the course to proceed and be made with a written agreement. Otherwise, the courses/program cannot be offered without the Rome Center incurring significant debts.

Program Fees

The program fees for the Rome Center are U of A System Board approved fees and are determined in order to cover the costs of instruction, travel and accommodations for the teaching faculty, planned excursions, and other courses and programs for students.

Additional Considerations

• UA campus faculty teaching at the Rome Campus are expected to follow all policies and procedures of the U of A campus and those expressed in the U of A Faculty Handbook.
• Instructors should meet with the assigned classes at the assigned times and locations.
• Instructors should post and keep regular weekly office hours at the Rome Campus to meet with students.
• Faculty are expected to participate with the Rome Campus faculty in academic meetings and committees.
• The Rome Campus has a very small administrative staff and their ability to assist with instruction (such as photocopying) or other personal requests for assistance may be limited.