The University of Washington Tacoma is proud to work with international partners in mutually beneficial ways that further our respective institutional missions and values. The Office of Global Affairs (OGA) at UW Tacoma assists in the development and implementation of international partnerships across all domains of the academic mission of the institution, including teaching, research, and student support.
OGA at UW Tacoma works with interested parties to identify the appropriate type of agreement and provide templates of any necessary documents or contracts. We also work with colleagues on the Tacoma and Seattle campuses and the AG’s office to ensure appropriate compliance with relevant University policies and State regulations.
If you have questions, please email us at uwtoga@uw.edu
Types of agreements
- General Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
- MOUs are general agreements that broadly define mutual interest in exploring opportunities for collaboration
- MOUs are explicitly non-binding and do not allow for commitment of university funds, staff, facilities, or other resources
- International Agreements
- International agreements represent formal contracts that detail the terms and conditions of specific forms of partnership activities
- International agreements are legally binding on both parties
- International agreements are necessary when there is a commitment of university resources including funds, staff, facilities, or other assets
Partnership activities requiring OGA review
- General MOUs establishing a general partnership with an international institution
- Research agreements that are not part of a sponsored project or program
- Academic services contracts that are not part of a sponsored project or gift
- Student and faculty exchange agreements
- Study abroad third-party provider or service provider agreements
- Dual degree and dual certificate program agreements with international institutions
Identifying potential international partners
Identifying and finding collaborators abroad can be challenging, but we hope that the resources below will help generate some ideas. Think of this as an exercise in networking and resourcefulness: we recommend creatively working any networks you might have until the pieces come together.
- Talk with faculty colleagues at UW (Tacoma) and at other universities. Do they have any collaborators overseas? Do they know anyone who is doing work in your area in the country/ies that you are interested in, and to whom they might be willing to introduce you?
- Ask the Office of Global Affairs for suggestions. We have a number of international contacts and often know of our own faculty’s international expertise as well. We can also connect you with visiting scholars, and international student alumni who are back in their home countries and may be able to facilitate introductions.
- As part of our strategic plan and in support of UW Tacoma’s urban-serving mission, the Office of Global Affairs is developing a Sister Cities Initiative, prioritizing partnerships with institutions of higher education in Tacoma sister cities. The City of Tacoma can often help facilitate introductions to universities in those cities. If that's of interest, please reach out to us for assistance.
- Network at conferences. Many of the conferences you attend include scholars from foreign countries. Try to connect with at least one or two international scholars whenever you are at a conference.
- Professional organizations. Does your professional association have an international division? If so, they may be able to facilitate introductions or help you navigate the higher education landscape in your country/ies of interest. You can also use listservs to inquire about contacts abroad.
- Professional journals in your field. When you’re reading journal articles, look for authors from the country/ies you are interested in and reach out to them for possible collaborations.
- Reach out to former Fulbright Scholars. Fulbright keeps an online directory, where you can look for U.S. scholars who went abroad with a Fulbright grant, or you can look for foreign scholars who have had Fulbrights to the U.S. These are faculty with a strong interest in international exchange, and they might be possible partners or may be willing to introduce you to colleagues. UW Tacoma has had several Fulbright Scholars as well.
- UNICollaboration is a platform that aims to support faculty who are planning Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) courses: COIL is a pedagogical approach that connects faculty and their classes in two countries and has students collaborate on projects with the help of technology. After creating a free account on UNICollaboration, instructors can post a brief overview of their course to seek a partner.
- Virtual Exchange Network. A Facebook group for collaborative online teaching. If you are looking for a COIL partner, post here to find like-minded faculty all over the world.
- Stevens Initiative. Resource for identifying international collaborators for collaborative online teaching.
Proposal and approval process
- Step 1 - Initial Discussion
- You should discuss your partnership idea and its scope of activities with the appropriate individuals within your unit and confirm their general support.
- Step 2 - Proposal
- Complete the UW Tacoma International Partnership Proposal Form
- Be sure to complete all parts of the proposal form prior to submission.
- You MUST obtain review and signed approval from your unit’s authorized representative (e.g., Dean, VC, etc.)
- OGA will respond within 10 business days.
- Incomplete proposals will not be reviewed.
- Step 3 - Document Draft(s)
- Upon review of the proposal, OGA will identify the appropriate agreement and/or contract and provide a draft using UW approved templates.
- All agreements and contracts MUST include language approved by the UW Office of the Attorney General. Use of UW-approved agreement and contract templates is strongly encouraged, and often expedites the process on our end.
- Depending on the type and complexity of the agreement, drafting may take up to one month.
- Step 4 - Document Editing
- The proposing individual shares the draft with the appropriate individuals at their proposed partner institution for review.
- Partner institution may propose edits. Any edits made by either party should be clearly marked in the draft.
- Agreement terms are negotiated and finalized by both parties, in consultation with OGA at UW Tacoma.
- Final drafts MUST be reviewed and approved by the Executive Director of OGA at UW Tacoma prior to signature.
- Step 5 - Signatures
- Upon final approval of the draft by both parties and OGA, the institutional authorities named in the agreement will sign two original copies of the agreement (or more copies if specified in the agreement).
- Step 6 - Records Retention
- One copy of the fully executed agreement remains with the partner institution. The other is held by the Office of Global Affairs at UW Tacoma and be added to the central agreements database for UW Tacoma and the UW.
- A scanned copy of the fully executed agreement will be provided to the UW Tacoma sponsoring unit.
