The International Partnership Delegation Grants are intended to fund participation by GVSU faculty and staff on an interdisciplinary team visit to a partner institution. The delegation will spend time on the partner’s campus, learning about many aspects of that university’s host city, nation, education system, and culture. Together, they will seek new perspectives from counterparts at the host institution that can be brought back to GVSU to share with our own campus community. The 2019 Partnership Delegation will be the final destination under this grant program. A new grant program will be launched in its place beginning Fall 2018.

The 2019 Trip: Romania

The 2019 Partnership Delegation will take place at Universitatea Babes-Bolyai (UBB) in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. As one of GVSU’s newest international partners, UBB has quickly become an important international partner offering high quality educational exchange opportunities at a very affordable cost. One of the most unique aspects of UBB is that they offer most of their degree programs in multiple languages. Each academic degree is offered in both Romanian and Hungarian languages. In addition, several academic departments also offer full degree programs in languages such as: French, German, and English. UBB offers more than 167 majors and is the largest university in Romania with more than 50,000 students.

The week will begin in Cluj-Napoca with 3 days visiting with faculty, staff and students from UBB, and learning about important historical sites in Cluj-Napoca. Cluj-Napoca is the second largest city in Romania, and is known for being an important cultural and historical center in the heart of Transylvania. In addition to spending several days in Cluj-Napoca, the group will also visit nearby historical sites to learn more about Romania history and culture. An excursion to the Turda salt mines, which dates back to the 13^th century, will be included in the itinerary.

Eligible faculty and staff are invited to apply for the 2019 Partnership Delegation. Five faculty and staff will be selected, with all transportation, and housing costs covered by the grant. A more detailed itinerary will be developed once the delegation has been selected.

Host Institution Information

Universitatea Babes-Bolyai: www.ubbcluj.ro

For details about the student exchange visit: https://www.gvsu.edu/studyabroad/romaniaubb

Please review the Learning Goals

Partnership Delegation Selection Process and Priorities

Many grant applicants often ask how they can prepare a stronger application that would have better chances for funding. In an effort to offer more transparency on the process, here is a list of priorities that are considered during the review process.

• Clear, concise proposal that shows a direct connection to the participant’s interest in the program and the departmental, college, and/or institutional goals and priorities. Applicants must provide a strong rationale for their application. Applicants that present the most compelling case for how participation in the program will benefit GVSU students and enhance their work at GVSU will have a greater likelihood for funding.
• If you have applied before, you will not have a greater chance of funding if you continue to apply. 3 of 5 review committee members are new to the committee each year. They will be charged with reviewing the applications relative to that year’s program. If you have applied in the past, that will not be a factor that weighs heavily on your candidacy. Instead, we are looking for strong rationale for how the program you are applying for will benefit you and GVSU. Priority will be given to applicants who have the greatest potential for impacting the program, the partnership, and GVSU.
• Diversity of participants is a priority. PIC discourages joint applications for the partnership delegation. We will not fund two individuals from the same department since one of the top priorities of this program is to create a strong interdisciplinary team that brings individuals from across campus together. Applicants interested in teaming up on a joint proposal should consider applying for the Faculty/Staff Exchange Program.
• Some positions will have an advantage over others in the review process. We will consider the connection your position has to the partners being visited. If the partner being visited does not have a department that is related to the work you do, you may be less likely to be funded. The selection committee will consider priorities and requests presented by the partner institutions. If the partner requests representation from a particular unit and we receive applications from that unit, this will be considered.
• Previous department representation may be a factor when narrowing down the strongest candidates. If you are representing a department that has had representation on previous partnership delegations, this may be a factor that is considered. One of the program’s goals is to bring people into this program who may have limited opportunities in their current position to engage in an international activity. Each year, we have no idea who will apply for the program. You should not be discouraged from applying if you are in a department that has had previous representation. We still encourage you to apply because the candidate pool is very different from year to year. We do ask that you keep in mind that when we are down to making final decisions on applicants, we may choose an equally strong proposal from a department that has not yet been involved in one of these programs over a department that has had representation in the past.
• Past participants of previous partnership delegations will not be considered as long as there are other qualified applicants.
• The aim will be to select a balance of both faculty and staff positions.

Assessment of past delegations: Assessment of Partnership Delegations, 2009-2013

If you have additional questions, please contact Ehren Kuzekov [email protected]