Information on Temple Sponsored Programming

Temple University’s Risk Management and Education Abroad and Overseas Campuses want to provide guidance and best practices to Temple administrative units who are supporting Temple sponsored international programming.

Steps for requesting approval for a Temple sponsored program

Step 1. Request relevant information from on-site partners

Effective with the 2021-2022 academic year, any Temple sponsored program must meet a set of programmatic standards in order to be considered for approval. The request for approval should come in advance of students being informed that the program has been approved and prior to any financial commitments being made.

As a first step, we recommend sponsoring administrative units speak with their counterparts onsite in order to obtain relevant information that will be needed during the approval process. Sponsoring administrative units can utilize the OSAC programmatic questionnaire to obtain the information as well as to support the online application for approval.

Step 2. Apply for Approval

Step 3. Programmatic assessment and review

Due to the challenges posed by traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic, all programs or organized group travel will undergo a two-part evaluation

The two parts of the program review are broken down as follows:

Location assessment, with factors that we consider include but are not limited to the following:
- Travel advice/entry restrictions
- Health care infrastructure/overview
- Current case count of destination
- Positivity rates of the destination
- Disease transmission within the destination
- Vaccination rates of the destination
- CDC, Department of State, and International SOS ratings
- Treatment of severe COVID-19 cases
Programmatic assessment, based on the programmatic standards for AY21-22

The two components of the programmatic review will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and are due no later than the dates outlined below.

Depending upon the conditions in the proposed location,proposals may be reviewed by the Elevated/High Risk Committee.

Step 4. Receipt of approval and next steps

After reviewing the submission, proposers will receive a notification indicating the status of the request. Any programs that are approved will continue to be evaluated periodically prior to departure to confirm that the basic program criteria continue to be met or to determine if adjustments need to be made to the program.

Upon receiving the electronic approval, proposers will receive a unique URL for their participants to complete the registration process. Participants will need to submit the following through the unique URL:
1. Emergency Contact information
2. Health form
3. Flight information (both departing and returning itineraries)
4. Passport information
5. Risk and Release Form
6. Registering with International SOS
Participants will also be enrolled automatically in our online health & safety training program, which must be completed within 2 weeks of enrollment.
Additionally, proposers are expected to provide the following guidance to participants prior to departure:
1. Provide participants with worldwide cautions in effect by the U.S. Department of State, as well as country-specific information sheets.
  1. Consult International SOS for country-specific reports. Distribute/share reports with program/group participants.
2. Hold a pre-departure orientation for participants to review programmatic, academic, and logistical information with participants, in particular:
  1. Passport/visa requirements
  2. Necessary immunizations
  3. Safety and security information, including local laws
  4. Location and contact information for U.S. embassies and consulates
3. Distribute International SOS member cards to each participant.
4. Distribute the International SOS & International Medical Insurance Summary of Benefits to all participants.
5. Encourage group participants to consult International SOS via email (philadelphia@internationalsos.com) or phone at 215-942-8478 for information on immunizations, medical concerns while traveling, security information, and other specific concerns you or group members may have about traveling prior to departure.
6. Encourage participants to register with the U.S. Department of State's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). Non-U.S. citizens should register with the Embassy of their home country in their destination.

Timelines for Planning 2021-2022 Travel


Travel Dates	Proposal Due No Later Than
Travel departs between September 1 and December 31, 2021	September 1, 2021
Travel departs between January 1 and April 30, 2022	October 1, 2021
Travel departs between May 1 and June 30, 2022	January 7, 2022
Travel departs between July 1 and August 31, 2022	February 1, 2022

Gateway to Finance

Steps for requesting approval for a Temple sponsored program