Skip to main content
Santa Clara University
Global Engagement

Program Coordinator Role and Responsibilities

  1. Home
  2. Global Engagement
  3. For Faculty and Staff
  4. Department/Program International Travel
  5. Program Coordinator Role and Responsibilities

Overview of Role and Responsibilities

All university-sponsored international travel that includes undergraduate or graduate students, groups of students, faculty, staff, and/or external travelers requires a faculty/staff Program Coordinator to provide leadership for the travel.  

Requirements to be a Program Coordinator

  • Must be an exempt employee of Santa Clara University.
  • Must be able to serve as the 24/7 emergency contact during the dates of travel/program.
  • Must serve as the single-point-of-contact during the international travel proposal process.
  • Must be in a position that has the responsibility and authority for those in their area to whom they have delegated responsibilities, such as an on-site program leader. 
  • Must have access to a purchasing card with financial limits/authority sufficient to respond to critical incidents for travelers abroad
  • Must agree to fulfill Program Coordinator Responsibilities in the International Travel Proposal.

Program/Department Responsibilities

  • The Program Coordinator’s program/department assumes responsibility for managing the travel/program, including financial responsibility. 
  • Responsible for adhering to international travel policies and procedures of the University, as well as deadlines.
  • The Program Coordinator is responsible for 24/7 emergency response during the dates of the travel/program.  
  • Institutional responsibility/liability for travel/programs abroad may be greater when travel includes non-SCU participants, and undergraduate students. This may place increased responsibility and liability on Programs/Departments and on Program Coordinators.

Program Coordinator Responsibilities on Behalf of the Program/Department

University International Travel Policy and International Travel Proposal

  • Understands and agrees to abide by the University International Travel Policy and related procedures.
  • University approval, if granted, is contingent upon the current state of affairs in the country/region and the University reserves the right to change program approval at any time based on changing conditions AND participants will be advised of this.
  • Understands that if an exception to the University International Travel Policy is approved by the Provost, it is a one-time exception and does apply to possible future travel or programs. 
  • In the event of significant changes to the travel or itinerary after approval, will submit updated details to the Office of the Associate Provost for International Programs for review and approval. 

Critical Incident Response

Program Coordinators and departments may need to respond to incidents such as these below. Each of these incidents may require different processes. Program Coordinators are responsible for responding in keeping with University practices and protocols. Examples of incidents include:

  • Hospitalization
  • Sexual assault
  • Non-violent crime
  • Violent crime
  • Hate crime
  • Drink spiking/drugging
  • Vandalism of local housing/program facilities by participants
  • Participant disciplinary issues
  • Mental health critical situations
  • Pandemic/health outbreak
  • Participants missing from the program
  • Jail/legal detention
  • Terrorist incident
  • Coup
  • Death

Responsibilities to Learn and Utilize Program Coordinator Resources Provided

University resources are available to Program Coordinators to support preparation and management of university-sponsored travel/programs in keeping with best practices in international higher education. It is the responsibility of Program Coordinators to utilize these resources AND communicate with the Office of the Associate Provost for International Programs about any questions. Examples of resources include: pre-departure orientation materials, student/participant discussion guide, the Global Guide and Orientation PowerPoint, links to health and safety resources, example of a certification letter for visas.

Responsibilities for Pre-Departure Preparation

DOS and CDC Advisories

Provide pre-departure information and advice to all travelers that includes full disclosure of potential risks and dangers of travel in the location. This includes, but is not limited to:

U.S. DOS STEP Registration

Direct all participants who are U.S. citizens to register with the U.S. embassy abroad through the U.S. DOS Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) and any non-U.S. citizens to register through the equivalent, in their home country, if available. If the group has less than 15 participants, the Program Coordinator is responsible for verifying participants have enrolled in STEP. 

Inform travelers that travel is subject to current circumstances

Inform all participants that University approval is subject to continual monitoring of the current situation in-country and a program may be canceled at any time in consideration of changing on-site circumstances.

Immunizations and Medications

Advise participants of CDC required immunizations and medications that are required or recommended for the program destination and in keeping with activities abroad in a timely fashion to enable all participants to obtain necessary immunizations prior to departure.

Immigration and Visas

Advise participants of visa requirements for locations of travel in a timely fashion that enables all participants, including non-U.S. citizens, to obtain a visa, if required, AND will provide materials to support participants in obtaining appropriate documentation required for the visa, if relevant.  

Passports

Verify that all participants' passports are valid for the required time following return to the U.S., as designated by the program country, commonly three to six months following anticipated return to the U.S. 

Insurance

Advise participants of the SCU insurance requirements during the program abroad and about the benefits of the SCU international emergency medical and travel insurance policy during the program abroad. 

Culture Health and Safety

Advise travelers/participants about culturally relevant practices in the local environment/culture that may have implications for health/safety/risk, e.g., anti-LGBTQIA laws.

Local Emergency Contacts

Provide local emergency contact telephone numbers, e.g., equivalent of 911.

Critical Incident Response Plan

Create a location-specific Critical Incident Response Plan and share with participants. The Critical Incident Response Plan must:

  1. outline the roles and responsibilities of the emergency response person/team
  2. direct participants what to do in an emergency
  3. include the emergency communication plan

Ongoing Monitoring

Monitor DOS updates and advisories as well as any other relevant news sources on a daily basis.

Establish Local Communication Processes

Establish a method to communicate with participant(s) abroad, i.e., cell phone with international coverage, or other method if not all participants will have this coverage.

Responsibilities for Collecting Traveler Information: All Types of Travelers/Participants

Program Coordinator will collect from all travelers/participants:

  • Emergency contact information for each traveler/participant 
  • A copy of the photo page of the inside of the passport for each traveler/participant
  • Disseminate 24/7 critical incident/emergency communication protocol, including telephone numbers and/or card, to all participants

Four weeks prior to departure, Program Coordinators will complete the following and send to the distribution list below:

  • Emergency Contacts for Campus Safety and Global Engagement (see template provided)
  • Finalized Program Itinerary including dates and locations
  • Finalized list of travel participants including the same detail as requested for Proposed Participant list (name, email, ID, emergency contact name/number, role of participant) 
  • 24/7 contact information for Program Coordinator throughout program 

Distribution List:

  1. Campus Safety, campussafety@scu.edu
    1. Cc Philip Beltran, Director of Campus Safety Services, pjbeltran@scu.edu
  2. Director of Global Health, Safety and Risk, associateprovostglobal@scu.edu
    1. Cc: Department/Division Supervisor, e.g., Appropriate Dean of College/School OR Executive Director of SCU Center of Distinction
  3. On-site Coordinator for Program (if different than SCU Program Coordinator), if relevant. 

Additional Responsibilities: Travel with Students

In addition to the information required to collect from all travelers/participants, the Program Coordinator will:

  • Disseminate and collect from all undergraduate and graduate students the mandatory University forms:
  • Advise about issues of diversity and identity abroad as they relate to the program location including: race, class, gender, sexuality, religion, ability, socio-economic status.
  • Serves as a Title IX Mandatory Reporter for students AND will communicate with participants that they are required to act in keeping with this role as a Mandatory Reporter and to follow Title IX reporting guidelines. 
  • Will provide undergraduate students with the SCU Community Standards and Student Conduct Code and advise them that they are required to abide by it. 
  • Will ensure that graduate students understand that they are required to abide by the code of conduct in their College/School. 
  • No later than four weeks after conclusion of travel/program, Program Coordinators will disseminate and require travelers to complete the post-travel evaluation.