Office of International Relations

• Serve as an Archive for International Educational Agreements;
• Develop International Educational Agreements;
• Manage All International Educational Agreements;
• Assess Effectiveness of International Educational Agreements;
• Identify and Nurture International Educational Programs;
• Advise and Assist Incoming and Outgoing Personnel.

 

The following Operating Procedure conforms to the NDU Student Exchange Policy approved by the University Council and the Board of Trustees.

Exchange/Internship Programs (Managed by OIR-NDU)

 

Instituting New Exchange/Internship Agreements

We encourage all members of NDU to establish connections with international institutions and to begin the process of designing academic cooperation agreements that are beneficial to their units. The procedure for establishing new agreements is as follows:
1. A preliminary draft of the agreement is generated by the two parties. The originator of the agreement at NDU, whether OIR, Faculties, or NDU personnel (faculty members, staff, or directors) negotiate the terms of the agreement with the outside party, and draft/negotiate the first version of the agreement. We recommend referring to the “NDU MoU Template” and coordinating with OIR to make sure important articles are included in the first draft.
2. Before any signatures (by NDU or the other party), the preliminary agreement should be sent to OIR for review.
3. Once this OIR review is completed and a consensus is reached, OIR will forward the agreement to the NDU Legal Counsel who will provide feedback on the agreement to OIR; OIR will forward the recommendations of the NDU Legal Counsel to the negotiating parties.
4. The final draft that has been approved by all parties will be submitted by OIR to the Office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs for signatures.
5. OIR will keep a copy of the signed agreements and will forward copies to the NDU originator and to the other party.

 

Once the agreement is finalized, OIR will manage the agreements, as outlined below.

Assessing Established Agreements

OIR will assess the effectiveness of agreements using three criteria:
1. Number of NDU personnel who participated
2. Exit survey administered by OIR to get feedback from participants
3. Consultation with the units that initiated the agreement

 

This data will be presented to the Council of Deans for evaluation and discussion.

Renewing Expiring Agreements

Once a decision is reached to renew an agreement with or without modifications, the renewal will be done following a similar procedure to the one used for establishing a new agreement. All agreements have to be approved first by the NDU Legal Counsel who will forward the agreement to OIR who would forward them for signatures.

Managing Agreements

OIR will notify ALL concerned NDU personnel of due dates and application procedures related to each agreement.  OIR will collect applications and will organize the review process. Once the participants are selected, the relevant academic units will help students design their curriculum abroad; OIR will liaise with NDU administration and the relevant offices at the partnering institution to facilitate administrative functions, for example student registration, housing, and transportation.  

Exchange/Internship Programs (Not Managed by NDU)

OIR will inform students, staff, and faculty of relevant academic, international opportunities provided by extramural institutions. In addition, OIR will identify and nurture such international opportunities that could benefit NDU personnel. OIR will also provide assistance to NDU personnel during the application process.

Exchange/Internship Programs (Managed By OIR-NDU)

Selection criteria/pre-requisites for applying will vary for specific agreements, based on the NDU unit that established the agreement.  OIR will inform students, staff, and faculty of specific requirements.  In general, students should have a GPA of at least 2.5 (undergraduate) and 3.0 (graduate), have completed one year of studies, and have at least one more semester at NDU following the exchange /internship activity before graduating.

Exchange/Internship Programs (Not Managed by NDU)

Selection criteria/pre-requisites for applying will vary for specific agreements.  OIR will inform students, staff, and faculty of specific requirements.

Exchange/Internship Programs (Managed By OIR-NDU)

Student Exchange/Internship

Students should submit the following documents via email or in person to Ms. Rania Najem, Senior Officer at OIR:
1. “Student Cover Page”: Fill attached form
2. Unofficial Transcript of Grades: SIS printout for all semesters
3. Curriculum Vitae
4. “Student Personal Statement”: Fill attached form 
5. Letter(s) of support from faculty member: At least one.

*Application files and procedures may vary for specific programs. OIR will inform students of any changes to the application procedure.

Staff Exchange/Internship

Staff should submit the following documents via email or in person to Ms. Rania Najem, Senior Officer at OIR:
1. “Staff Cover Page”: Fill attached form
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. “Staff Personal Statement”: Fill attached form 
4. Letter(s) of support from supervisor: At least one.

*Application files and procedures may vary for specific programs. OIR will inform staff of any changes to the application procedure.

Faculty Exchange/Internship

Faculty should submit the following documents via email or in person to Ms. Rania Najem, Senior Officer at OIR:
1. “Faculty Cover Page”: Fill attached form
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. “Faculty Personal Statement”: Fill attached form
4. Letter(s) of support from Department Chair or Dean: At least one.

*Application files and procedures may vary for specific programs. OIR will inform faculty of any changes to the application procedure.

Exchange/Internship Programs (Not Managed By NDU)

OIR will inform students, staff, and faculty of the application procedure for each program and will provide assistance in completing applications.

Exchange/Internship Programs (Managed by OIR-NDU)

OIR will form a committee of 3-5 relevant experts to rank applicants and to select participants through a voting process. The selection meeting will be attended by one member of OIR (non-voting) who will fill a reporting form evaluating the fairness of the selection process.

Students will be notified of the status of their application by OIR or by the relevant unit at NDU.

Exchange/Internship Programs (Not Managed by NDU)

Most of these programs are reviewed by outside organizations.  For the programs that include a review that is internal to NDU, OIR will form a committee of 3-5 relevant experts to rank applicants and to select participants through a voting process; this committee will include at least one member of OIR (non-voting) who will fill a reporting form evaluating the fairness of the selection process.

Students, staff, and faculty from international institutions who are scheduled to attend NDU would report to OIR who will provide assistance with administrative and residency issues.

NDU students and personnel should first report to OIR, which will assist with administrative issues; students should use the “Student Travel Checklist” to ensure completion of all requirements prior to travel. OIR will also liaise with the partnering institution to facilitate the travel arrangements of NDU personnel. An OIR Course Substitution Form is available for registration at NDU during the international activity.

Upon completion of the exchange/internship activity, OIR will conduct an exit interview to solicit feedback that will include suggestions for enhancing the international experience. OIR will also solicit captioned photos of the experience that will be displayed, with the participant’s prior approval.

Ms. Rania Najem, Senior Officer

rnajem@ndu.edu.lb, SAO 3.89