The Office of Global Health and Safety (OGHS) offers program management support for academic enrichment travel as a service. We are here to help, so you can focus on leading.

Planning a trip for a large group can be challenging. Our team is experienced with organizing academic trips within Duke’s guidelines and best practices. We have experience with:

• Duke Travel Policies

• Participation Agreements

• Vendor Contracts

• Compliance with U.S. and International laws

• Healthcare considerations & insurance parameters

• Risk mitigation and crisis management

• Group dynamics

There are lots of things to consider depending on the scale of your intended course trip. Below are a few points to review:

• Coordinating academic enrichment travel takes time.

• The travel schedule needs to be right for participants regarding classes, breaks, and duration of trip.

• What are the risks involved with your planned activities? 

• Are there Duke policies that apply to or may impact your planned travel or activities?   

• Are Duke approvals needed and from whom?  

• Are there any contracts to be signed?  

• Are there any compliance issues with U.S. or international law?  

• How will the trip be funded? Will all travelers have access to the necessary funds? Are there any subsidies available from Duke or external entities?  

• What are the expectations of a trip leader? 

• What are the healthcare resources and insurance considerations for participants? 

• You will need a participation agreement.  

The logistics of each academic enrichment trip are different. It takes time to plan and coordinate. If possible, we recommend contacting our team 12 months before your intended travel, especially for international trips. 

We can help with planning the logistics of your trip, but faculty leaders will be responsible for the following:

• Academic expertise in the content areas covered by the course; ensuring that proposed travel supports course objectives and goals  

• Specific first-hand relevant experience in the host city/state/country/region  

• Organizational and planning skills  

• Course recruitment 

• Recognizing the physical and emotional demands of organizing and leading the trip 

• Willingness to work with onsite vendors and providers including initiating contact, reviewing proposals and negotiating proposal and contract elements   

• Adhering to Duke compliance issues and regulations 

• Commitment to being on-call 24/7 for duration of trip and serving as the emergency point of contact in an urgent situation 

• Agreeing to participate in program leader training  

• Agreeing to working closely with Duke offices and making use of Duke resources during planning and execution of the program  

• Working with OGHS to produce a risk review for the program and undergo crisis management training  

• Creating and holding a pre-trip meeting for all participating students to include health, safety, and security modules  

• Adhering to financial and budgetary requirements of program planning and execution, including good stewardship of monies and clearing expenses    

We ask that all faculty interested in utilizing our coordination services complete an Academic Enrichment Travel Intake Form here: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_79w2NVVWfdVelsa.