Host International Visitors

Expand All

STEP 1: Things to Consider Before Planning

Welcoming international visitors to our university is a valuable opportunity to foster global connections, enhance academic collaborations, and enrich our campus community. Whether you are planning to host a visiting scholar, a delegation from a partner institution, or international students, our comprehensive guide will help you navigate the process smoothly. 

Before planning an international visit, make sure your organization understands the background and history of the relationship with the visiting organization or institution. This helps in recognizing the context and significance of the visit. It provides insights into past collaborations, mutual interests, and the evolution of the partnership, which can guide the planning and objectives of the current visit.

These considerations outlined below can help in organizing a successful and impactful visit, fostering meaningful collaborations, and ensuring compliance with university and state regulations.

What is the background/history of the relationship with this organization/institution?
What is the benefit to the University/your college/school/your department of this visit?
What long and short-term partnership goals do you have? For example:

• Research
  • Overview of the research project
  • Grants, fellowships, or other funding associated with the partnership if applicable
  • Potential scholarship (articles, presentations, practical applications, etc.)
  • Student Programs
    • Students impacted: undergraduate, graduate, and/or professional
    • What language, admission, travel, degree plan, coursework, or other relevant student requirements outlined may be impacted?
    • Type of Student Program: Reciprocal Educational Exchange Program (REEP*), Education Abroad, Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), PhD recruiting, Dual Degree**, Pipeline program, etc. 
      *REEP programs are the most time-consuming type of international program and will require extensive exploratory work prior to implementation.  Per state regulations, they must balance in numbers going in and out.  For more issues to consider related to these agreements, see REEP Proposal document. 
      ** Dual Degrees have a lengthy on campus, state, and accreditation process for approvals that typically takes about a year.
  • Faculty Engagement
    • Type of engagement: virtual, symposium, visiting scholar, exchange, collaborative research, sharing laboratory space/data, etc.

What is the intended outcome(s) of the visit?

• Flesh out short term or long-term goals
• Formalize the relationship by working on a memorandum of understanding or agreement (can take 1 – 6 months depending on complexity)
• Sign a finalized agreement (only if both partners have previously completed all their approval processes). For more information about Texas A&M processes, see Global Partnership Services.

STEP 2: Notify the Appropriate Campus Offices of Impending Visit

Ensure your department head and dean (if appropriate) are notified that you want to host this delegation and approve of the visit.

Notify the Department of Global Engagement of your intention to host this delegation after your department head approves. 
Complete the Visitor Delegation Notification/Request form and submit to Global Engagement or email globalsupport@tamu.edu.

Verify that your guests are eligible to enter the US and have been screened through the Export Control Office before they are invited to campus.
Depending on the export control screening, there may be locations on campus that they cannot visit, or it may not be possible to create partnerships between the visiting organization and Texas A&M. In addition, some partnerships and global engagements are considered “high risk” and require additional screening per Texas A&M System policy.

STEP 3: Prepare a Visit Plan

1. Identify the level of delegation members -- names, titles, role in their unit -- and the appropriate TAMU participants who may need to visit with them. The higher the level of the delegation members, the more time will be needed to facilitate involvement of appropriate Texas A&M counterparts. Let Global Engagement know about the level of visitors as soon as possible in the submission of the Delegation Intake Form.
   • Hosting Royalty, Country President, Ambassador, Ministry Official, high ranking government officials, etc., on campus requires additional resources and the involvement of upper leadership within the central University and in some cases, the System.
   • University President, Rector, Provost, etc. may require central University representation and coordination with other campus offices. The TAMU President’s Office will require advanced notification and an opportunity to evaluate whether the President should be involved or if it is more appropriate that an alternative representative from central administration participate.
   • Hosting visiting deans, department heads, and/or faculty do not require the same level of central administration involvement. Contact Global Engagement for information, checklists, and levels of assistance that can be provided in these situations.
2. Determine if the visit will involve the development or finalization of an international collaboration agreement.
   • Developing an international collaboration (MOA, MOU, etc.) begins with a review of the process on the Global Engagement website. Staff can help you with this process.
     • Negotiate a future collaborative agreement (this process can take many months to obtain approvals from Texas A&M and the partner institution).
     • Templates are available to use when beginning developing a collaborative agreement.
   • Hosting a signing ceremony
     • Preparing for a document signing ceremony requires multiple levels of planning and document review and approval. If you are intending to host a document signing ceremony, please contact Global Engagement staff as soon as possible to begin the necessary processes.

STEP 4: Work Out Visit Logistics

1. Participation by some high-ranking officials from Texas A&M or international partners may require collaboration with Global Engagement or other campus offices. Global Engagement will help you determine if this is the case. In such situations, you and Global Engagement will discuss and confirm roles and responsibilities.
2. Cultural protocols/customs
   • Be aware of cultural norms and expectations of the visitor when hosting a delegation on campus.
   • Take steps to ensure your guest is comfortable with the itinerary and other logistics to allow for a successful visit.
3. Gifts
   • It is important to understand what may or may not be an appropriate gift. Some cultures are sensitive to certain items.
   • Consider monetary value restrictions and your unit’s budget.
   • Consider the role your guest has at their institution and how significant/expensive/large should the gift be.
   • If your guest cannot travel with their gift, arrange to have it shipped to their institution.
   • Consider a written explanation of the significance of the gift you chose to give to the visitors. Would the meaning be “lost in translation?”
   • Confirm who is purchasing, preparing, delivering, and/or displaying the gift at the location where it will be presented.
4. Itinerary: While the itinerary will be unique for each visit, see the itinerary example if you need assistance.
   1. Meals and Accommodations
      • Be aware if there are dietary or cultural food restrictions for your guests.
      • Locate appropriate accommodations and caterers or local venues for your meal or reception events.
   2. Meetings
      • Based on the visit’s intended outcomes and level, these meetings can vary.
      • If the visitors have time in their agenda are there other units/ Colleges that would benefit from this visit?
      • Locate and reserve meeting spaces.
   3. Signing Ceremony
      • Global Engagement can provide you with information to plan and execute a signing ceremony.
      • Locate a space for the event.
      • Create a “Run of Show” with speakers and order of activities.
      • Consider participant invitations and whether a reception should be connected to the signing ceremony.
      • Decide whether there needs to be a photographer, press release(s) or marketing.
      • Ensure access to computer, printer, paper, and document on a thumb drive in the event there are last minute changes to the document.
   4. Tours
      • Campus locations
      • RELLIS locations
      • Specific buildings or labs (ensure that all visitors have export control clearance for restricted access facilities)
      • Community locations
   5. Transportation
      • On and off campus

STEP 5: Implement the Visit

1. Provide welcome packet with campus and/or community information or a welcome packet.
2. Provide basic comforts such as bottle of water, umbrellas, reserved parking spot, pens/paper, guest computer/Wi-Fi access, etc. as needed.
3. Contact information for all involved parties in case of emergency.
4. All parties have copies of:
   • Itinerary/agendas
   • Participant lists with roles
   • Contact information for the organizers and guests
5. Execute the itinerary, agenda, and/or run of show.

STEP 6: Debrief from the Visit

Upon the completion of the visit, meet with all those that played in role in the planning of the event.

 

• What was successful?
• What did not go according to plan?
• Did Global Engagement’s prepared documents and/or assistance meet the unit’s representative’s expectation?
• How can events be improved in the future?

Expand All

Is it ok if my office invites foreign visitors to campus?

Yes. We encourage departments, colleges, and schools to collaborate with foreign partners, but please remember that not all visitors may be able to enter the US. Please ensure that before they are invited, your office conducts an export control review on all potential visitors. Texas A&M provides a list that includes entities located in Countries of Concern that employees will not be allowed to have collaborations and that will be denied. 

Do I need to notify someone if I invite a foreign delegation to visit Texas A&M?

Yes. Please notify the Department of Global Engagement by completing this general request form or email globalsupport@tamu.edu as far in advance of the visit as possible. We have templates and guidelines for hosting these delegations that may be very helpful. We can provide assistance with performing export control screening in accordance with Texas A&M University System Regulations. 

Will Global Engagement help to host a delegation that my office invites?

If necessary. If the visitor is a government minister or the Associate Vice President for Global Engagement needs to take part in the visit, Global Engagement or other offices may need to assist with the visit. But, Global Engagement has a variety of informational resources that can assist departments that are hosting visitors and we are happy to advise on issues.

Are there central resources to help pay for hosting visitors?

No. The inviting department is responsible for these costs.

Does Global Engagement have official university gifts we can request to give visitors?

No. But we can provide advice about types of gifts to consider.

There is a university requirement to notify the Government Relations Office if USA federal and state officials are visiting or coming to campus. Do we need to notify them about a visit to or hosting of foreign government officials?

No. But please notify the Department of Global Engagement if you are visiting with foreign government officials so we can synergize that visit if there are others on campus who are already working with this partner or who may have an interest in working with these partners in the future. Please notify the Department of Global Engagement by completing this form as far in advance of the visit as possible. We have templates and guidelines for hosting these delegations that may be very helpful.

Does the university have country flags we can borrow?

Yes, the Department of Global Engagement has flags you can borrow and poles, bases, and flag toppers (stars, spears, etc., to dress up the top of the flag). To reserve specific flags, please complete this general request form. This form also contains a list of flags we have available. If you find that a flag you need is not listed on this page, you will be asked to name additional countries needed and we will contact you to discuss this. 

Please allow for at least a week in advance to reserve flags. For those reserving flags, we will supply you with flag protocols related to how to appropriately display flags.

How long until an agreement is ready for signature by a delegation in signing ceremony

You should allow about 4 weeks before the intended date of the signing ceremony if you use TAMU pre-approved templates. Even if you allow this much time, it is still possible it may not be ready because of negotiations and reviews that must take place both at Texas A&M and the partner institution. If you are less than 2 months out to the visit, your best option is to sign a general Memoranda of Understanding and create a more detailed agreement later.

Do templates exist for itineraries, background information, runs of show and other aspects of delegation visits?

Yes. You may access these on our website.

• Delegation Hosting Checklist
• Visitor Guidelines

Does Global Engagement have a checklist of things to remember when hosting visitors?

Yes. You may access these resources at the top of the page. 

A visitor has requested a letter of invitation. What is this and can my department issue it?

Typically, international visitors need documentation of why they are coming to the US on business at the Port of Entry to the US or to obtain a visa to enter the US at a US embassy or consulate abroad. The letter may be written and signed by your department or dean and should contain information about the business that you intend to cover as well as the dates of the visit. Before you send a letter of invitation, be sure that the visitor has been cleared by the Export Control Office screening process. Global Engagement has a template that may be helpful.

Is there anything that we should know about food choices for foreign visitors?

Yes. In addition to dietary restrictions for medical reasons, there are dietary restrictions for religious and cultural reasons which may exist for beverages as well as foods. Be sure to ask your guests well in advance if there are foods or beverages that some or all members of the delegation cannot eat or drink. As a rule of thumb, if you have a reception, label foods so people know what they are being served.

Do all foreign visitors to campus need to be screened by Export Control?

Yes. If you need assistance, contact the Export Control Office at exportcontrols@tamu.edu or 979-862-6419.

Are there some countries that Texas A&M is not allowed to create partnerships with?

There is not a specific list, but there are some countries that are considered high risk for collaborations or global engagement. Because the status of such countries constantly shifts, it is best to contact the Export Control Office at exportcontrols@tamu.edu or 979-862-6419 for advice about a country in which you have interest.