FULBRIGHT-HAYS

SEMINARS ABROAD PROGRAM

CFDA Number: 84.018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STATEMENT OF WORK

- EXCHANGE ACTIVITIES WITH CHINA -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION AND GRADUATE PROGRAMS SERVICE

(IEGPS)

Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program
Statement of Work: Exchange Activities with China

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction: Background 1

Purpose of Contract 1-2

Task Requirements for Seminar Groups in China

Accommodations 2

Educational Materials Related to the Host Country 2

Travel Arrangements 3

Scholar Escort and Interpreter Service 3

Seminar Activities Required by Contractor

Task Requirements for Delegations Visiting the U.S.

Deliverables Resulting From Seminar Groups in China and Delegations to the U.S.

Period of Performance 9

Attachment: Seminar Description 10-13

STATEMENT OF PROGRAM WORK

INTRODUCTION: BACKGROUND

The Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program provides short-term study/travel opportunities abroad for qualified U.S. educators in the social sciences, the humanities and the social studies to improve their understanding and knowledge of the people and culture of another country under the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange (The Fulbright-Hays) Act, amended, 196l, section 102 (b)(6). Seminars are designed to provide a broad and introductory cultural orientation to a particular country(ies). Upon their return, participants are expected to share their broadened knowledge and experiences with students, colleagues, members of civic and professional organizations, and the public in their home communities.

China has been offered as one of these seminars annually for the past twenty years because of its crucial geographical, economic, political and cultural significance. The China seminar has been and continues to be the most popular in terms of numbers of applications received from educators wanting and needing to study and travel in that country.

An additional activity, which is unique to the China program, is the sponsorship by the Department of delegations of Chinese specialists in varied fields who visit the U.S. to learn about U.S. education and other fields.

PURPOSE OF CONTRACT

The U.S. Information Agency (USIA) administers binational Fulbright Commissions which are established in various countries throughout the world. Through an ongoing interagency agreement with the USIA, the Department transfers funds through that federal agency to annually designated Fulbright Commissions to conduct seminars for US/ED, otherwise referred to as the administering agency for the Department.

In order to conduct a seminar in China, because there is no Fulbright Commission established there, and because it is a high priority for the Department to conduct a seminar there, it is necessary for the Department to contract with a highly qualified U.S. nonprofit international education organization with expertise in China. It had been required by the Department that any organization serving as an administering agency to conduct a seminar, must also be a USIA contractor since the Department has had to transfer funds through USIA in order to provide funding to all administering agencies designated to conduct a seminar. Due to a change in status of the U.S. Information Agency’s long-standing agreement with US/ED to transfer funds to this particular organization, the Department no longer has a mechanism to transfer funds to this organization. Therefore, in order to continue offering programs in China, a high priority of the Department, the program must now be competed so that a highly qualified organization may be selected to serve as the administering agent to conduct activities for the China seminars program.

The selected agency will also have to be able to conduct visiting delegations of Chinese professionals to the U.S. to learn about American educational issues. Of special note is that the funding is affected in a significant way for the entire China program because there is a reciprocal agreement between the U.S. and China that each country will cover the in-country expenses for the other’s delegates; i.e., China pays for all in-country costs for the U.S. group going to China and the U.S. pays for all in-country costs for the delegations coming to the U.S. Both exchange delegations last for the same total amount of time as the U.S. groups in China--four weeks—and are composed of approximately the same number of participants (each delegation to the U.S. takes place for two weeks at a time with approximately ten members in each delegation).

TASK REQUIREMENTS FOR SEMINAR GROUPS IN CHINA

Outside of specific seminar activities, there are certain preparatory steps and agreements that must be built into the seminar which are required by the contractor. They are as follows:

Fulbright-Hays Budget and Maintenance Allowances

Seminar expenses are based on regional costs according to the host country. The contractor is requested to submit an itemized budget of seminar costs and requirements to IEGPS. Upon review, the budget is negotiated and approved in accordance with available program funds.

Accommodations

Double occupancy hotel or suitable dormitory accommodations and modestly priced restaurant facilities should be arranged for the group throughout the program. If the budget allows, the contractor has discretion to provide single rooms during a limited phase(s) of the seminar to provide more flexibility with rooming arrangements. Funding priority should focus on planning for the highest quality in the program content area. Only when there are extra funds should single room arrangements be considered.

Educational Materials Related To the Host Country

Participants should be given opportunities to acquire curriculum materials during the seminar at their own expense. Through interaction with host country curriculum specialists and resource personnel, participants should also receive guidance in developing their curriculum projects.

Travel Arrangements

The contractor is responsible for making all the necessary travel arrangements for participants’ travel within the U.S., international travel, and within the host country. The round-trip economy airline tickets of participants should be issued from the airport nearest their homes to the host country. The group must fly on a U.S. carrier unless no U.S. carriers fly into the host country. The port of exit from the United States should be determined according to the site of the pre-departure orientation.

Scholar Escort and Interpreter Service

The contractor is required to provide at least one scholar escort/interpreter to accompany the group during all phases of the program.

Seminar activities required by the contractor include the following:

1.Pre-departure Planning Phase

A.Provision of Advance Information and Reading Materials to Participants

B. Pre-Departure Orientation

A. Host Country Seminar Briefing

B. Academic Phase of the Seminar

The administering agency is encouraged to balance the program by

properly inter-scheduling the academic activities and the trips to help

eliminate participants' feelings of being "academics" solely during the

academic phase or being only "tourists" during the travel phase.

The academic phase should include class lectures and discussions,

4 Lectures and Discussions

4 Conference with the Participants' Counterparts

4 Appointments with Host Country's Specialists

4 Library and Other Resources

C. The Travel Phase of the Seminar

4 Major Cities and Regions

4 Site Visits

Opportunities should be provided for participants to visit museums,

open markets, stores, concerts, performing arts, folk festivals,

ceremonies, as well walking around the city to socialize with the

people of all walks of life of the host country (wherever possible and feasible).

D. Home Stay

TASK REQUIREMENTS FOR DELEGATIONS VISITING THE U.S.

Each year the Department invites two education delegations from the PRC to the U.S. as the reciprocal component of the program. Each delegation is approximately sixteen days in length. One delegation is usually sponsored in late spring and one in the fall.

There are similar preparatory steps and agreements that the contractor must build into the visiting delegations as there are in the seminars. They are as follows:

Fulbright-Hays Budget and Maintenance Allowances

Delegation expenses are based on regional costs according to the U.S. cities being visited based on per diem, cultural allowance, health insurance, and inter-city travel. Administrative costs are also added to the budget. The contractor is requested to submit an itemized budget of delegation costs and requirements to IEGPS. Upon review, the budget is negotiated and approved in accordance with available program funds.

Accommodations

Double occupancy hotel or suitable dormitory accommodations and modestly priced restaurant facilities should be arranged for the delegation throughout the program. If the budget allows, the contractor has discretion to provide single rooms during a limited phase(s) of the visit to provide more flexibility with rooming arrangements. Funding priority should focus on planning for the highest quality in the program content area. Only when there are extra funds should single room arrangements be considered.

Travel Arrangements

The contractor is responsible for making all necessary within-U.S. travel arrangements for delegation members. The purchase of economy air tickets (and train tickets where applicable) is required.

Scholar Escort and Interpreter Service

The contractor is required to provide one escort and one interpreter to accompany the group during all phases of the program.

Delegation activities required by the contractor include the following:

In consultation with the Ministry of Education, the contractor will determine the substantive focus of the delegations for each year. Topics may vary widely within the education field.

Delegation itineraries should include introductory lectures on the structure, philosophical underpinnings, and financing of education in the U.S. Subsequent meetings should be designed to answer the specific questions raised by the delegation members prior to their arrival.

All itineraries should include: h meetings with academics to discuss pedagogical issues; h government officials involved in education administration and reform at the federal, state, and local levels; and h people at educational associations.

Delegations should be introduced to as broad a range of institutions as possible so as to underscore the diversity in the U.S. education system.

Visits to American homes should be arranged if possible.

Delegations should visit a diversity of U.S. cities to include major urban centers in the various regions of the country. Given the key role of the states in the U.S., at least one state capital should be included in the itinerary so delegation members can meet with key officials with responsibility for education.

DELIVERABLES RESULTING FROM SEMINAR GROUPS IN CHINA AND DELEGATIONS TO THE U.S.

Final Report to the U.S. Department of Education

Regarding post-seminar and delegation activities, in addition to the reporting and submission of completed curriculum/independent projects for the seminars in China, the contractor is responsible for providing IEGPS with a FINAL report by October following the seminar. Delegation reports are to be submitted 60 days after the completion of the delegation. Reports should include the following:

1. a final program agenda;

2. an outline of actual expenses of the seminar and delegations;

4. recommendations/suggestions for improvements.

**A summary of the participants' evaluations will also be completed by IEGPS and sent to the contractor after completion of all seminars.

Coordination and Collection of Curriculum/Independent Projects for Seminar Groups in China

All participants are required to complete one curriculum or independent project which is relevant to their teaching or administrative responsibilities. The project must be coordinated, assisted, and collected by the contractor. The contractor should use its discretion in facilitating projects based on how much each participant is able to do within the context of the seminar.

The contractor is directly responsible for the collection, duplication, and submission of projects to the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC)* by approximately the end of January following the seminar. At this time, a copy of the collection of participants' curriculum projects should be sent to IEGPS staff if seminar funds will cover this cost [At the minimum, the contractor should provide a list of those participants who completed and submitted a curriculum project]. The price of printing, binding, and storing the projects in ERIC should be figured into the seminar budget (administering agency must determine expenses based on current price for copying, binding and mailing). If participants would like their own copy of a bound volume, it is suggested that participants pay for their own copy if seminar funds will not cover these costs. IEGPS will provide the contractor with a project submission form for ERIC after the completion of the seminar.

*The Department has a long standing agreement with the ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social Science Education that they will receive and review seminar participants’ curriculum/independent projects. After receipt and review of these projects, ERIC will make the project titles and subjects available on-line and the body of the projects available on microfiche for interested educators and the public. ERIC cannot guarantee automatic submission of projects into their system; submission depends on whether project quality meets ERIC’s quality standards. Participants are strongly advised to follow guidelines provided by IEGPS and to review previous projects submitted to ERIC to cite examples. The contractor can also use previously submitted projects as samples when working with current participants. The contractor should consult IEGPS to obtain copies of sample projects if they have none on file. The ERIC Clearinghouse for Social Studies/Social Science Education is located in Bloomington, Indiana, U.S.A.

ATTACHMENT: Seminar Description

CHINA

 

Seminar Title: "China: Tradition and Transformation"

Dates:Late June – July, 2000 (4 weeks)

Faculty Members from Colleges (including Community Colleges) and Universities whose professional activities primarily include the teaching of introductory undergraduate courses in the Social Sciences or the Humanities.

Secondary School Teachers (9^th – 12^th grades) and Department Heads in Social Studies or Humanities subjects;

Secondary-level (Grades 9-12) Administrators, Supervisors, or Curriculum Specialists of State or Local Education Agencies (District-, County-, City-wide) with direct responsibility for curriculum development in Social Studies or Humanities subjects at the Secondary School Level; and

Estimated Number of Participants: 16

 

Program Content:

Nearly twenty years ago, China initiated a policy of "opening up to the outside world". The process began sporadically with experiments in market reform in selected rural areas or coastal enclaves. Today, however, China is proceeding to embrace fully the "socialist market economy" with astounding results: it is the fastest growing major economy in the world; an increasing percentage of the country’s gross domestic product is produced outside the planned economy; and people have expanding latitude in terms of choice in where to live, work, and learn. At the same time, the changing economic environment has precipitated a changing social environment. The necessary reform of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) will result in unemployment and demands the creation of a more reliable social safety net. In addition, economic development has exacerbated environmental degradation throughout China. Many of the "social ills" present in other countries have begun to show up in China, including homelessness, social deviancy among the young, and a vacuum in ethical values.

Through the "China: Tradition and Transformation" seminar, educators will have the opportunity to witness firsthand the startling economic, social, and political changes taking place in a country home to 20% of the world’s population.

The objectives of the program are to enable those with limited experience in China to reach a greater understanding of the changes taking place there. The seminar will include lectures on history and culture, providing a context in which to view contemporary China; lectures on challenges facing China, including issues of population, women, minorities, youth, environmental protection, and educational reform; and visits to sites of historic importance. In addition, seminar participants will visit institutions such as schools, hospitals, markets, rural areas, and, in general, have a chance to watch the process of change as it occurs. Special efforts will be made to schedule the program to start in time to allow for school visits before Chinese schools close for summer vacation.

The seminar will begin with a two day pre-departure orientation immediately prior to departure for China session, which will be held in San Francisco, CA. The orientation session will provide an opportunity for participants to get to know the scholar escort and each other. Lectures and discussions on Chinese politics, economics and society are designed to prepare the group for their "China experience." Discussions concerning the curriculum project requirement and the dynamics of group travel will also be a part of the orientation.

The itinerary includes the following cities, although others may be substituted:

Beijing: The capital of China and the home of many of China’s top universities, major governmental offices, and sites of historic and cultural interest. The group will spend approximately ten days at Beijing Normal University where they will receive daily lectures on Chinese history, politics, economics, education, music, folklore, art, etc. The afternoons will be devoted to site visits, which complement the lectures.

Xi’an: "The cradle of Chinese civilization", located in central China and former capital for eleven dynasties from 1066 BC to 907 AD. It is the burial site of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi with its terracotta warriors, one of the best museums in China, and Neolithic archeological sites among many fascinating historic and cultural attractions. Participants will spend approximately five days here.

Shandong Province: Ji’an:* the capital of Shandong Province, has a history of over 4000 years, and was home to many outstanding traditional medical scientists, writers, and poets including Bian Que, Zou Yan, Li Qingzhao, Xin Qiji, Li Bo, Du Fu, and Su Shi. Qufu is the birthplace of and burial site for Confucius, arguably one of the most historic figures. It is known for its harmonies of carved stone, timber and fine imperial architecture as reflected in the Confucius Temple, Mansions, and Cemetery. Taishan is one of the most important religious mountains in China. In ancient times, imperial sacrifices to heaven and earth were offered from its summit. Participants will spend approximately five days here.

*Occasionally, the Fulbright delegation visits Guilin, Chengdu, or Kunming instead of Ji’nan/Qufu/Taishan. These alternate cities also are rich in history and culture related to China’s national minorities and provide an opportunity to visit rural China.

Shanghai: China’s largest urban area and premier center of trade and industry. It is also the birthplace of the Chinese Communist Party. The group spends approximately four days in Shanghai visiting a joint-venture business, newly developed neighborhoods, factories, and the Shanghai Women’s Federation, with exposure to the 19th and 20th century history of colonial involvement in China and the rise of China’s union movement. Shanghai also is the site where an entire new, planned city (Pudong) is emerging in the eastern area. The newly opened and universally well regarded Shanghai Museum will be included on the itinerary as well.

Hong Kong SAR: Participants will be able to choose to visit Hong Kong SAR, as well, partially at their own expense. Those who choose to go to the SAR will spend three to four days attending various meetings to discuss aspects of Hong Kong society. The topics of these meetings will depend largely on the specific interests of the participants. Seminar candidates will be notified by administering agency about the expense of the Hong Kong portion in more detail after award notification. Costs for this portion of the seminar will depend on whether alternative sources of funding are secured.

Curriculum Project:

Participants will be assisted by the administering agency in identifying resources for their individual seminar projects that will enable them to expand and improve their current teaching or curriculum development work related to China.

Terms of Award:

The award includes tuition and fees, room and board (shared double-room accommodations), round-trip economy airfare from the airport nearest the selectee’s home and program-related travel within the host country. Participants will be responsible for the expenses of the pre-departure orientation, which may range up to $350.00.

Each individual is responsible for the cost of obtaining health insurance necessary to participate in the seminar. If an individual’s current health insurance is not valid in the host country, he or she is required to purchase the necessary coverage. This coverage must include emergency medical evacuation and repatriation of remains.* If the participant’s current insurance does not provide overseas medical coverage, emergency medical evacuation and repatriation, he or she may purchase a policy through the United States Information Agency (USIA), underwritten by the Mega Life and Health Insurance Company (the premium for 1999 was $130.00 - $140.00 per person per month). USIA-sponsored insurance enrollment information will be provided to successful applicants. Participants may also purchase any other temporary travel insurance that includes the aforementioned coverage.

Participants will also be responsible for additional expenses which may include passport and visa fees; inoculations and medical exam; the purchasing of gifts to bring for any visits during the seminar; charges for any telephone calls and/or faxing to the overseas administering agencies during the pre-departure period; the purchasing of books/curriculum materials during the seminar; printing, binding and mailing costs of the curriculum/independent project (if necessary); and personal expenses.

 

*Emergency evacuation coverage means that insurance will cover the participants if he or she needed to be transported out of the host country for emergency medical treatment.

Repatriation coverage means that in case of the participant’s death while overseas, insurance will pay for remains to be shipped home.

Top