Developing an International Partnership Agreement

There are several ways in which an international partnership may be initiated:

Scenario A: Academic department already has an intended partner

• The intended partner may be a current WMU partner or a new partner.
• Reach out to the intended partner to determine interest in collaborative activity and partnership.

Scenario B: Academic department seeks to develop a partnership but has not yet identified a partner

• Visit the International Partnerships Database to explore existing WMU Partners. 
• Talk to faculty about their connections with international institutions. 
• Reach out to the Haenicke Institute for Global Education (HIGE) International Partnerships Unit for assistance in identifying potential partners aligned with the department’s academic strengths and interests.

Scenario C: Referral

• HIGE may encounter promising partner and offer an introduction to the academic unit.
• A prospective partner may reach out to HIGE seeking a collaboration opportunity. HIGE will assess the partnership request and connect the relevant academic department(s)with the potential partner.

During the exploratory phase, both Parties will gather information to determine whether the partnership is a good “fit.”  Several exploratory meetings or visits may be held with the prospective partner to gather information about: 

• Institution type, location, infrastructure
• Academic calendar, credit system
• Academic areas of interest or strength
• Feasibility, resource requirements, and timelines
• Possible areas for collaboration 
• Types of agreements needed

Learn more about different types of agreements.

Learn more about WMU’s criteria for international partnerships.

Identify a Department/College Representative

Appoint a representative responsible for overseeing each collaborative activity and maintaining the partnership. The representative should be a WMU full-time tenured or tenure track faculty member or administrator. The representative’s duties include:

• Developing a working knowledge of the partner institution
• Drafting and submitting the partnership agreement proposal forms
• Maintaining the relationship with the partner institution
• Serving as the main point of contact for program-related questions
• Overseeing the course articulation process (if applicable).
• Conducting an annual review of the curriculum and updating articulation tables with HIGE (if applicable).

Note: If the designated representative leaves the university or is no longer responsible for overseeing the collaboration, a new representative should be appointed. Please inform the HIGE International Partnerships Manager to ensure records are updated.

The proposal phase involves the submission of relevant forms by the academic department, detailing the nature of the partnership, its purpose, expected outcomes, and other considerations. The proposal will require sign-off from the department chair and college dean. These proposals are reviewed by HIGE's International Partnerships Committee. 

When submitting your proposal form for a new international partnership, WMU will prioritize international partnerships that meet WMU’s criteria for international partnerships.

Institutional MOU - Proposal Form

An MOU is a non-binding document expressing mutual interest in collaboration. It is typically used as a preliminary step to outline potential areas of cooperation without specific obligations. Although not required by WMU, some institutions may start with an MOU to explore collaboration before moving to a formal academic agreement.

If you are unsure whether WMU already has an MOU with this institution, visit the International Partnerships database or contact Christie Bierlein, International Partnerships Manager, at christie.bierlein@wmich.edu.

Academic and Research Agreements - Proposal Form

Academic agreements are formal, binding documents that outline specific commitments, responsibilities, and operational details. This category includes partnerships for joint academic programs (such as dual degrees, credit transfer pathways, and exchanges) as well as research collaborations, professional training, and sponsored projects that support both educational and research initiatives. 

Notes:

• A separate proposal form must be submitted for each collaboration or articulation activity. 
• For articulation agreements with multiple programs of study, a separate proposal form is required for each academic discipline. Each proposal will be treated as a distinct project.
• Proposals must be signed off by the department chair and college dean.  Exchange partnerships require support from two colleges.

• HIGE’s International Partnerships Committee will review the submitted proposal, provide feedback and a decision. 
• The designated representative will be notified of the decision.
• The HIGE International Partnerships Committee meets bi-monthly. 

Draft Agreement

Upon approval of the partnership proposal, the department representative will collaborate with the partner institution and the International Partnership Manager at HIGE to begin drafting a formal agreement and supporting documents, such as articulation tables. This process includes negotiation of terms and typically requires multiple rounds of review and revision.    

The International Partnership Manager will help to facilitate review by relevant units on campus such as General Counsel, Export Control, Immigration, Business Services, Taxation, Office of Information Technology, Office of the Vice President of Research, Accounts Receivable, and others as required. All contracts must be submitted for review via COLT (WMU’s Contract Organization and Lifecycle Tool). The contract should include attachments, addenda, cross-referenced documents, and ALL the documents/policies/webpages hyper-linked in any contract document.

Approximate timeline for agreement development depends on the complexity of the program, negotiation of terms, response time of partner, and how quickly the curriculum alignment can be finalized (if applicable).

MOU without changes – 1 to 2 months

Academic and Research Agreements – 6-12 months

Develop Course Articulation Program Guide (if applicable)

1. Request Syllabi: Please acquire the program-specific syllabi from [your contact] at the partner institution. If this is a dual degree program, please provide [your contact] with WMU’s program-specific syllabi.
2. Review Syllabi and Complete Course Evaluation Request Forms: You and your faculty will need to review these syllabi to determine the WMU course equivalencies for the courses in the proposed program. Once equivalencies are determined, kindly fill out the Course Evaluation Request form to provide an official record of the equivalencies.
3. Build Articulation Table: We have prepared an articulation table for you to complete as you determine course equivalencies. This table will detail program completion requirements, course specifics, credit values, transfer details, and any relevant notes.  This should be submitted to us once all program-specific courses have been reviewed.  
4. Identify WES Equivalencies: After establishing the equivalencies for program-specific requirements, our unit will work on equivalencies for WMU's WES requirements. We will assist with this process by distributing the partner syllabi to the relevant departments for evaluation. You may be asked to help obtain additional syllabi for WES requirements due to your connection with the partner institution. 
5. Review and Sign-Off: Once the articulation table is finalized, both parties will review it and provide their signatures—typically by the chair and dean. After signing, the table will be added as an addendum to the institutional agreement. The completed table and Course Evaluation Request forms will then be provided to our International Admissions Processors for entry into Banner so student courses transfer appropriately. 
6. Annual Review: Our unit will reach out yearly to the designated department/college representative (you) to check for any curriculum changes at either WMU or the partner institution. If there are updates, we can obtain new syllabi for re-evaluation and update the tables as necessary. 

The International Partnerships Manager will route the agreement for final approval. This step ensures that all steps were followed during the review rounds. The approver is designated based on the type of agreement. Upon approval, the agreement will be routed for signature by ALL parties.

Final copies of the signed agreement will be distributed to the department representative, partner contacts, and other relevant parties.

• HIGE will create records of the agreement, including:
  • International Partnerships Database: Recording agreement details.
  • Shared Drive: Storing the fully executed agreement.
  • Banner Attribute: Creating a Banner attribute for the partnership.
  • Website Update: Ensuring public visibility of the agreement.
  • COLT Update: Updating COLT for contract management.
• HIGE will maintain records of all fully executed international partnership agreements.
• HIGE will publish an Annual Report on current partnerships, providing a comprehensive overview of WMU’s international collaborations.

The International Partnerships unit will notify the department representative by email when an agreement is approaching expiration. Upon receiving this notice, the department should decide whether to renew, modify, or terminate the agreement. The relevant form should be completed and submitted using the links below.

If no response is received, HIGE will proceed with termination or allow the agreement to expire.

Other Forms

• Renewal Proposal Form: For renewing existing agreements.
• Termination Request Form: To request termination of an active partnership agreement.
• Amendment Request Form: To make amendments to an existing agreement.