Sponsor Do’s and Don’ts

Do’s

  1. Contact GEO as soon as you think you want to pursue an MOU, but only after informing your department chair or other unit head to obtain his or her support.
  2. Provide GEO the contact information for its counterpart at the partner school to facilitate direct communication and thereby expedite the MOU process.
  3. Respond promptly to any requests for comment or questions that arise during the MOU process.
  4. Inform all faculty and staff who will need to implement your MOU that it is in process, and invite them to comment on a draft in order to fine-tune the text to match realities on the ground.
  5. Develop an implementation plan and timeline in order to optimize the return on your department/college/school/unit’s investment of time to process and complete your MOU.
  6. Request the partner’s implementation plan to make sure of the partner’s commitment to a mutually and optimally beneficial collaboration.

Don'ts

  1. Don’t sign anything that Policy 2010 does not authorize you to sign.
  2. Don’t assume that the faculty and staff who will be affected by your MOU are aware that an agreement is being contemplated, let alone processed and signed. Inform, inform, inform! 
  3. Don’t assume that your MOU is “self-executing.”  All MOU’s require an investment of time, as well as clear and concrete decisions in the implementing department/college/school/unit about who, what, when, where, how, how many, how much, etc.
  4. Don’t assume that GEO is responsible for the internal implementation of your MOU, other than performing its normal support functions. The staff and faculty within your department/unit are best suited to navigate internal policies and generate department/unit level buy-in for the new agreement. 
  5. Don’t hesitate to contact GEO early and often with any questions.