Center for International Understanding, Inc.  

Mutual Benefit and Harmony

110 Lovell Avenue, Princeton, West Virginia 24740 USA

Phone: (304) 327-3425 Web site: www.ciuinc.org

VISITING PROFESSORSHIPS IN THE CAUCASUS REGION

Applications from established active and retired US scholars and teachers from various disciplines are being accepted for short and long-term teaching assignments at higher education institutions and schools in Armenia .

Interested applicants should submit

(a)     a letter of interest which includes the following:

1.       name of Armenian institution(s) where applicant wishes to teach (select from one of the institutions listed below with which the CIU has signed a Memorandum of Agreement);

2.       time of year and number of weeks applicant would like to teach in Armenia ;

3.       subjects or specific training modules applicant wishes to deliver;

4.       target audiences the applicant would like to address through workshops/lectures; instructional mode—workshops, PowerPoint presentations, computer-aided;

5.       type of equipment required for delivery of training module;

6.       any previous experience that includes teaching assignments at foreign institutions of higher education, in particular, any experience in the Central Caucasus or in any former Soviet republic;

7.       list any Fulbright experience;

8.       a statement indicating acceptance of the terms and conditions described below;

9.       a statement indicating that neither the CIU nor the host institution will be held responsible for any injury, accident, illness, loss of personal property, or other contingencies that may befall participants as a result of participation in the program;

10.   a completed visa application form based on instructions from the CIU and a current passport;

11.   a check payable to the CIU for applicable communication and mailing costs;

12.   a check for RT airfare payable to Bluefield AAA.

Participating institutions: In Armenia, the following institutions have agreed to accept CIU visiting professors and teachers in a variety of disciplines:

Vanadzor: Vanadzor State Teachers Training Institute, Vanadzor Polytechnic College , Vanadzor School Nos. 13 and 20, and Vanadzor’s Association of English Language Teachers of Armenia (AELTA). 

Sisian: Sisian State Economics College; Sisian State Humanities College; Sisian 4th Secondary School 
 
Goris:   Goris  State  Pedagogical College;   Goris  State  University

Terms of assignments: Each of these institutions has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the CIU, which may be viewed on the CIU web site: www.ciubsc.org.  

Conditions for participation: All applicants must be in good health and have health insurance coverage, including Medevac, to cover healthcare needs and emergencies in Armenia .

Visiting professors and teachers must deliver workshops/lectures as described in the schedule of activities which will be provided prior to departure.

Housing: Housing will be provided by the host institutions. Applicants are advised that housing may not be similar to what they might be accustomed to in the USA . In some instances, home stays will be arranged.

Meals: Home stay host families will provide breakfast and dinner. Lunch will generally be eaten at local restaurants. Host institutions that provide campus or off-campus housing will also provide meals at college cafeterias. 

Costs: Visiting professors and teachers pay their own round trip airfares between the US and Armenia .

Schedule of the visiting professorships: These will vary based on the visiting professors and teachers’ availability. However, potential participants should keep in mind the academic calendars at the Armenian institutions: they generally commence on September 1 and end in late December. They reopen in mid-January but generally have examinations through the end of January. Classes commence in February. In general, the spring semesters/terms end in the first week of June. Continuing education workshops/courses are held periodically in the summer.

Resumes: All applicants are required to send resumes which will be shared with host institutions.  

Training modules: Short descriptions of training modules must accompany resumes. A brief paragraph for each topic/training module will suffice. 

CIU responsibilities prior to, and during, the visiting professorships: The CIU will

  1. prepare an itemized budget of projected costs, including current RT airfares between Dulles-Yerevan-Dulles for CIU Visiting Faculty
  2. share with host institutions the CIU Visiting Faculty’s list of topics/training modules which will be referenced in their letters of invitation
  3. assist CIU Visiting faculty in completing the visa application form
  4. submit to the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia the visa application form along with the letter(s) of invitation and passports
  5. return to CIU Visiting Faculty their passports with visas affixed
  6. obtain from the Coordinator of Educational and Exchanges in South Caucasus home stay/housing information and a daily schedule that includes specific audiences and workshop/lectures topics for sharing with CIU Visiting Faculty
  7. monitor the visiting professorships by email/telephone to ensure project objectives are being met
  8. invite feedback from all parties involved in this activity to compile lessons learned
  9. provide appropriate assistance in case of injury/illness and/or death, loss of personal property, or other contingencies that may befall participants as a result of participation in the program.