Effective immediately, all international agreements initiated by University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM) units and offices must adhere to the newly established International Agreement (including General MOUs, Student Exchange, Study Abroad, Recruiters, Short-Term Programs, International Dual Degrees, Non-Funded International Research Agreements, Hoakipa, International Service Agreements, 3+2, 2+2, 3+1, and Course Articulation Agreements) and Partnership Procedure. This process has been designed to ensure consistency, compliance, and strategic alignment with UHM’s global priorities.
Please be advised that no draft of an international agreement is required at the initial stage. Units and offices should follow the procedure outlined below to begin the process. Should you need any assistance with drafting agreements, the Office of Global Engagement (OGE) is available to support and guide you throughout the process.
Step One: Initiate a Partnership
1. The initiating individual(s) shall get the proposed partnership approved by the Dean/Director.
2. If approved, the initiating individual submits the Partnership Request Form to the Office of Global Engagement (OGE).
https://forms.gle/xfCKjhdtw8wWXW5i8
3. OGE consults with stakeholders on feasibility and capacity to support the proposed partnership.
Step Two: Preparation and Negotiation of Agreement/Contract
OGE serves as agreement coordinator. OGE will:
– Work with the unit(s) and partner institution(s) to prepare and negotiate the agreement.
– Facilitate review by UH Manoa and UH system offices as necessary, including:
– UH Office of General Counsel (OGC)
– Office of Export Controls (OEC)
– Office of Vice Provost of Academic Excellence (OVPAE)
– Office of Vice President of Academic Strategy (OVPAS)
– Office of Vice President of Research and Scholarships (OVPRS)
– Provost
– President
Step Three: Collecting Signatures from UH, Mānoa, and Partner Institution(s)
OGE will:
– Determine the appropriate signing authority.- Draft the required action memo and obtain signatures.
– Upload the fully executed agreements to OnBase.
Contact Info:
Dr. Xiaoxin Ivy Mu
Director of International Partnerships
intlpart@hawaii.edu
xiaoxin@hawaii.edu
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
All UH Mānoa international agreements involving academic programs must undergo a process of review at multiple levels and must be signed by the Provost – via Office of Global Engagement. Those wishing to develop an international agreement should familiarize themselves with the UH System Executive Policy 8.200: Policy on Contracts and Signing Authority. Please pay special attention to the section on International Agreements (III.B.4.c), which outlines the appropriate review process and provides international agreement templates, available for download by following the link to Appendix 6.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS:
UH Mānoa’s Routing and Delegation Guideline.
UH System International Initiatives and it’s Agreement Database (domestic and international), OnBase.
N.B. It is UH policy that all international agreements be prepared in English, which shall be the designated language used to interpret, construe, and enforce the agreement. If desired, the sponsor may translate this agreement into a more familiar language, but if any translation of the agreement conflicts with the English version or contains terms in addition to, or different from, the English version, the English version shall prevail. If UH is asked to sign a non-English version of the agreement in addition to the English version, an accurate translation is required (whether provided by the partner institution or by UHM) and a qualified speaker of that language at UHM or designated by UHM must certify that it is a full and accurate translation. A statement that the translation has been reviewed and certified accurate, and by whom, must be included in the signing action memo.
N.B. It is important to check with the contact person at the partner institution whether the Provost’s digital signature will be acceptable. UH no longer requires non-digital (“wet ink)” signatures or hard-copies of agreements, but in the rare instance that the partner institution insists on a wet ink signature, that requirement must be noted in the signing action memo. Then the hard copy of the actual signed agreement needs to be mailed to the contact person at the partner institution for signature(s) there. Mailing will be the responsibility of the originating unit at UHM. A pdf scan of the fully signed MOU should be returned to the originating unit at UHM and forwarded to OGE, sent as an email attachment.