Before you bring an international visiting scholar to campus, please go through the following checklist to ensure a smooth welcome for everyone.
1. Once a scholar has been identified, and has agreed in principle, to an appointment as a visiting scholar, contact Jim Webb at webbjj@umsl.edu for further information.
2. No agreement to invite or pay a scholar may be finalized until the following has been determined:- Intended immigration status
- Purpose of their visit
- How long will they be at UMSL
- How will their stay be funded (UMSL, home institution, other?)
- Has the individual been paid by more than 5 other U.S. institutions in the past six months?
Once we have the answers above, we can determine the correct immigration status for the visiting scholar. The agreement cannot proceed until these details have been determined. In other words, do nothing else until the agreement has been cleared through UMSL Global.
A member of the International Student and Scholar Services staff will reach out to you to plan the next steps.
Once immigration status is determined, we can determine specifically what additional documents will need to be completed depending on the circumstances to make a payment.
3. If the Scholar will not be paid, request an Unpaid Appointment. This will grant the scholar access to the UMSL IT system as well as library use. This is also necessary to receive a temporary UMSL ID. More information can be found on the UM System website.
4. Determine housing arrangements. University Meadows offers housing options suitable for faculty here for longer stays. For shorter stays, a number of area hotels have negotiated rates with UMSL. UMSL Conference Services also operates a limited number of short-term conference housing accommodations.
5. Finally, we recommend appointing someone from your department to assist your visiting faculty member with his or her practical questions and needs, such as grocery shopping, American banking, phones and for showing them around the UMSL campus.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at global@umsl.edu.
