Global Scholars program on hold for at least a year

COLUMBIA — MU’s Global Scholars program will be suspended for at least a year, according to Jim Scott, director of MU’s International Center. The program sends up to 10 members of the faculty to summer programs abroad each year.

According to George Justice, chair of the Council for International Initiatives, the decision was made following “the chancellor’s edict that we not spend any discretionary spending on travel. This was clearly discretionary.”

Each of MU’s schools and colleges has been able to nominate two faculty members for participation in the Global Scholars program each year. Faculty members had already been nominated for 2009 trips to Turkey and Vietnam, but those itineraries will be put on hold.

Justice said that in addition to valuable experiences for professors, “what the university stands to lose is the opportunity to develop ties with the countries chosen in 2009.”

The office of the provost and the deans of the schools and colleges with participating faculty fund the program, Scott said. Between the two funding sources, the program gets about $50,000 for up to 10 faculty members’ trips.

“I think it is the right thing to do given our financial situation,” Scott said. “We have strong assurances from our campus leadership that this is a temporary thing.”