CSU Faculty Sailing with Semester at Sea
Semester at Sea is a multiple country study abroad program that takes place at sea. Students live, take coursework, and travel aboard the MV World Odyssey as a part of a unique shipboard community comprised of students, faculty, staff, Lifelong Learners, and ship crew for 100+ days, exploring roughly 10 countries and four continents. Voyage itineraries vary from semester to semester, but they often include visits to ports in Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Semester at Sea is administered by the Institute for Shipboard Education (ISE), a private, 501c3 educational nonprofit. CSU is the academic partner and campus location for ISE.
Semester at Sea Teaching Opportunities
There are two channels by which a faculty member can be selected to teach with Semester at Sea:
- Four faculty members are selected as Global Teaching Scholars for each voyage (fall and spring semesters), and go with full CSU pay and benefits, or
- A faculty member may make individualized leave arrangements with their department, and apply online as part of the open applicant pool.
Global Teaching Scholars (GTS)
GTS selection process
Each September, the Provost/EVP’s Office emails a reminder about the upcoming spring selection process. This allows faculty the time to consider the opportunity and to discuss it with their department head. In January, the Provost/EVP’s Office sends an invitation to apply to the general faculty.
Applications are due in mid-February and the selection committee decides on finalists for interviews in late March with appointment announcements by early May. Selection is for two voyages, two calendar years later; that is, selection in Spring 2025 is for the Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 voyages.
GTS eligibility
- All full-time CSU faculty members, regardless of rank and tenure status, may apply.
- Non-CSU applicants must:
- Hold a Ph.D. or terminal degree OR master’s degree and 10+ years of teaching experience, AND/OR?
- Be on a Tenure-track or Continuing or Contract appointment.
The applicant must obtain approval from their unit head and dean and submit a signed form with their application. As in the case of a sabbatical leave, a faculty member must return to CSU for at least one year following the voyage. Global Teaching Scholars are required to complete a project upon return from their voyage, to be completed within one year.
How are the GTS’s departmental teaching duties covered during the absence?
The Provost/EVP’s Office provides a buy-out, currently set at $12,500 based on the assumption of two course sections needing replacement. If a department faces replacement costs significantly beyond that level, it may request additional funding from the Provost/EVP’s Office via the provided standard funding request form (ADD A LINK). That form should be attached to the GTS’s appointment letter from the Provost/EVP.
Non-GTS Faculty
Sailing without Global Teaching Scholar status
Any faculty member may apply for any voyage, so long as they can arrange appropriate leave from CSU. Application is via the employment portal on the Semester at Sea website, and the selection process generally begins about 16 months in advance of a voyage and is completed by nine months in advance. The applicant competes with the general pool of candidates, and selection is by the voyage Academic Dean working with the ISE Chief Academic Officer.
CSU emeritus faculty are encouraged to apply through the general pool. The Semester at Sea Academics Team also hires for each voyage from the general pool: Global Studies Instructional Coordinator; Faculty-Led Programs Coordinator.
Financial arrangements for non-GTS faculty
CSU will not provide central funding for course coverage in this case. As with non-CSU participants, the faculty member on leave from CSU could receive the standard Semester at Sea faculty stipend, currently set at $12,000, as payroll directly from the Institute for Shipboard Education (ISE).
Alternatively, the department and faculty member may arrange for ISE to transfer the stipend amount to the department, via CSU central Financial Services, to assist with the financing of the leave arrangements and facilitate the faculty member’s pay process. ISE provides a form for documenting the choice of pay arrangement. LINK, OR IS FORM PROVIDED INTERNALLY?
Other non-sabbatical leave/non-GTS matters
Deans and department heads are not required to provide leave for Semester at Sea participation. They may choose to do so as part of retention or professional development efforts.
The arrangement may be Leave-Without-Pay or partial LWOP, or at full pay, at the discretion of the unit. Note that the faculty member can maintain participation in CSU benefit plans for a semester on leave, even LWOP, so long as the usual plan costs are paid in advance.
Note that the voyage time commitment, including mandatory on-ship orientation days, is around 110 days, so leave should be expected for four months, either September through December or January through April.
Can CSU non-faculty employees participate in SAS voyages?
Yes, non-faculty employees can serve on Semester at Sea voyage in various staff roles. Like faculty, they are advised to obtain approval from their unit before applying.
For staff roles, stipend amounts and leave arrangements can vary. Departments or units should use the same ISE form as faculty to document the choice of pay arrangement. LINK OR PROVIDED INTERNALLY, AS ABOVE?
Questions and contacts
For questions about faculty selection processes and the academic program in general, contact Prof. Mary Vogl, ISE-CSU Chief Academic Officer, at [email protected].
For questions about voyage employment processes, including documentation of choice of pay arrangement, contact ISE Human Resources at [email protected].
For questions concerning internal CSU financial arrangements, contact Cheyenne Hall, Budget Analyst for the Provost/EVP’s Office, at [email protected].