The Office of Global Partnerships is focused on strengthening relationships to advance innovation, research, education and commercialization efforts by linking companies, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, domestic and international universities, and alumni to Purdue. An integral part of that mission is the Global Academic Committee (GAC), chaired by Heidi Arola, Assistant Vice President, Global Partnerships and Programs and Director, Global Partnerships and Purdue-India Partnership.

The GAC consists of representatives from each college across campus who are responsible for global programs and initiatives as well as several administrative members who play an active role in international growth at Purdue. Together, the committee members provide the campus with an interdisciplinary and well-rounded approach to global issues, including evaluating:

• the academic merit, potential impact, and risks and benefits of new and ongoing global partnerships and programs,
• global trends as they affect Purdue’s worldwide activities and profile, and
• collaborative development of strategic campus-wide global initiatives.

Composition: The Global Academic Committee (GAC) is comprised of the Assistant/Associate Deans or designees of each College on the WL campus with responsibility for global activities, as well as administrative (ex-officio) representatives from other relevant units and campuses. 

Purpose: The Global Academic Committee (GAC) provides vision, recommendations and/or feedback to Purdue leadership and the University community on:

1. Purdue’s Global Strategy
   1. Global trends as they affect Purdue’s worldwide activities and profile
   2. Collaborative development of strategic campus- and university-wide global initiatives
2. Operational Matters
   1. University regulations and standard operating procedures for international partnerships and programs
   2. The academic merit, the potential impact, and the academic risks/benefits of new and ongoing global partnerships and programs as they enhance learning, discovery, and engagement The following activities involving WL faculty and staff require approval by the individual GAC member(s) whose college/unit(s) are involved:
      1. Standard international agreements (LOIs, MOUs, articulation agreements etc.)
      2. New study abroad programs
   3. The following activities involving WL faculty and staff require full GAC review and a formal recommendation—activities that:
      1. Will establish new Purdue degree programs delivered overseas or will deliver existing domestic programs overseas; OR
      2. Will require Purdue faculty to teach Purdue credit-bearing courses overseas, with the exception of short-term (less than one semester) study abroad courses; OR
      3. May require the registration of an entity overseas (i.e. Purdue or Purdue International, Inc. would be required to establish a legal entity in another country); OR
      4. Are brought to the GAC for review at the discretion of the Senior International Officer.
      5. Note: in the specific instances of international programs/activities that will ultimately require academic approval by the Provost and by the Board of Trustees, the GAC makes a formal recommendation on such activities in coordination with the Global Resource Committee to Purdue leadership according to Figure 1 in the attached document.

The GAC shall work together with its sister committee, the Global Resource Committee (GRC), for policy and operational guidance regarding compliance, risk, and liability issues related to new and continuing international activities. The GAC’s charge is to examine the academic issues related to international activities and ask the “What?” questions related to the potential academic implications of executing a program abroad (as opposed to within the US), and the “Why?” questions related to the activities’ merit and alignment with the university’s mission. The GRC’s charge is to answer the “How?” questions to ensure that Purdue complies with all relevant regulations and minimizes unnecessary risk to the university. See Figure 1 in this attached document.