With over 40 years of experience in Latin America, the Caribbean, the United States, and Canada, LASPAU offers a wide range of services in the evaluation, design, administration, and financial leveraging of academic and professional exchange programs. The LASPAU staff has extensive linguistic, cultural, educational, and practical experience in the region and works closely with clients and program sponsors to tailor services to the changing needs of the hemisphere.
LASPAU’s services in designing exchange programs include needs assessment, market surveys, goal establishment, and strategy development. LASPAU also offers program planning in the areas of promotion, recruitment, selection, placement, academic monitoring, financial management and leverage, and predeparture and reentry orientation.
Program Promotion LASPAU draws on its institutional network and individual relationships throughout the hemisphere to develop and implement tailored program promotion strategies. In addition to offering program information on its web site and in its semiannual newsletter, LASPAU provides targeted promotion in the region.
Recruitment and Selection Identification of the best-qualified candidates requires targeted, effective strategies, including building institutional networks and disseminating information to appropriate individuals. LASPAU assists sponsors in designing selection criteria and procedures; administering and evaluating English language tests and graduate entrance examinations; evaluating candidates’ application materials and qualifications; conducting interviews; and participating in the selection process.
Placement Vital to a program’s success is the careful matching of a grantee’s credentials and academic goals to the strengths and interests of a host institution. Using its extensive knowledge of academic and professional institutions, LASPAU staff places applicants in degree and nondegree programs, submitting grantees’ dossiers and discussing individual applicants with university admissions personnel. When possible, LASPAU secures financial assistance from collaborating universities.
Immigration LASPAU provides a DS-2019 form to fully funded grantees who will study in the United States, enabling them to obtain J-1 exchange visitor status for the length of their academic programs. If requested, LASPAU assists the grantee’s dependents to obtain the same immigration status. LASPAU is legally responsible for the grantee for the duration of the program, and the visa obligates a two-year residency upon return to the home country.
Health Insurance LASPAU assists grantees and their dependents with enrollment in economical health insurance programs through their host institutions or other group policies.
 Orientation LASPAU offers a variety of services to facilitate academic and cultural orientation. Options include predeparture orientation sessions, web-based orientation, and written materials pertinent to the program. Academic and cultural orientation programs in the host country familiarize grantees with the class formats, library systems, electronic networks, and research methodologies they will encounter during advanced study abroad.
English Language Training LASPAU provides testing in English language proficiency for grantees who will study in an English-speaking country. To ensure that language ability is not a barrier for otherwise well-qualified candidates, LASPAU arranges training for grantees who need to improve their English proficiency.
Advising, Monitoring, & Reporting LASPAU assists grantees throughout their academic programs and works with host universities and sponsoring agencies to ensure the timely completion of academic work and the achievement of individual, institutional, and sponsoring agency goals. Typically, LASPAU’s services include:
- reviewing academic objectives and the proposed plan of study with the academic advisor at the host institution
- advising the grantee on cultural adjustment, financial and legal matters, and other nonacademic issues
- clarifying for the grantee contract terms and conditions when resolving academic, financial, or procedural issues between the grantee and the sponsoring organization
- coordinating the process of grantee progress reports and assessment on an academic semester basis
- providing a written report each semester to the sponsoring organization on the overall trends and issues that affect grantees, including highlights, observations, and an analysis of overall academic performance
- reporting and resolving any anomalies or problems
Financial Services LASPAU provides a range of financial services in the following areas:
- making payments to host institutions for tuition, nonwaivable fees, health insurance, and other agreed-upon expenses on behalf of grantees
- making payments directly to the grantee for room and board, books, and other expenses covered by the sponsoring organization
- preparing quarterly financial reports outlining funds received, funds expended, and balances held or funds due
- preparing an annual budget, approved by the sponsoring organization, that reflects program costs for the grantees and an administrative budget for LASPAU services
Program Enhancements LASPAU designs and implements enhancement components that increase the overall value of a program for the sponsor and the grantee. While these are tailored to the particular program, some examples are:
- online discussion lists for grantees, sponsoring organizations, and others in related fields
- workshops for grantees in specific fields, conducted online and/or in person
- reentry workshops to assist grantees in job searches and in the process of reacclimation upon return to their home countries
- academic training or internship design and management
Given LASPAU’s excellent relations with a large network of U.S. institutions and the number of academically successful students and scholars placed and supported through the organization, LASPAU is able to obtain financial assistance from many universities on behalf of grantees. While the actual amount varies depending on the institution and the degree program, this assistance is often very generous and can take many forms, including scholarships, grants, and teaching or research assistantships.
For further information, please contact:
LASPAU
25 Mount Auburn Street
Cambridge, MA 02138-6095 USA
Tel: 617-495-5255
Fax: 617-495-8990
Email: laspau-info@calists.harvard.edu
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Program Design