Affiliation Agreement Internal Approval Process

Any agreement signed by or on behalf of the University with other universities, non-profit organizations or other entities, both international and domestic, must go through an internal review process prior to execution to ensure compliance with University policies and confirm institutional approval and support.

PRINCIPLES

• Any affiliated agreement with another university or other institution should advance Tufts' institutional mission and should enhance, not diminish, Tufts' standing in the academic community.
• All affiliated agreements will be subject to Tufts university-wide policies such as the Confidentiality and Use of Tufts' Name policies.
• Unless otherwise specified, all agreements will be automatically renewed each academic year for a period of five years. Prior to the end of the fifth year, the project or agreement must be re-submitted through the internal approval process.
• If the collaboration includes research, the project must go through the standard review process conducted by the Office of Research Administration on the appropriate campus.
• If the collaboration relates to the conferring of a new or joint degree, the project must go through the standard review process, including Trustee approval. The guidelines for proposing new degree programs can be found at http://provost.tufts.edu/1173277199936/Provost-Page-prov2w_1174240951211.html.
• All new agreements or sub-agreements must be submitted for review and approval through this process, even if an umbrella agreement with the same institution has already been approved.
• Sample agreement language is available via the web at http://provost.tufts.edu/1173277199936/Provost-Page-prov2w_1174240951140.html or at the Office of University Counsel (617-627-3337).
• Signature approval by the School Dean indicates that the Dean endorses and approves of the agreement and any resulting financial or administrative obligations.

PROCEDURES

• An Internal Approval Routing Form must be completed and signed before any new agreement is executed on behalf of Tufts University. A Routing Form should also be completed for each project or agreement that is being submitted for re-approval. (A copy of the Routing Form can be obtained on the web at http://provost.tufts.edu/1173277199936/Provost-Page-prov2w_1174240951140.html, or by contacting the Provost Office at 617-627-3931 or the Office of University Counsel at 617-627-3337.)
• The Routing Form should be signed by the Project Director, Department Chair and School Dean and then submitted with the draft agreement to the Provost Office, Ballou Hall, 1st Floor.
• The Provost Office will forward the Routing Form and draft agreements to the other administrative offices for review and approval as appropriate, including the Office of the University Counsel, the Office of Research Administration and/or the Office of Undergraduate Education.
• After approval, the original of the executed, final version of the agreement should be filed in the appropriate school Dean's office. A copy of the executed agreement should be submitted to the Office of the University Counsel.
• At the beginning of each academic year, the Provost Office will review the list of active agreements and will inform schools and programs of agreements expiring at the end of that academic year. Active and continuing programs should be re-submitted for approval. Program or project directors are responsible for completing the paperwork required for re-approval.

FORMS

The following documents are available for download:

Affiliation Agreement Guidelines (PDF format)

Affiliation Agreement Internal Approval Routing Form (Microsoft Word format)

Sample Affiliation Agreement (Microsoft Word format)

For more information, please contact the Provost's Office at 617-627-3931.