From:           B. Oliver Walter, Dean

Subject:        LONDON SEMESTER PROFESSORSHIP--Spring 2010

Deadline:       March 3, 2008

To provide longer lead time for faculty and departments, the Central Committee will decide in March on London Semester faculty for spring 2010.

The London Semester offers faculty opportunities to teach and pursue research.  Duties include teaching two courses, supervising Wyoming students in A&S 2200:  British Life and Culture (a mandatory S-U course meeting the USP “G” requirement), and pursuing appropriate research.  Located in central London (Bloomsbury), the program offers access to museums, libraries, theaters, historic sites, and other resources of a major urban area.  We now need to select faculty members for spring 2010.

Courses in London are taught by faculty from a consortium of American universities, each of which sends a faculty member and a group of students.  Students choose from the courses taught by these instructors and courses taught by resident British faculty.  

Faculty members selected to go to London need to help publicize the program on campus and to be available to prospective students.  While in London, they serve as a link between London Semester students and the Laramie campus.

CRITERIA:

Interested faculty should submit course descriptions (including book lists, syllabi, and an account of how the course will make use of the resources of London), examples of relevant teaching evaluations for at least one of the courses submitted, a description of your plans for A&S 2200, a two-page vita, a brief description of the research to be pursued that makes use of the setting, and a letter of support from your department head.  At least one course (beyond A&S 2200) should fulfill University Studies requirements, and one course should be lower-division.  The Central Committee makes the selection based on the appropriateness of the courses, the need for a diversity of course offerings, and the merits of the research proposal.  Please bring your application materials to the Dean's Office by March 3, 2008.

The London Semester typically runs from the first week in January to the beginning of April.  In addition to their regular salaries, the London Semester faculty member receives one round-trip plane ticket (Denver/London), a limited amount for course expenses, and a small subsidy for added living expenses (approximately $150 for each Wyoming student who enrolls).  This additional support certainly won't cover all the additional expenses.  To justify sending a faculty member to London, the program must enroll 10 students.  In most years this minimum is met.  If a couple applies, support is only given to one faculty member.

Financial Tip:

We recommend that you talk to your own accountant or tax advisor. 

When in London, professors are on temporary assignment, away from their usual workplace, and the IRS allows them to use the State Department per diem rate to figure expenses.  As you might guess, it is a lot simpler than keeping records of actual expenses and it is a lot more beneficial.  The rates are found on the following URL:  http://aoprals.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=184&menu_id=78 .The rates change every month, and to find the London rate, just go to the excel spread sheet for one of the months listed, go down to United Kingdom, and check out the London rate. 

Example:   Recently the rate has been $518 per day.  If that is the rate in the spring of 2010, and if you are in London for 120 days, and if you are in the 25% tax bracket, you should see something like an actual dollar reduction in income taxes owed for 2010 of $14,480 ($518 x 120 = $62,160 x .25 = $15,540).

Duncan and others have used the allowance discussed, and it has not been challenged by the IRS.

For more information, please contact Duncan Harris (6-4110).