Partnership Practicalities: Beyond Compliance

At the University of California-Merced (UC-Merced) Extension, there are no traditional partnerships. Since the program works with a wide range of nontraditional and nonmatriculating partners, it’s critical that senior international officers (SIOs) and other leaders carefully examine the legal, financial, and regulatory aspects of the partnerships for which they are responsible. 

“I work for a public research institution, and everything I have to do has to uphold its status,” says Annette Roberts Webb, dean of UC-Merced Extension. “I have to work with that mindset first and foremost.”

While that responsibility is nothing new, the changing geopolitical landscape has intensified compliance efforts in some cases, even as some states, including Texas and Florida, have established their own guidelines around international engagement. Currency devaluation and inflation have brought on new financial risks that institutions may not have had to consider for years. Additionally, public-private partnerships are becoming more prevalent, including collaborations on U.S. and international campuses with industry players in research and development. And there is a growing call for more sustainable and equitable relationships with partners in developing regions. All of these factors have widened the lens of due diligence for partnerships.

“If money is changing hands, if research is changing hands, the regulatory and legal responses play a big part in the front end so we don’t have any surprises at the back end.” —Kalpen Trivedi

“The legal and regulatory framework is only getting more complex,” says Kalpen Trivedi, vice provost for global affairs and director of the International Programs