Personal and professional experiences in faculty exchanges and visits

This article reports on research in progress, the purpose of which is to examine the personal and professional experiences of faculty members from different universities and colleges in North America and abroad after they engage in academic visits and exchanges at other institutions of higher learning. The researchers are based at two United States and two Israeli institutions, but the visits and exchanges that flow into and out of these four institutions widen the field to include Canada, Africa, and the United Kingdom. We are also actively engaged in the solicitation of other participants through professional contacts and conferences. The goal of the research is to bring to light the difficulties, challenges, and rewards professional visits and exchanges involve, with the aim of making such experiences more productive. Improving the quality of faculty visits and exchanges can benefit the visitor, the host institution, and the visitor's home institution to which he or she will return, as well as contributing to intercultural understanding.