Fostering Academic Cooperation and Collaboration Through the

This study is a narrative analysis of participants ’ perceptions of the development of crosscultural awareness through The Faculty Research Abroad Program in Poland, a joint initiative between a regional campus of a Midwestern land grant university and a private university in Poland. The purpose was to foster academic cooperation and collaboration through a co-sponsored symposium on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Results from a survey of the 15 participating faculty members from the United States provided the basis for the development of the University Global Collaboration Model. The model depicts how awareness of culture, connection to others, and collaboration can result in tangible outcomes. The American faculty participating in the week-long sojourn in Poland experienced a different culture, but the short amount of time on-site attenuated the development of cultural awareness. Participants viewed the experience as havin