Faculty and students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study, research and work around the world, sometimes in challenging locations or during unexpected crises. Now, thanks to the work of a taskforce formed by the Office of the Provost, the university has launched the UNC Global Travel Registry, which allows members of the UNC community to provide information about trips abroad so that UNC can contact them and better assist them as needed. All students traveling abroad will be required to register their university-related trips in the online registry.
“Just since we began this process, we’ve needed to contact students in Mexico, Haiti, Egypt and Japan,” says Ron Strauss, executive associate provost and chief international officer at UNC. “We want to be able to reach out quickly in a crisis. This new registry will make it more possible to maintain the safety and health of our global community.”
The data in the registry will be secure and confidential. Entries will not be saved after the student or faculty member returns home. Access to the registry information will be strictly limited to the Office of the Provost and UNC Global. The registry went live in early August and is prepared to accept information about travel to all places outside the U.S.
The UNC Global Travel Registry captures identification and domestic contact information for travelers, information for a traveler’s emergency contact, travel dates and locations, and any specific local contact information for a particular destination. Travelers also are able to upload a personal image, if they wish.
Students on formal university-related travel, including study abroad, exchange programs, internships, service programs and research projects must enter their travel information in the registry. Personal recreational travel may be registered, but is not required. Registration will be optional for faculty and staff, but is encouraged so that they also may receive updates and alerts while abroad.
The UNC Global Travel Registry is online at http://globaltravel.unc.edu.
