Conference Travel

Travel procedures for the 2019-2020 academic year
Updated November 13, 2019

Conference Travel Awards

The College is pleased to support the scholarly endeavors of our faculty, instructors, post-doctoral fellows and long-standing Instructors/Adjuncts. Subject to budgetary limits each fiscal year, awards for conference travel will be granted to eligible travelers with the goal of allowing up to two trips per year in order to maximize opportunities for continued professional development and contribution to the academy.  

A minimum of one request must be in a formal capacity, i.e. presenting a paper/research, chairing a panel, and so on.  The College strongly recommends that your first request is within a formal capacity to ensure prioritization of requests and funding. In order to ensure the most equitable use of travel funds to benefit all College faculty, the following guidelines have been updated for FY20.

Award Amounts (maximum per fiscal year)

Tenure & Tenure-Track Faculty
$3,800 ($3,800 total, for up to two conferences)

Visiting Assistant Professor, Year-Long & Full Time Temporary Faculty
$1,600 ($1,600 total for one conference)

Post-Doctoral Fellows
$1,200 ($1,200 total for one conference)

Pilot for January 2020 - June 2020
Instructors (including Adjuncts) that are serving the College by teaching a minimum of three courses per year and have a minimum of three years of service may request support for one conference.

$1,000 ($1,000 total for one conference).

This pilot will be revisited late spring on its success for determination of implementation for next fiscal year.

Procedure

  1. Review College Guidelines for Reimbursable Expenses and related university policies.
  2. Submit Conference Travel Form Request at least one month in advance of travel.
  3. Receive approval email with award details from Dean of the College Office.
  4. Submit Disbursement Voucher for all pre-paid expenses to the Dean of the College Office.
  5. Submit Travel Expense Voucher for all other trip expenses within one month of travel.

College Guidelines for Reimbursable Expenses

Travelers as expected to manage travel costs as prudently as possible. Please refer to the following policies and procedures prior to completing the Conference Travel Request Form.

  • Travel by Automobile
  • Travel by Air
  • Travel by Train
  • Lodging Documentation
  • Meals & Incidentals

    Effective January 1, 2018, the University has adopted the high-low per diem method for travel related Meals and Incidental Expense ("M&IE") for the lower 48 continental US. Effective October 1, 2018 the high per diem rate is $71 and the low rate is $60.     The federal regulations have also changed related to travel locations that may use the high per diem rate. Please see the Business Office website for the updated list of the high per diem rate locations.

    The local meal rate does not change.

    Please carefully review the new policy to determine costs associated with your request in order to complete the Conference Travel Form. The per diem method does not require maintaining receipts for meals and incidentals. Travel days receive 75% of the per diem rate for the day.

Conference Travel Form Request

When completing the conference travel request form, please provide as much detail as possible. In general, an eligible trip should fall in the $1,200 range (plus registration fee). Exceptions may be made for travel to high cost cities and/or internationally. Travelers may request funding for a second meeting if presenting a refereed or invited paper; organizing and presiding at a special session of a program; holding a major office in a professional association or society and required to attend its annual meeting; or giving an artistic performance or exhibition.

Disbursement Voucher

Travelers wishing to be reimbursed for pre-paid airfare and/or registration prior to conference travel, should submit a Disbursement Voucher to the Dean of the College Office (with appropriate documentation) and indicate on the form that this is a travel advance for authorized travel and list the conference and dates. This travel advance should then be recorded on the Travel Expense Voucher.

Travel Voucher

Travelers must submit a Travel Expense Voucher for all trip expenses, whether charged to a University credit card, personal credit card or paid by cash or check. Please work with your department administrative assistant to complete the travel voucher. The travel voucher must list every expense associated with the trip; there should be one (1) travel voucher per trip. Once a travel voucher has been processed, no additional expenses for that trip can be submitted for reimbursement. A spreadsheet may accompany the travel voucher, but cannot replace it.

The travel voucher and all receipts must be submitted to Michelle Rothenberger for reimbursement within one week of travel completion. Any travel voucher submitted more than a month after travel completion will be reviewed for funding availability before reimbursement.

Do not send the receipts to the Dean's Office without a completed travel voucher.