Policy Author:
Faculty Senate
Responsible Office – Department:
Faculty Senate
Effective Date of Policy:
Fall 2022
Purpose:
Establish guidelines and procedures for faculty wishing to receive reimbursement for travel expenses
Scope:
Faculty, the Travel Committee and the Faculty Research Committee
NOTE: Travel funding requests for professional conferences should be submitted to the faculty Travel Committee. Requests for Reassigned Time, Research Stipends, Sabbaticals, and Leaves of Absence should be submitted to the Faculty Development Committee. Travel funding requests for research purposes should be submitted to the Faculty Research Committee.
A. Faculty Travel Committee Appointment and Purpose
Taken from Faculty Handbook:
https://my.daemen.edu/faculty-staff/faculty-handbook/full-time/handbook.pdf
- The Faculty Travel Committee is appointed by the Faculty Senate at the beginning of the Fall Term of the Academic Year (see Faculty Handbook, Article V).
- The Committee consists of six members with equal divisional representation. Effort will be made to sustain some continuity.
- The Committee chooses its Chairperson, who organizes meetings and announces fall and spring due dates for applications. The Chair may also solicit budget information from Department Chairs or Divisional Deans to clarify other available funding for specific applications.
- The Committee will recommend awards to the Vice President for Academic Affairs in both fall and spring to support eligible faculty travel to professional conferences.
B. Application Process and Eligibility
1) The application form is available electronically at the Faculty
Affairs website:
Application Form:
https://forms.gle/WmSYqXRzVzDNnVbp8
Faculty Affairs:
https://sites.google.com/daemen.edu/facultyaffairs/home
2) All Travel Arrangements must be handled through the Office for
Academic Affairs, which will coordinate with the Business Affairs
guidelines for Travel and Entertainment:
https://businessaffairs.daemen.edu/travel-entertainment/
3) Applicants must submit the application form electronically to the
Chairperson of the Committee by the due date (TBA by Chairperson
early in semester) for consideration in that semester.
4) Designated Funding: Some departments’ accreditation or certifying
bodies require designated funding for professional development;
others do not. Tenured or Tenure-Track faculty from departments with
designated conference travel funds must first exhaust those funds
before seeking additional funding from this committee to present
research at conferences. These applications will only be considered
after Tenure-Track/Tenured faculty requests in C.1.a and C.1.b
(below) have been fulfilled in spring semester.
5) Non-Designated Funding: All Tenured or Tenure-Track faculty without
designated conference travel funds are eligible to apply for these
resources. Applicants must indicate their department’s designated
funding status on the application form, itemizing all requested
funds, including any already covered through departments or external
sources.
6) Non-TT/T Clinical Faculty or Instructors must use available
designated departmental funds for conference expenses. Any request
for additional resources must be submitted to the Department Chair,
endorsed by the Divisional Dean and submitted to VPAA for
consideration.
C. Funding Allocation Process and Priorities
1) Eligible Faculty performing the following roles will be considered
for travel funding, in descending order of priority:
a) Presenters of original work (e.g., paper, poster or invited
talk) at a professional conference;
b) Chairs/Organizers of panel presentations or Participants in
roundtable discussions;
c) Attendees at professional conferences related to the
applicant’s field (only if funds are still available in
spring after “a” and “b” categories are fully covered).
2) Because of limited resources, the Committee may be unable to fully
recommend funding for travel to conferences. All eligible faculty
without designated departmental funding for conference travel (see
B.5) will be considered for up to two conferences per
budget year.
Those attending but not presenting (C.1.c above) and those eligible
for designated travel funds (B.4) will only be considered if
sufficient funds remain after both fall and
spring applications have
been filled for those in category C.1.a & b (above).
3) The Committee will spend no more than 50% of its annual budget in
the fall semester. Spring requests will be awarded at the same
percentage as the fall requests and any remaining funds will be
distributed equally among both fall and spring requestors
(including those with designated funds) to maximize coverage of
their expenses.
D. Administrative Approval and Oversight
1) The Committee will forward its recommendations with any supporting
materials to the Vice President for Academic Affairs within two
weeks of the due date for applications.
2) If approved by the VPAA, a requisition with all original receipts
must be submitted to the Business Office in order to complete
reimbursement. Credit card expenses for accommodations are NOT
acceptable; itemized hotel receipts are required. All receipts must
be accompanied by a signed requisition form and submitted through
the Committee Chair.
a) If application is submitted before actual travel, expenses
should be estimated with receipts and any deliverable (e.g.,
paper/poster, PowerPoint, etc.) submitted through the
Committee Chair upon return from the conference.
b) If application for funding follows actual travel, original
receipts for all expenses must be submitted with the
application, including any deliverable documentation.
3) Application form requires appropriate conference documentation,
e.g., conference program, correspondence on original letterhead (see
upload links on application form). If presenting a paper, include a
copy of paper or an abstract. Other types of presentations or forms
of conference participation should be described in detail.
4) All approved applications and documentation of deliverables will be
maintained in a repository by the Office of the VPAA on an annual
basis. The Committee may review the repository for previous awards
when making recommendations.
E. Revisions to Travel Guidelines
If the Travel Committee would like to propose changes to these guidelines, the Chair
should discuss these changes with the Faculty Senate for its approval.