School of Arts and Sciences Policy on Travel

To ensure that the School's travel funds are used efficiently, each department chair should collect his/her faculty's anticipated travel plans for the academic year as early in the year as possible. The department chair will expect justification for the travel and when applicable, an explanation of how the proposed travel fits into the approved Professional Development and Scholarship plan filed during the individual's most recent faculty evaluation cycle (this need not be in writing). This will not preclude a faculty member from submitting a request to travel later in the year, nor will it guarantee that an early submission for a low priority activity will be approved.

When the department chair indicates that a request to travel will be approved, the faculty member requesting travel will submit a completed Request to Travel form to the department chair. The department chair indicates approval by signing the Request to Travel form and submits the form to the dean's office for the dean's approval. The dean will notify the faculty member and the department chair of his action on the request.

Upon returning from approved travel, the faculty member will submit the travel expense report (and all required receipts) to the dean's office.

Because funding for travel is limited, funds will be allocated according to the following priorities.

Category I, Highest priority: the School of Arts and Sciences will attempt to fund all reasonable travel expenses in this category

• Travel to meetings of USG BOR advisory committees, national accreditation organizations, national professional organizations, and similar meetings where business critical to the function of the program, School, University, or profession is handled.
• Travel in support of significant scholarly activities, such as
  • invited lectures
  • presenting keynote addresses
  • speaking at special symposia or delivering refereed papers at prominent meetings or conferences
  • to offset the expense of sponsored visiting professorships.
• Travel in support of instructional activities, such as setting up field trips, obtaining materials for lecture or lab, or attending program planning sessions or off-campus faculty retreats.
• Travel to promote or raise funds for the University or to recruit students for the University, in activities sponsored or endorsed by the Office of Student and Enrollment Services or the Office of Advancement.

Category II, Medium priority: the School of Arts and Sciences will attempt to fund most reasonable travel expenses in this category

• Travel to professional conferences or meetings to present refereed papers.
• Travel to avail oneself of approved professional development opportunities, such as attending short courses or workshops, taking courses for academic credit, or enrolling in a degree or certificate program.
• Travel for the purpose of conducting research or acquiring data for scholarly purposes when funding cannot be obtained from external sources.

• Travel to attend professional conferences or meetings to present non-refereed papers or posters, or as a non-presenter.
• Other travel with no significant benefit to the University or to the teaching, service, professional development, or scholarship activities of the requesting faculty member.