University of Richmond

Faculty Travel Funds

Preface
The University provides support to faculty members for travel from three sources – the University Faculty Research Committee, faculty travel funds, and PETE funds. These sources support travel for research, for presentation of scholarly work at conferences, and for the enhancement of teaching, respectively. Most travel falls into one of these three categories, but it is possible to seek partial support from several categories if a trip has multiple purposes and outcomes.  

The term “faculty travel” refers to the special part of departmental budgets that support travel to professional meetings. It is not a generic term for all types of travel by faculty members. This document focuses only on the use of departmental faculty travel funds. 

Procedures
Faculty travel funds are provided to departments according to the number of continuing faculty. The chair of the department is responsible for travel allocation.  Faculty members are expected to request approval from their chair in advance for support from the faculty travel budget. The chair disburses travel monies, and the chair and Terri Weaver, Director of Budgets and Operations, approve the final expense/reimbursement report. Receipts for all expenses that are to be reimbursed must be attached to the report and must be submitted within 90 days of travel.  

Reimbursement limits  

  • You may be reimbursed for the full cost of transportation and conference registration expenses.
  • You may be reimbursed for the full cost of reasonable lodging.  (The chair should review/approve rate in advance.)  You may be reimbursed for total meal expenses up to a total of $50 times the number of nights away.
  • You may not be reimbursed for meal costs for others.  Please see Faculty Research travel support for expenses related to collaboration.  
  • Chairs may provide partial reimbursement as a way to make sure that sufficient funds are available to cover departmental travel over the course of the entire year.
  • If funds remain in the departmental travel budget at the end of the fiscal year, the chair may resubmit a copy of your original request for additional reimbursement up to the allowable amount.

Budget Management
 Because departmental travel needs vary and demand for travel funds depends on factors that change from year to year, some departments may have surplus funds in a given year while others cannot meet their needs. The A&S Dean's Office will consolidate all surplus funds near the end of the fiscal year and use them to cover shortfalls. The University does not allow shifting of monies into or out of the faculty travel budget. Hence, this budget cannot be used to cover other expenses or to balance other accounting lines.  

Use of Faculty Travel Funds
Faculty travel funds are for the support of participation in and attendance at professional conferences. They are not used for research travel nor are they used for teaching-related activities. Of course, participation in a professional meeting may enhance teaching and/or scholarship as a side effect. Preference is given to participants in conferences, although a Chair may approve support to simply attend the conference if that activity will result in professional development.

In some of the fine arts where conferences are not normal, faculty travel funds may be used for participation in activities involving intellectual discourse relevant to the faculty member’s discipline. For example, studio artists may wish to attend an exhibit where they can interact with curators, critics, and/or other artists; however, there must be some interaction with other professionals for support of this activity from faculty travel funds. It is important to remember the spirit in which the activity occurs. A conference is a gathering in which ideas or creative works are presented and discussed among professionally qualified individuals.

Special travel for professional service obligations is supported by the faculty travel budget. While business and committee meetings of professional organizations are often held in conjunction with annual conferences, this is not always the case. Nevertheless, faculty who are participants in business or committee meetings of professional societies or special projects supported by the academic community, e.g., PKAL, are eligible for faculty travel funds. If a department chair is unsure whether a trip meets the guidelines for use of faculty travel funds, he/she should discuss it with Associate Dean Susan O'Neil prior to approving the trip. Even if funds are available, the University does not normally allow faculty to use travel money for anything other than the purpose outlined above.