Guidelines

Guidelines Regarding Funding - 2009-2010

The following are guidelines for Faculty Development Committee travel requests.

All requests for funding should be received by the Office of Academic Affairs no later than the end of the month (i.e., the final working day of the University for that month) prior to the date of the proposed faculty development activity in order to be considered for funding. However, it is strongly encouraged that requests be submitted to the Office of Academic Affairs at least 30 days prior to the date of travel whenever possible. No retroactive requests are considered, and for the purposes of the FDC consideration, requests are not considered as retroactive if they are received within this timeframe, but the date of the faculty development activity occurs before the FDC has its regularly scheduled monthly meeting.
The Faculty Development Committee meets near the first of each month to review requests.
Faculty are notified by letter of the committee's decision. The letter comes from the committee chair and the Office of Academic Affairs.
Faculty development funds will be allocated to each academic unit on a pro rata basis, based on the total amount of the faculty development allotment. This year, 2009-2010, the total allotment was set at $56,899.
In order to maximize funding, academic units are expected to contribute at least 1/4 (25 percent) of the amount requested from the Faculty Development Committee. Deans need to reserve travel money (at least 25 percent of their share of faculty development funds) in order to supplement faculty development requests. For example, if a faculty member requests $800 from the Faculty Development Committee, they must have a minimum $200 commitment from the academic unit for a total of $1,000.
After the March meeting, any unused funds in an academic unit revert to a general pool for awarding to faculty in any academic unit. If all funds are not depleted by the April meeting, requests may be submitted for development activities during the months of May-June. The Committee may approve applications for activities occurring in July and August based on availability of faculty development funds in the next fiscal year.
Only one award is given per presentation. In other words, when there are co-presenters the equivalent of one award may be given to one of the presenters or may be split between co-presenters. If the presentation involves co-authors, and more than one author is traveling to a conference, you will need to justify why more than one author is requesting travel at University expense and rank the authors in order of importance.
The committee considers the following per trip maximum funding guidelines for in-state, out-of-state, and international activities:

In-state Out-of-state International

*Participating in a conference or workshop
$400

$800

$1,000

**Attending a conference or workshop
$300

$600

$750

*Participating is defined as presenting a paper or poster session, performing, serving on a panel, teaching a class, seminar or workshop, or fulfilling administrative duties as a member of a board or executive council of a conference or association.
**Currently, attending is only funded for travel in May or June, and only if funding is available at the April meeting.
The maximum funding per individual per year is $800 if all travel is domestic (continental U.S.). If any portion of the travel is international (including Alaska and Hawaii), the maximum per individual per year is $1,000.
Faculty must attach a copy of the program or meeting notification to the request for faculty development funds. The program or agenda should show starting/ending dates and times, and designated lodging, special rates, and any meals included in registration. If any meals are included in the registration fee, the amount claimed for per diem is reduced for each meal. If no meals were included in the registration fee, the following statement needs to be included on the summaries and voucher, "No meals included in the registration fee." If this statement is not included, the Business Affairs office will call and ask. If the travel claim is submitted to the state without this statement, it will be rejected and returned. If you stayed in non-designated housing, you will only be reimbursed at the in-state or out-of-state rate (not the full cost for lodging).
The primary purpose of the FDC is to supplement travel funds. Priority is given to faculty participating or presenting at a conference. For those presenting at conferences, documentation of your participation is needed. This documentation can be as simple as an e-mail from a conference official congratulating you on the acceptance of your paper. If you are a member of the board or executive council of a conference or association and are requesting funds for travel for your administrative duties, you will need to detail your activities (to justify your need for travel at University expense) and submit formal verification (e.g., webpage printout listing officers, letter/e-mail communication from the organization designating the position/office held, etc.) of the office/position that you hold showing the relevance to the conference/meeting being attended.
Faculty are expected to incur the initial expenses (airfare, registration, lodging) associated with the faculty development activity, and are then reimbursed for the approved expenses once the activity is completed.
Faculty members have a choice of claiming mileage or air fare, whichever is less. If traveling by automobile, the total amount of funds requested for mileage cannot exceed what it would cost to fly to the destination. You must document the amount of airfare at the time you fill out the application (please state the name of the approved vendor, the name of the agent that quoted you a price, the amount of air fare, and the date) along with other expenses associated with flying (travel to airport, parking at airport, and local transportation). Tickets may be purchased online, however you must also obtain an airfare quote from an approved vendor for the State of Oklahoma. The maximum amount of reimbursement is the quote from the state agency. If you are unsure whether or not an airline ticketing agency is approved, please call the Business Office.
Faculty are expected to submit the travel reimbursement summaries and voucher along with necessary receipts promptly following the activity and not later than 30 days following the trip, or the money is returned to the faculty development fund. Be sure to sign the claim summary. Claims that are not signed are sent back to the academic unit and will delay processing of your reimbursement. If you claim the cost of air fare, but drive your car, you need to write a memo stating the name of the travel agency, the agent you talked to, the amount of the air fare, and the date you checked the air fare.
Faculty need to submit a short (1 page) written summary of the activity and submit it along with the travel reimbursement summaries and voucher. If the report is not included, the travel summary and voucher are returned to the dean of the academic unit and will slow the processing of the claim. Do not mail separately or staple to claim.
The process for applying for faculty development funds is as follows. After an acceptance letter for a presentation is received, fill out the short application form and give it (along with the written acceptance documentation, i.e., letter or e-mail) to your Dean's office. Clearly print or type your name on the application. Faculty need to talk with the Dean about the 25 percent contribution from the academic unit since it must be indicated on the faculty development application. If approved, the Dean will sign the form and indicate the amount of funds from the academic unit and then forward the request to the Office of Vice President for Academic Affairs, who forwards the request to the Faculty Development Committee.
It is extremely important that faculty who receive faculty development awards notify the Office of Academic Affairs if they are unable to expend the monies. Early notification allows the money to be re-distributed to another faculty member. Written notice of the non-use of encumbered funds must be received in the Vice President's office no later than March 1, 2010.

	In-state	Out-of-state	International
*Participating in a conference or workshop	$400	$800	$1,000
**Attending a conference or workshop	$300	$600	$750