The Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs administers the Faculty Travel Benefit for the purpose of supporting faculty attendance at professional and scholarly meetings.

1. DESCRIPTION. The travel benefit supports attendance at one professional meeting per fiscal year for each faculty member on at least half-time appointment for the full academic year. All such faculty, including those on paid research or study leave, are eligible for this benefit. Support for attendance at additional conferences may be available through the Faculty Development Fund (see below) or special funds, which occasionally become available.

The Vice President for Academic Affairs also supports faculty attendance at seminars, workshops, and conferences sponsored by consortia to which the College belongs, such as the GLCA or the Ohio 5. Occasionally, support is provided for faculty attending conferences for specific institutional purposes.

2. TRAVEL. The benefit provides round-trip coach airfare for direct flights between local airports (Akron-Canton, Cleveland, or Columbus) and the destination city. Faculty traveling from other destinations or who wish to make stopovers will be reimbursed for the least expensive direct fare from local airports. Faculty are urged to take advantage of advance reservation fares and to make every attempt to locate the most economical fare available.

International trips are also supported by the benefit, but neither for domestic nor inter-national flights will the College reimburse more than $600. The benefit also covers the cost of transportation of one roundtrip to the local airport and long-term airport parking, up to a maximum of $100, plus the cost of shuttles or taxis between the destination airport. (Mileage for one roundtrip to and from the Cleveland Airport is 100 miles; Akron-Canton Airport is 85 miles; Columbus is 200 miles.)

PLEASE NOTE: If a faculty member chooses to drive to a conference, the College will pay mileage at its standard rate up to the cost of an advance reservation economy airfare. In order to be reimbursed for mileage, you must provide the following documentation for each trip:

(a) dates of the meeting/conference;
(b) name of the meeting/conference attended;
(c) documentation from a travel site, such as Mapquest, showing the mileage between the beginning and ending points of the trip;
(d) advance reservation airfare documentation showing what it would have cost to fly to the conference; and
(e) support for the mileage claimed, namely the Faculty Travel Benefit.
This mileage expense documentation is a College policy, as well as an IRS requirement, in order for your reimbursement to be tax free.

3. OTHER SUPPORT. Faculty members may be reimbursed up to a total of $500 for the combined costs of registration, lodging, and meals. Faculty members may be reimbursed a total of $725 if they are presenting a paper or otherwise making a substantial scholarly contribution to the conference. (This benefit works on a reimbursement basis only; advances, stipends, or per diem requests will not be approved.)

4. ALUMNI AND PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS. Occasionally, faculty members are able to speak with groups of alumni or engage in admissions activities on such trips. Faculty are asked to indicate when they are able and willing to do so.

» Request Form for the use of the benefit.
» Expense Worksheet Form for the use of the benefit.
» Employee Expense Reimbursement Form

Please observe the following guidelines when using the Faculty Travel Benefit:

Submit the Faculty Travel Benefit Request Form prior to taking your trip. This form is available on the web at http://www.wooster.edu/vpaa/secure/travelrequest.pdf.
The Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs will not authorize payment for airfare from Flair Travel for the Faculty Travel Benefit without prior notification from the faculty member. If airfare is not arranged through Flair Travel, it must either be paid with a credit card and reimbursed with the Employee Expense Reimbursement Form (EERF) or purchased by the faculty member with a College purchase order.
If one or more faculty members travel to the same meeting, expense reports and receipts must be submitted individually.
Your completed, signed Employee Expense Reimbursement Form must accompany all receipts for reimbursement and must be submitted in U.S. currency. Each receipt must show the U.S. dollar amount. (Please note: the Approval Signature on the Employee Expense Reimbursement Form is to be that of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, not the faculty member or the department chair.)
Receipts must be the original, itemized, detailed receipts stating what items have been paid. Copies will not be accepted. Credit cards slips and/or copies – except in the case where two people are sharing the same, original, detailed receipt – will not be accepted. If a
receipt is not available, a “Missing Receipt Affidavit” must be submitted in its place. This form can be found on the administrative resources website at https://secureweb.wooster.edu/secureweb/administrative/pdfs/travel/missingreceipt.pdf
The Faculty Travel Benefit does not pay for the following:

Items marked “Room Service”
More than one alcoholic beverage per person per meal
Internet Service
Telephone Charges
In-Room Movies
Health Club Fees
Laundry Fees
Sundries
Pet/Babysitting services
Personal Items

All vehicle rentals are to be pre-approved through the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and are to be arranged only through the College Vehicle Scheduling Department.
If you require an airport shuttle, there are two ways for this to be arranged. Through the College Transportation Department, charge the full amount of the airport transportation to your department. When the department receives the full statement of the transportation charge, please notify the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs to transfer $100 to reimburse the department. Or you may simply contact Wayne-Holmes Transportation (330/262-3100) to arrange services to the airport and then be reimbursed up to the maximum of $100.
To assist you in figuring your benefit, the Faculty Travel Benefit Worksheet Form is also on this website for your convenience.
This benefit applies only to members of the faculty on at least half-time appointment for the full academic year.

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FACULTY DEVELOPMENT FUND

Grants from the Faculty Development Fund, administered by the Dean of the Faculty, are available to support faculty projects in teaching, research, and scholarship. Such grants may be used to assist with the expenses of a second conference (i.e., in addition to the conference supported by the Faculty Travel Benefit) if the faculty member is presenting a paper or poster or chairing a session. Funds also may be requested to provide support for the cost of:

manuscript preparation and publication;
travel necessary for teaching and research projects;
specialized computer software for research purposes only (such purchase remains the property of the College);
participation in a Midwest Faculty Seminar or Wye Seminar; and
student assistance for research (clerical work only).

Proposals may be submitted at any time. Requests by e-mail are preferred when possible. As funds each year are limited, faculty are reminded that not all expenses can be covered. As this is particularly the case for support requested for the summer, faculty are encouraged to submit requests early. Normally, requests are processed within two weeks. Requests for over $600 will be considered by the Faculty Development and Research Committee, which is appointed by the Dean. Members of the Committee for 2007-2008 are Henry Kreuzman (Philosophy), Anne Nurse (Sociology and Anthropology), and Mark Wilson (Geology).

Proposals should be sent to the Dean of the Faculty at least two weeks in advance. Retroactive requests will not be considered. In preparing proposals, please observe the following guidelines:

Proposals should include a clear description of the relation between the request and one’s development as a teacher or scholar.
Proposals should include a detailed and itemized list of expenses; where exact figures are not available, provide a reasonable estimate.
If the proposal is for support for a conference, indicate how you have used or intend to use the regular Faculty Travel Benefit. If it is not a conference, please include a rationale for the project – an explicit description of methodology and anticipated outcome.
Support cannot be provided to supplement the Faculty Travel Benefit.
Support for travel may be limited; airfare reimbursement may not exceed $600.
Cost of meals is not covered.
Funds are not available to faculty on leave.
Funds cannot be used for the purchase of equipment, office furnishings, or computer hardware.
For 2007–2008, the Committee will reserve a limited number of awards each semester with higher airfares (up to $1,200) to support international travel.

In some cases, a written report on the use of the funds may be required.

» Employee Expense Reimbursement Form

Please observe the following guidelines when submitting receipts for reimbursement from the Faculty Development Fund:

Airfare must be paid using a credit card and submitted for reimbursement using the Employee Expense Reimbursement Form (EERF).
The benefit also covers the cost of transportation of one roundtrip to the local airport and long-term airport parking, up to a maximum of $100. Mileage for one roundtrip to and from the Cleveland Airport is 100 miles; Akron-Canton is 85 miles; Columbus is 200 miles. If a faculty member chooses to drive to a conference, the College will pay mileage at its standard rate up to the cost of an advance reservation economy airfare. In order to be reimbursed for mileage, you must provide the following documentation for each trip:
If one or more faculty members travel to the same meeting, expense reports and receipts must be submitted individually.
Your completed, signed Employee Expense Reimbursement Form must accompany all receipts for reimbursement and must be submitted in U.S. currency. Each receipt must show the U.S. dollar amount. (Please note: the Approval Signature on the Employee Expense Reimbursement Form is to be that of the Dean of the Faculty, not the faculty member or the department chair.)
Receipts must be the original, itemized, detailed receipts stating what items have been paid. Copies will not be accepted. Credit cards slips and/or copies – except in the case where two people are sharing the same, original, detailed receipt – will not be accepted. If a receipt is not available, a “Missing Receipt Affidavit” must be submitted in its place. This form can be found on the administrative resources website at https://secureweb.wooster.edu/secureweb/administrative/pdfs/travel/missingreceipt.pdf
All purchases of goods or services from external vendors funded through a Faculty Development Fund grant must be made using a College purchase order. Original invoices should be presented to Connie Pattin for processing. It is the responsibility of the faculty member to file with the Business Office a completed, signed “Substitute W-9/New Vendor Form” prior to submitting an invoice for processing to the Dean of the Faculty office.
The College is exempt from Ohio Sales Tax due to its status as a Section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization per the Internal Revenue Code. Consequently, the College as a rule will not pay or reimburse Ohio Sales Tax, except for meal and lodging taxes for approved official business. The College’s tax exempt form is available online at https://secureweb.wooster.edu/secureweb/administrative/pdfs/travel/tax_exemption.pdf
Approved Faculty Development Fund awards are made only on a reimbursement basis or through a College purchase order.

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT GRANTS FOR INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES

The College has received a gift from an anonymous donor to be used for travel and other expenses of faculty members attending international conferences to present a paper. Each academic year, four or five grants will be available, with each grant not to exceed $3,500. Grants will be awarded on the basis of merit. Grants will be limited to one applicant per international conference per academic year.

The grants are intended to enable faculty members to attend an international conference and present a paper that the individual normally would not be able to do without the additional monetary support. Grants are available only to multi-year visiting or tenured/tenure-track fulltime faculty members. Grants are not available during a leave from the College.

The funds are administered by the Dean of the Faculty, in consultation with the Faculty Research and Development Committee. Please observe the guidelines for Faculty Development proposals as listed above.

LUCE FUND FOR DISTINGUISHED SCHOLARSHIP.

The Luce Fund enables members of the faculty to bring to completion works of major scholarly significance on which substantial progress already has been made. In addition, a “venture” scholarship fund will support a small number of projects, which are in their early stages and show promise of true distinction. The amount available is approximately $80,000. Applications are solicited in August and are due October 1. Awards are made by the President, on the recommendation of a committee consisting of the Vice President, the Dean of the Faculty, and the Chair of the Leaves Committee. Instructions for application to the Luce Fund is forthcoming.

WILSON RESEARCH AWARDS.

The Wilson Fund, administered by the Dean of the Faculty, provides support to encourage faculty research in the natural sciences and mathematics. The amount available annually is approximately $12,000. Contact the Dean for information on the fund. Applications normally are solicited in January.

FELLOWSHIPS AND GRANTS (from external sources)

The offices of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Dean of the Faculty assist faculty members in obtaining fellowships, grants, and other research support from various external sources. In particular, John Neuhoff, Director of Research and Grants, will notify individual faculty members and groups of faculty members of grant opportunities that arise in relevant areas of interest and can assist faculty members in the grant application process. Information is available online at http://www.wooster.edu/grants/ or by contacting jneuhoff@wooster.edu or calling extension 2475.

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Faculty Research & Travel (Memo as .pdf)

Faculty Research & Travel
(Memo as .pdf)