CRS Conference Travel Policy

Conference Travel Policy Word Doc

Travel to research conferences is a staple of professional academic life, providing valuable opportunities to present and receive feedback on one’s scholarship; to engage the scholarship of others; to serve in leadership roles; to network and recruit; to gain visibility and to promote. The CRS Travel Policy was last updated in 2004, its particulars reflecting the context in which the department existed a decade ago.

Here please find a revised policy based on the current state of the department (economic circumstances, size of faculty, research/conference profile of faculty, etc.). This policy will always be subject to revision depending on the contextual factors that shape the state of the department. Please note that CRS cannot pay for membership or registration fees.

1. Primary Faculty Funding. Faculty who are presenting research at domestic national, regional, or specialty conferences—accepted through competitive submission; invited for keynote, plenary, spotlight session; or other circumstances subject to approval—can receive majority funding for two trips per academic year (reimbursable expenses governed by the SU Travel Policy. Faculty presenting at international conferences, which typically are substantially more expensive, can receive one funded conference per academic year. Faculty members not presenting research but engaged in other activities, such as pre-conference seminars, workshops, or serving as panel respondent or chair, can receive one funded conference per year.
2. Supplemental Faculty Funding and Special Circumstances. Faculty presenting research at more than two conferences per academic year can apply for additional funding, approval dependent upon resource availability, number of requests, and approval by the chair. In years in which multiple faculty apply for supplemental funds the chair will prioritize allotments based on applications, and seek to achieve equity of distribution (though it may take more than one academic year to achieve). In some special circumstances research active faculty may apply for funding to attend conferences at which they are not on the program.
3. Graduate Student Funding. Students presenting research accepted for national, regional, or other appropriate and reputable conferences, subject to pre-approval by advisor and chair, can receive majority funding for one conference per academic year. Students will be expected in each instance to simultaneously apply for other supportive funds from the CVPA Office of Graduate Research, Graduate Student Organization, and/or other funding sources. Students presenting research at more than one conference, subject to pre-approval by advisor and chair, may seek additional funding; such requests will be prioritized below those of active research faculty.
4. Travel Request Form. For budgetary reasons, all requests for funding, primary or supplemental, must be submitted through a CRS Travel Request Form three months in advance of scheduled travel.