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The Professional Travel Fund exists to support faculty scholarly engagement by sharing the cost of travel to discipline-specific meetings where work is normally shown after peer review. Full-time faculty and those on ongoing, long-term lectureships are eligible to use this resource. The fund prioritizes participation in national or international forums but also covers regional conferences when appropriate. Use of these funds helps faculty sustain research, creative work, and professional service by offsetting airfare, registration, and lodging when attending or presenting at verified academic venues, and by supporting activities in the arts and athletics under specified conditions.
Who is eligible and how the fund is intended to be used
Eligibility centers on active instructional staff: full-time faculty and long-term lecturers. The fund is intended for travel connected to formally organized scholarly or professional events where the faculty member participates in a scholarly role. To qualify for the higher presenter level, the activity should involve an active scholarly contribution such as a talk, paper, panel, or equivalent role. Athletics coaches and faculty in theater, dance, music, and studio art have specific allowances: arts faculty may attend exhibitions, studios, and performances, while athletic coaches may access funds for national conferences if they serve as an officer or provide a national-level presentation or similarly substantive role.
Funding levels, special cases, and continuity rules
The program distinguishes two primary reimbursement tiers. If a faculty member is presenting or performing an analogous scholarly role at one or more meetings, an annual maximum of $1,750 is available to help defray conference travel costs. For those who are only attending and not presenting, a maximum of $800 is allowed, and that attendee-only reimbursement may be claimed once per fiscal year. If a faculty member both attends one meeting and presents at another within the same year, the higher $1,750 limit applies. The funds are allocated from the college’s annual expenses budget and follow the fiscal year that runs from July 1 to June 30; unused dollars cannot be carried forward nor advanced from future years.
Arts faculty and coaches: tailored uses
Faculty in performance and visual arts may allocate professional travel funds toward attending shows, exhibitions, or studio visits that support their creative practice. For athletic staff, national conference travel qualifies when the coach holds an officer role in a national association or committee, or when the coach makes a presentation to a national audience. In both cases, documentation that demonstrates the scholarly or professional nature of the activity is required to justify the higher support level and to align with the fund’s goal of promoting discipline-specific engagement.
How to request reimbursement and what documentation is required
Reimbursements are processed only after travel has concluded and must follow federal and college policies. Submit requests promptly to Jason Scheideman using a completed Travel Expense Report. Original receipts are mandatory: airline ticket receipts or electronic payment confirmations must accompany air travel claims because itineraries alone are not acceptable proof of purchase. All travel costs should first be paid by the traveler, either on an employee charge card or a personal credit card, and receipts must clearly show the vendor, date, and amount. Monthly credit card statements alone do not substitute for original invoices.
By federal regulation the college cannot cover personal charges such as pet care, lawn maintenance, laundry, house sitting, child care, or fitness expenses during travel. When expenses are shared, the traveler should indicate their individual portion on the original bill or receipt; if a meal is split, print and circle the share. Beware that highlighting can obscure printed information on receipts, so avoid yellow highlighter over invoice ink. These practices ensure transparency and compliance with internal and IRS standards.
Advances, timing, and attachment checklist
Faculty may request a travel advance by completing an Advance Request form. Advances may be used for airfare, conference registration, and lodging, and the advanced amount is not recorded as an expense until the traveler files the Travel Expense Report after returning. All advances must be retired within ten days of the travel event either by filing the expense report or returning the funds by personal check; final reimbursement equals total allowable expenses minus the advance. Because Bates Accounting posts expenses only in the fiscal year when the travel occurs, trips taken in June must have reports submitted immediately after return, and trips spanning July 1 will be charged to the fiscal year in which the expenses occurred. Required attachments include a conference program cover page, a program page showing your name if you presented, a Google Maps mileage printout for personal vehicle reimbursement, all paid receipts, and a daily labeled sheet that receipts are taped to for orderly processing. Meal limits are noted: out-of-pocket meals should generally stay at or below $60 per day, and when total meals do not exceed $35 per day receipts are not required. For additional funding options, faculty can explore the Bates Faculty Development Fund and consult the Accounting Department website for complete instructions.