Travel Funds
The Geography Department has available funding from various sources to support departmental travel. This document details the policies and procedures for allocating these funds in an equitable and optimal manner, with due regard to the donors’ wishes.
Funding Sources
- Emory Fund: primarily for tenure and tenure track faculty travel to enhance their teaching of geography through travel to relevant sites of geographic interest.
- Eyre Fund: a similar aim to that of the Emory Fund.
- The Geography Fund.
- McNally Fund for Excellence in Geography.
General Funding Priorities
All trips furthering the mission of the Geography Department and within the realm of the donors’ wishes are eligible for funding.
In any one year, there are many demands on these funds. Funding priority will be given to requests where no other funding sources are likely to be available, or where good-faith efforts have been (or are being) made to obtain such funds. Add-on travel opportunities arising because of travel for other purposes and funded from other sources (e.g., explorations before or after professional meetings) are especially appropriate. Students and faculty members who seek matching funds from other sources will be given priority.
For Faculty, a 5-year Departmental Travel funding history will be maintained to facilitate an equitable distribution of resources and travel opportunities among faculty members.
For Graduate Students, highest priority will be given to those presenting papers at professional meetings, and to support high student attendance at such meetings.
Eligible trips
With the constraints imposed by the various funding sources, the following types of trips (in rough priority order) can be supported:
- Enhancement Travel for tenured and tenure track faculty. This is primarily for travel which enhances and stimulates their teaching, especially undergraduate instruction. Exploration directed towards new and evolving research agendas is also acceptable.
- Enhancement Travel for students. Funds may be used to support travel to conduct well-conceived exploratory research for degree purposes. Any travel proposal must have the prior approval of the student’s committee and a brief letter of support from the student’s Adviser. Use of Departmental travel funds for direct support of an established research project or agenda is allowed but discouraged. Under exceptional circumstances some support may be warranted.
- Support to present at professional meetings. For students, travel as noted in the General Funding Priorities is encouraged. For faculty, use of these funds for travel to national professional meetings is not appropriate. International meetings will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Application
Application as far in advance as possible of the proposed travel is encouraged, to assist in optimal resource allocation. There are two formal application evaluation periods each year – at the end of February and the end of September. Applications at other times, to respond to rapidly emerging opportunities or emergencies, will be treated on an ad hoc basis.
Application Process:
- Complete the “Travel Request Form” (copy attached) and return it to Barbara Taylor Davis.
- Students need to include a letter of support from their adviser, indicating that their Committee has recommended the travel.
- Faculty members need to indicate their 5-year departmental travel funding history.
- Applicants will be notified of the decision as soon as practical. Applications lacking the required information will be returned.
- All recipients of monies agree to provide a written synopsis of the travel upon completion of the trip. In addition, whenever appropriate, a direct report to thank the fund donor is strongly encouraged, with a copy of the report to the donor provided to the departmental Travel Committee
- All rules associated with state travel apply to Departmental travel (Questions to Dan Warfield)
Application Form ... [click here]
