Conference and Travel Funding
Graduate students in the Department of Arts Administration, Education and Policy are eligible for up to $200 matching funds when presenting at a conference, until the funds from the Department run out. Since these are matching funds, students are required to obtain funds elsewhere first. Please go to the College of Arts and Sciences Graduate Student Funding page for information about applying for an “Arts and Sciences Graduate Research Small Grant,” the most common funding source for AAEP graduate students. The funds are available for conference funding each academic year (Fall-Spring). The department funding is only available to you if you 1) can prove paper acceptance; 2) have applied for, received, and exhausted external funding; and 3) have attended and/or participated in two AAEP sponsored (or co-sponsored) events during the academic year in which you seek funding. If you seek funding before you have had the opportunity to attend or participate in two AAEP sponsored (or co-sponsored) events, please simply list the two events you plan to attend that year on your plan of study.
You apply for AAEP conference funding by creating a Spend Authorization (SA) in Workday. You must upload proof of university funding, proof of conference acceptance, and the AAEP events page of your plan of study must be attached to your Spend Authorization. Failure to follow through on participation in the two AAEP sponsored (or co-sponsored) events that you have listed will impact eligibility to receive department funding the following academic year.
Students are to reach out to Michelle Attias or Nikki Davis with questions regarding conference funding and travel.
Process
Process Overview
Be accepted by a conference
Apply for & be granted OSU funds (Ex. ASC Small Grant: up to $700)
Compile applicable documentation for your Spend Authorization.
Create and submit a Spend Authorization (SA) in Workday.
Once SA is approved, start spending funds on travel expenses.
Submit Expense Reports (ER) in Workday.
Compile Documents for your Spend Authorization (SA)
Once you have been accepted to a conference and secured University Funding, you will create a Spend Authorization in Workday to be authorized to spend those funds and to request AAEP matching funds. Though you’ve been awarded funds, you do not have access to them until you create an SA and it gets approved.
A Spend Authorization is a well-documented estimate up to your total funds. Ex. If you receive the $700 ASC Small Grant and meet the requirements for the $200 AAEP matching funds, your SA should total no more than $900.
First step: collect the applicable documents below that will need attached to your Spend Authorization (SA):
Airfare
To use OSU funding to cover a flight you MUST book flights through OSU’s travel partners, Anthony Travel. Start by emailing Anthony Travel the following message: “I am an OSU graduate student, and I am requesting a nonrefundable, economy-level flight estimate based on the following info…” Attach or indicate the exact flights you want. Then Print-to-PDF the Anthony Travel-administered flight estimate email once they respond.
Once your SA is approved, respond to this email thread: “My Spend Authorization has been approved. Please proceed with booking the flight below against SA-0000XXXXXX.”
Mileage or Rental Car (if you elect to drive instead of fly)
Complete the Travel Comparison Form using the travel quotes below. Here is a sample form.
- Airfare estimate: follow airfare steps above to obtain an Anthony Travel-administered flight estimate email.
- Milage estimate: Google the milage it will take to drive to and from your conference. Screenshot the google maps page capturing the number of miles and route you plan to take.
- Rental Car estimate: pull an estimate from OSU’s Travel Rental Car Discount site (OSU login required); an estimate from any of the listed providers will do.
Lodging
Screenshot/PDF the conference website showing the conference hotel rate. Alternatively, screenshot/PDF a hotel or Airbnb estimate for the dates and location of your travel. This does not need to be the hotel/Airbnb you ultimately go with, but it can be. At this stage, we just need a reasonable estimate to upload to your SA. Do not exceed Lodging Per Diem Rates.
Conference Details
Screenshot/PDF the conference website that clearly shows where and when this conference will take place.
Conference Registration
Screenshot/PDF cost of registration.
Paper/Presentation Acceptance
Screenshot/PDF your notification of acceptance from the conference.
Proof of OSU Funds
Documentation showing you were awarded funds from OSU.
Plan of Study with Events
Screenshot/PDF your plan of study showing the 2 department events you have or plan to attend this school year.
Business Purpose/Justification
Write a robust business purpose (3-5 sentences) for this travel. You can write your own or utilize the template below:
“I will be attending the [Conference Name Spelled out, no acronyms] taking place in [City, State] from [Start Date] to [End Date]. I was accepted/invited to [present a paper, serve on a panel, perform etc.]. Participation in this conference will allow me to [explain what this conference will do for your research/professional development/networking etc.]
Create Your Spend Authorization (SA)
Log into Workday. In the search bar, type “Create Spend Authorization” and select that task from the dropdown menu. Open the “SA Walkthrough” PDF below and follow along to complete and submit your Spend Authorization.
REMINDER: You can only access your funds once your SA is approved! If there are any issues with your SA, it will be sent back to you in Workday with instructions to fix it.
Expense Report (ER) Prep
CONSULT NIKKI before starting any ERs!!!
RECEIPTS MUST BE SUBMITTED WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THE EXPENSE TAKING PLACE
Once your Spend Authorization is approved, you can begin paying for travel expenses. Within 30 days of an expense occurring, you must process an Expense Report (ER) in Workday connected to your Spend Authorization to get reimbursed. Here’s what you need to know:
Conference Registration
Submit your conference registration receipt that shows your name, date of payment, and payment type to get reimbursed.
Airfare
Your flights will be paid directly with your funding source once you give Anthony Travel your approved SA number. The OSU Travel office will process the airfare ER in Workday, so you will see one ER already connected to the SA. Nothing is required of you.
Mileage or Rental Car (instead of airfare)
Submit the same 4 attachments to ER as you did for Milage or Rental Car in your SA. If you rented a car, also upload your receipt. You will be reimbursed up to the cheapest travel option.
Lodging
Submit a screenshot/pdf of an itemized lodging receipt to get reimbursed. If you split room costs with another OSU student, make sure to reference their SA number in your lodging ER.