Student Conference Travel Fund

Academic Conference Travel Fund
for Middlebury College Students

Associate Dean of the College Karen Guttentag administers a fund through the Dean of the College office to support undergraduate student travel to academic conferences. This fund is designed to help students with the cost of attending academic conferences and symposia, particularly events where students are presenting papers, participating on panels, or otherwise taking an active part in the program. The fund is primarily intended to support student travel in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, where faculty tend not to have access to grants that include funds for student academic travel.


What defines an academic conference?
An academic conference is an event that meets all of the following guidelines:

1. The primary intended audience members are students and professional researchers, scholars and educators.
2. The majority of conference presenters are professional scholars.
3. The conference's primary purpose is to share and advance scholarship in a given field.
4. Conferences that are located at or sponsored by a university but do not meet all of the above criteria are not considered academic conferences.

There is no question that there are many terrific conferences of a non-academic nature that relate directly to students' academic interests and would further their research. Unfortunately, this particular fund is limited solely to academic conferences.

• This fund is not designed to cover expenses associated with student research. Seniors' research expenses may be partially supported by the Senior Work Fellowship or Senior Work Fund.
• It is intended to support expenses associated with short-term conferences of one week or less. It cannot be used to cover the costs of multi-week summer or Winter Term courses, institutes, or workshops.
• It is designed to cover expenses incurred by individual students, not student organizations. Student organizations that wish to send delegations to academic events should seek support from the SGA Finance Committee.
• It is not intended to support travel for academic purposes that does not involve academic conference attendance.

Applying to the Academic Conference Travel Fund
Applications for support from the Student Academic Conference Travel Fund may be e-mailed or submitted in hard copy to Karen Guttentag in the Dean of the College Office in Meeker house well in advance of the conference or symposium for which travel funds are sought. It is important to submit proposals early enough to take advantage of advance-purchase travel discounts (we advise at least one month before planned travel). This enables us to better allocate the limited funds and fund a greater number of trips. We will set aside some funds for unexpected opportunities but ask that if at all possible, you plan and estimate your financial needs early so that you may best take advantage of your grant. Applications must be endorsed by the student's faculty adviser or department chair.

Please note that the limitations of our budget may dictate that not all students can be fully funded to attend their conference of choice. When large groups of students wish to attend the same conference, Dean Guttentag will work with the sponsoring department or faculty member to develop an equitable approach.


Applications should contain the following information:

1. A description of the conference or symposium that the student would like to attend. Please include a copy of the conference announcement or brochure if one is available, or if materials are on line, a link to the Web site.
2. An explanation of how attendance at the conference or symposium would enhance the student's program of study.
3. An estimated budget for travel costs and supporting documentation as available.
4. A brief statement from the academic adviser indicating support for the student's conference attendance and verification that it is consistent with the student's academic direction.

The fund may be used to cover the following expenses:

• Conference registration fees.
• Meals and lodging while attending a conference.
• Costs of travel to and from the conference.
  • Students who drive to nearby events will be reimbursed at the rate of $0.50 per mile.
  • Students who travel by air or train must travel on the lowest fare available, as determined by Accent Travel, even if this requires a change of plane or indirect routing.
  • Incidental travel expenses, such as airport parking, bus or taxi from airport to conference location, etc.

Reimbursement
The maximum amount of support available from this fund to a single student is $800 per academic year.  Students presenting papers or actively participating in a conference program are eligible for grants of up to the maximum amount of $800.  Students who wish to attend a conference, but not participate on the program, may receive grants of up to $500, although applications for such travel grants will receive lower priority than those from students who are presenting papers.  The fund will not provide travel advances, although airline and train tickets may be charged directly to the fund through Accent Travel. Students must submit receipts for reimbursement when they return from their trip. The deadline for submitting receipts for reimbursement for travel during the 2007-08 academic year is June 2, 2008. Please submit all receipts attached to the enclosed completed form:
Student Conference Travel Form Summary

Questions
Questions about the Student Academic Conference Travel Fund may be addressed to Penny Deacon, Assistant to the Associate Dean of the College, at 802-443-5771, or by e-mail at pdellven@middlebury.edu.