Purpose of the Faculty Travel Pool
The Faculty Travel Pool is a Bryn Mawr College program that supports the scholarly development of faculty members on continuing appointment in tenured, tenure track,
and Continuing Non-Tenure Track (CNTT) positions and on continuing appointment in the Athletics and Physical Education department.
Travel reimbursed by the Faculty Travel Pool is considered to be official College business travel. All official College travel must comply with the College’s Travel Expense Policy (FY09).
Travel Activities eligible for the Faculty Travel Pool
An eligible faculty member may apply for support for multiple eligible trips within one fiscal year (June 1 – May 31), as long as the total amount requested remains within the faculty member’s fiscal-year allocation of $1,800.
Academic Departments
Support is limited to those who deliver papers, present at a poster session, chair a session, provide invited comments at a conference and/or sit on the boards of professional associations.
Tenure-track faculty may also seek for reimbursement for expenses incurred at one meeting in which they do not appear on the program as a panelist or contributor.
CNTT faculty may use the Faculty Travel Pool for conferences and workshops that are pedagogically oriented.
Athletics and Physical Education
Support is limited to professional conferences and/or clinics that enhance the professional development of the individual faculty member as well as the department as a whole. The Director of Physical Education and Athletics must pre-approve all travel requests intended to be reimbursed by the Faculty Travel Pool.
Travel ineligible for Faculty Travel Pool
In some cases, the College will provide support for other kinds of professional activities—for example, travel expenses associated with holding major professional offices or serving on policy-making advisory boards. Faculty should send written requests for such support to the Provost in advance of the conference.
Grant-supported Travel
Those members of the faculty receiving support through research grants are advised to cover travel expenses for their professional activities from the travel line in their grant budgets before applying for reimbursement from the Faculty Travel Pool.
Travel paid by Faculty Research Funds
Travel reimbursed by Faculty Research Funds is considered to be official College business travel. All official College travel must comply with the College’s Travel Expense Policy (FY09).
Reimbursements for travel expenses to be paid by a faculty member's Research Fund should be submitted to Nona Smith, Director of Sponsored Research.
The Provost expects that Faculty using the Faculty Travel Pool will make travel arrangements that are cost-effective and prudent uses of the College’s professional support resources.
The College’s Travel Expense Policy permits the use of the federal domestic and per diem rates for approved travel. The College’s Travel Expense Policy sets forth the meals and lodging amounts that are eligible for reimbursement.
The Policy also sets forth the acceptable modes of travel and the authorized fares for the various modes.
Timing and Availability of Financial Support and Reimbursements
An eligible faculty member’s annual allocation is valid for the current fiscal year (June 1 – May 31). Unspent allocations are not carried forward from one year to the next.
Requests for expenses incurred in a prior fiscal year will not be reimbursed. (In this case, a faculty member may, however, choose to deduct these as unreimbursed business expenses on his/ her personal income taxes.)
Faculty members who wish to register for eligible conferences and book associated travel that will occur in the subsequent fiscal year may submit for travel advances and expense reimbursements under the Pre-Paid Expense accounting practice. In these cases, the Provost’s Office will track and debit these expenses from the faculty member’s Faculty Travel Pool allocation for the next fiscal year.
Submitting Reimbursement Requests
The College requires preparation of a Travel Expense Report to account for any travel expenses that are to be charged to a College account or project. Requests for reimbursement from the Faculty Travel Pool should be submitted to the Provost's Office.
The properly completed and approved Travel Expense Report should be submitted within 10 business days of returning from a trip.
The Internal Revenue Service regulations state that a) any expense which is not substantiated by an appropriate itemized receipt (or by an adequate explanation) or b) any expense that is not submitted for reimbursement within 60 days of the completion of the trip or activity for which the expense was incurred must be reported by the College as additional income, i.e. taxable wages.
Faculty are discouraged from holding receipts for the entire fiscal year until May 15 since reimbursement requests not submitted within 60 days of completing a trip must be reported as taxable income.
When submitting Travel Expense Report to the Provost’s Office for reimbursement under the Faculty Travel Pool, a faculty member must include a copy of the conference program.
Income Tax Information and Implications
If you have taken a federal income tax deduction for unreimbursed travel expenses in a calendar year and you are subsequently reimbursed by the College for those deducted expenses after you have filed your return, you should be aware of the tax implication of the later reimbursement and adjust your return for your next filing.
The Internal Revenue Service regulations state that a) any expense which is not substantiated by an appropriate itemized receipt (or by an adequate explanation) or b) any expense that is not submitted for reimbursement within 60 days of the completion of the trip or activity for which the expense was incurred must be reported by the College as additional income, i.e. taxable wages.
Links to College Policies regarding Business Travel
Policy and Procedures on Travel Reimbursement and Travel Advances
Policy and Procedures for Travel on College Business
The College's Insurance Policy provides coverage for faculty or staff members traveling domestically on official college business.
Employees may enroll in the Travel Abroad Insurance Program. Coverage is not automatic. Contact the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer.
Revised February 2009
Office of the Provost.
Back to the top and to the Provost's website.