Procedures and Guidelines for All Reimbursements
Updated August 22, 2023
Note that this memo has four sections: (i) General Rules, (ii) Conference Travel, (iii) How to Claim Your Funds, and (iv) Research or Start-up Funds. Please feel free to contact the Office of the Dean (qc.dfa@qc.cuny.edu) if you have any questions.
General Rules
- Everything must be reimbursed in the fiscal year within which it is purchased. The fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30.
- Except for transportation, any single purchase greater than $250 must be approved in advance. Note that a “single purchase” is the total amount spent at one time (so one “click”), not just the cost of each item.
- Alcohol may never be reimbursed.
- Car rental or use of limousines (anywhere) will always entail special justification. Ground transportation to and from your home will be capped at $125 round-trip.
- The first point of contact for all requests for reimbursement (for travel or for research-related purchases) is Paul DuBois (paul.duboisjr@qc.cuny.edu). Paul will be approving all routine requests.
- Please note that all of this advice is based on the latest information we have from Accounts Payable and is subject to change. The online version of this memo will be available shortly.
- If you have any questions, always ask before you buy.
Conference Travel
Funding from the Dean’s office is for participation in conferences or other academic events, where participation is determined by some sort of refereed process of selection. Actual participation (in some formal role), and not mere attendance, is a prerequisite for reimbursement. Moreover, your affiliation with Queens College must be somewhere recognized.
Invited talks are generally not supported as the expectation is that the host will cover expenses. Exceptions can be made for invitations to speak in particularly remote (and generally not first world) countries. Lecturers (and only lecturers) may receive funding to attend (and not speak at) conferences related to professional development (certified by their chair).
Professorial faculty may apply for up to $1,000 in reimbursement per fiscal year; lecturers may apply for up to $500 per fiscal year. For Fiscal Year 2024 (July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024) travel support for conferences is significantly reduced and limited. Travel funding support has not been determined. Your request made below will be added to the wait list. If we receive funding, we will reach out to you. Updates will be sent to department chairs as we learn more. This is subject to change. These amounts were updated in August 2023. The fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. Given the overall limit, conference-related expenses will be reimbursed in the following priority: transportation > registration > accommodation. Accommodation reimbursement itself is limited to $150/night. Accommodation will not be reimbursed in the New York metropolitan area (defined loosely as the five boroughs and as far as you can get by car from Queens College in about an hour). Accommodation does not include food or drink.
How to Claim Your Funds
As soon as your conference participation has been confirmed, please make your request by downloading the Travel Authorization form (which is required by Accounts Payable to encumber the travel funds) and submitting it to the Travel Request Form (guidelines found here). Please submit it as soon as you can in order to encumber the funds set aside for you. Not submitting the Request in a timely fashion, and thereby not encumbering the funds, may cause them to be lost.
Accounts Payable requires the reimbursement paperwork be submitted within two weeks of your return to New York, so please do not delay. Proof of travel includes: receipts (including those for conference registration), boarding passes, and a conference program with your name and role highlighted. While not necessarily the case, as a rule of thumb, you should assume that a request made after a trip has already taken place will not be reimbursed.
Research or Start-up Funds
Research or start-up funds will always be given with a deadline by which the funds must be used. Research or start-up funds may be used to purchase anything research-related except for alcohol (so meals at a conference, for example, are okay). Except for travel-related costs, any single purchase greater than $250 must be approved in advance. Note that a “single purchase” is the total amount spent at one time (so one “click”), not just the cost of each item. All equipment and furniture purchases must be confirmed in advance (computer equipment in particular must always be purchased through college contracts). If you have any questions, always ask before buying.