Based on suggestions received from the Library Council, the Travel Committee is proposing the following changes to the travel allocation process.
1) The general allocation formula implemented last year remain unchanged.
2) The creation of a general $10,000.00 discretionary fund for use by all Directors. (Last year each of the 5 directors received $1500.00 in discretionary funds, this year that money will go into a "Directors Discretionary Fund" that will be supplemented by $2500.00 "off the top" of the Travel Allocation for a total of $10,000.00). This fund is to be used for items such as: Pre and Post conference registration, unanticipated or unexpected travel, funding multiple trips (See number 6 below), and travel funding for new employees. It should not be used to pad someone's allocation for ALA because they were only going on one trip and everyone else was going on two or more, etc. Directors should decide on the use of this money as a group and the intention is not to divide the fund up by Division. Again, the goal of this process is to provide consistency throughout the system.
3) That money allocated to an individual for travel, but not used be transferred into the aforementioned "Director Discretionary Fund." Under Peoplesoft, Department Chairs will need to notify the Business Service Office if an employee doesn't use their funding so that the money can be transferred to the general discretionary fund.
4) Unencumbered money left in the "Directors Discretionary Fund" on May 15 be transferred to the general library fund
5) Untenured faculty on the tenure track will not be limited in the number of trips for which they can be funded (assuming they have approval from the Department Chair and Division Director)
6) Tenured faculty, TEAMS, USPS, and other non-faculty positions are limited to funding for two trips per year. Additional trips can be funded through the discretionary fund and should be requested through the Department Chair who will request funding from the Directors. If approved by the Directors, allocation levels for additional trips should be at the same amount as determined by the travel allocation formula.
7) All deadlines for submission, approval and notification of travel awards be moved up 15 days. I.e., Requests should be submitted to the Department Chair by August 1st. By August 15th the Department Chair in conjunction with the Division Director should assign each request to a funding category and forward the requests to the Business Service Office. By September 1 all employees will be notified of their travel funding.
