Faculty Led Travel Programs

Faculty Led Travel Programs

Faculty-led travel programs are defined as annual programs that are organized by the same faculty member each year as part of a class or field trip involving student travel either within the U.S. or abroad.  (See Study Abroad for information regarding a payment tool for professors to use for their Study Abroad programs that are handled through the Center for International Education.)

The Accounts Payable Office provides a payment tool for professors WHO TRAVEL WITH STUDENTS for faculty-led travel programs. Faculty who “own” these programs may be provided a UMW Finance Card that can be used to pay for expenses (airfare, hotel, meals, other transportation, etc.) directly related to their specific class trip or program(s). Because these trips involve travel with students and/or 8 funds (Banner Fund that begins with an “8”), they are allowed under UMW’s exception with the Commonwealth to be able to use the UMW Finance Card.

If you are the creator/organizer of an annual, on-going, specific faculty-led program that involves travel with students, please contact payables@umw.edu to get information about UMW Finance Cards for your program.

The UMW Finance Card for faculty-led travel programs is issued in the name of the professor who is responsible for the program. The professor is NOT allowed to use the Card for personal expenses for any reason. The Card is to be used for the specific program for which (s)he is responsible. Although UMW pays the UMW Finance Card directly, the professor is ultimately held responsible for ALL charges made against the Card and must reimburse UMW for any inappropriate or undocumented expenditures.

Procedures

1. The professor of the faculty-led program will contact the UMW Program Administrator (PA) in the Accounts Payable department payables@umw.edu to request a UMW Finance Card for the program.
2. The UMW PA will verify the program and will order a UMW Finance Card with the professor’s name on the card.
3. The UMW PA will notify the professor by email when the Card arrives.
4. The professor will provide to the UMW PA a copy of the Travel Pre-Approval that includes a list of the students traveling (Travel Pre-Approvals are done in Emburse Enterprise).
5. The UMW PA will give the professor the option of picking up the Card from the Accounts Payable office or from the Cashier’s office.  (The UMW PA and professor will decide this detail as they correspond about the Card.)  At either place, the professor will be given an Employee Agreement to read and sign.  (Accounts Payable will hand-deliver the Card to the Cashier’s office if the professor wants to pick up the Card from the Cashier.)  NOTE: Professors receiving the UMW Finance Card for the first time are REQUIRED to pick up the Card from the UMW PA for a 30-minute training session. This training session includes showing the professor how to view his/her transactions in the Bank of America WORKS system with Internet access.  Being able to view transactions in WORKS helps the professor keep track of expenses by showing absolute conversions (if traveling in an area with a different currency) and helps the professor manage receipts. In addition, the UMW PA can provide rate information regarding the Card. Ask for it when you pick up your Card, or email the request to payables@umw.edu.
6. After the professor has signed the Employee Agreement, the UMW PA or Cashier will give the professor the UMW Finance Card to use for official program business.  (A copy of the Employee Agreement can be provided to the professor, if requested.)
7. BEFORE the professor leaves to go on the program trip, the professor is responsible for submitting to the Cashier ANY “pre-travel” purchase receipts, such as airfare.
8. The Professor is responsible for setting up a meeting with the UMW PA for an exit conference within 10 days of the professor’s return from the program trip.

IMMEDIATELY (within 10 business days) upon returning from the program travel, the professor is responsible for submitting to the UMW PA in Accounts Payable:

• A COMPLETED Credit Card Workbook  (MANDATED only if Cash Advances were taken on the Card &/OR if any money needs to be deposited back into the FOAP upon your RETURN from the trip.)
• Detailed, itemized receipts IN DATE ORDER (earliest date to latest date) for EACH transaction that is on the Card.  NOTE:  If you are missing a receipt and have made every reasonable attempt to obtain a copy of the detailed, itemized receipt, you must document (in writing) that the receipt is missing and explain the steps taken to try to obtain a duplicate receipt.  Also include the following verbiage in your comments  I hereby certify that the expenses were incurred by me and are necessary and appropriate expenditures for UMW. By my signature, I acknowledge that the goods purchased become the property of UMW and services provided were for UMW. Then sign and date the document.
• All ATM or cash withdrawal receipts ALONG WITH receipts that show how THAT cash was used.  (FOLLOW instructions within the workbook mentioned above!!)  NOTE:  If receipts are not given as a normal business practice for certain services in other countries, written documentation stating such fact and showing how the cash was used MUST be submitted.  (FOLLOW instructions within the workbook mentioned above!!)
• The physical Card.
• Any documentation to help explain any unusual circumstances.

REMEMBER:  SET UP a date/time to meet with the UMW PA for your exit conference.  In addition, any cash that needs to be deposited back into your FOAP MUST:

• Be made at the Cashier’s office in Lee Hall.
• BE US DOLLARS!!!
• Happen BEFORE you meet with the UMW PA for the exit conference.  The Accounts Payable department is NOT ALLOWED to accept cash–and the Accounts Payable department will NOT accept cash!

The UMW PA will review receipts and documentation during the exit interview with the professor.  After the exit interview with the professor, the UMW PA will notify the professor with any problems or additional questions.  The UMW PA will then forward the paperwork to the Associate VP for Finance for sign off in WORKS.  The Associate VP for Finance will return the paperwork to the UMW PA for payment and filing. The professor is responsible for reimbursing UMW for any inappropriate expenses.

NOTE:  UMW Finance Card violation consequences are found at Card Violation Consequences.