If a student expects to present research or creative work, done in collaboration with a Sewanee faculty member, at a conference during this academic year (2024-25), this form must be completed at least one month prior to the expected travel. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; however, they should be submitted as early as possible because travel funds are limited. As such, submission of the form is unfortunately not a guarantee of funding. If multiple student presenters/co-participants are hoping to attend the same conference, each student should submit a separate request.
Students are eligible to receive no more than 50% of their travel funding from the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (OURS), up to a maximum of $700 if they meet these two criteria:
(1) currently enrolled student
(2) the scholarly work was done at Sewanee, either truly individually or in partnership with a Sewanee faculty member
If a student only meets one of the above criteria, OURS will provide 25% of the reimbursement for conference travel, up to $350.
In the case of a currently enrolled student presenting work done at Sewanee, it is expected that the expenses will be matched by the home department of the faculty member and/or student. If the department has a restricted account that can be used to support this travel, the department will be asked to match the OURS contribution 2:1, with the maximum OURS contribution being $467.
The typical expenses that are eligible for reimbursement are:
(1) Conference registration
(2) Housing accommodations--room only (shared if at all possible)
(3) Coach class airfare ticket or the actual cost of gasoline if driving (mileage is not reimbursed nor are baggage fees).
(4) A modest food allowance (usually $30 per day—no receipts necessary)
When students apply for reimbursement after their travel, they will need:
(1) Receipts for all expenses except food
(2) A photo of the student presenting their work at the conference
(3) A copy of the student’s accepted conference abstract
It is absolutely necessary to submit reimbursement request within two weeks of attending the conference in order to ensure that the promised funds are still available and to facilitate the OURS budgeting process. The reimbursement form may be found here.
An OURS Co-Director will contact both the faculty mentor and the home department about the request and the departmental contribution. Notification of an award decision from the OURS will typically occur within two weeks. This notification will be sent to both the student and the mentor. If the funding you will be receiving is not likely to cover all of your expenses, eligible students may apply for access, equity, and opportunity funds via this link.
