Eligibility
Members of the UConn AAUP
- Includes: regional campuses, full-time Lecturers, Adjuncts teaching 2 or more courses now and each semester for the past two years.
- Excludes: faculty in Law, Medicine, Dental Medicine, visiting faculty, Emeritus Faculty.
Before You Apply
Before making travel arrangements or traveling, all faculty must submit a Travel Request via Concur in order to:
- Obtain pre-approval from their department or unit head (per UConn AAUP contract)
- Obtain pre-approval from Global Affairs if traveling internationally to a Level 3 or 4 destination
- Obtain written pre-approval from OVPR Export Control before booking travel to embargoed regions
- Obtain written pre-approval from dean, director, or department head if destination is subject to State travel ban
If you are participating virtually, you do not need to submit a Travel Request via Concur, since no travel is taking place.
Academic Related Travel
Related to teaching-focused conferences, academic workshops, and other professional development opportunities. Includes transportation, lodging, registration, per diem, etc. Trips with a sole research purpose are not eligible for funding.
Receiving an AAUP Faculty Travel Award does not imply that such travel has been approved by the University, only that the awardee has funding available to reimburse expenses from approved travel. Failure to follow appropriate policies and procedures related to University travel may result in unreimbursed out-of-pocket expenses for individuals. The following guidance can ensure all faculty and staff avoid such situations.
Reminder: Any activity related to your faculty position for which you receive outside compensation, honorarium, or other form of payment (including payment of expenses) may require review and approval by the Faculty Consulting Office. Travel or other Professional Development costs relating to or overlapping with outside consulting activities are not eligible for reimbursement under the AAUP Faculty Travel Funding Program.
Due to the popularity of this program and demand exceeding supply of funds, faculty are encouraged to apply as soon as they are aware of the travel opportunity. Funds are limited, and awards are not guaranteed. Annual maximum awards for FY26 are $2,200, FY27 are $2,500.
Requests for reimbursement must be submitted within 60 days of travel ending. Failure to submit reimbursement within 60 days may result in travel costs being assumed by the traveler/department. Note: unused travel awards expire after 90 days.
Once all funds for the fiscal year are fully committed, Human Resources reserves the right to close down the request portal so that no new requests may be submitted.
All University travel must be booked through UConn’s travel agent, Anthony Travel, using the University-sponsored Travel Card (T-Card). Anthony Travel has a dedicated UConn agent. Travel can also be booked online within the Concur system where you can search for flights similar to the Expedia application.
If you book travel independently and have to cancel your trip, you will be responsible for any resulting costs that will not be reimbursed by the University. For instance, if you book a non-refundable flight on Expedia and then have to cancel this travel, you will not be reimbursed for the ticket. Anthony Travel will support any cancellation or postponement of travel that they have booked, including obtaining credits for the unused tickets. There are no booking fees or agent fees charged back to the department when using Anthony Travel.
Request Process
- One trip per request
- Submit at least 10 days prior to departure to ensure adequate processing time.
- Requests submitted fewer than 10 days before departure may not be processed before your travel begins.
- Requests cannot be funded once travel has commenced.
- Before making travel arrangements or traveling, all faculty must submit a Travel Request via Concur in order to:
- Obtain pre-approval from their department or unit head (per UConn AAUP contract)
- Obtain pre-approval from Global Affairs if traveling internationally to a Level 3 or 4 destination
- Obtain written pre-approval from OVPR Export Control before booking travel to embargoed regions
- Obtain pre-approval from dean, director, or department head if destination is subject to State travel ban
- Trips spanning funding periods or fiscal years will be considered part of the period or year in which the greater number of travel days occur.
- Requests will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis. The amount awarded will be determined by the qualifying amount providing all budgeted funds are available, individual fiscal year allotments have not been reached, and all of the submitted information is accurate.
- Due to the popularity of this program and demand exceeding supply of funds, faculty are encouraged to apply as soon as they are aware of the travel opportunity. Funds are limited, and awards are not guaranteed.
- Reminder: Any activity related to your faculty position for which you receive outside compensation, honorarium, or other form of payment (including payment of expenses) may require review and approval by the Faculty Consulting Office. Travel or other Professional Development costs relating to or overlapping with outside consulting activities are not eligible for reimbursement under the AAUP Faculty Travel Funding Program.
Post-Trip Requirements – Reimbursement Process
- Please collaborate with your department’s staff to request reimbursement of expenses upon completion of travel.
- All awards are for reimbursement of travel expenses only.
- Requests for reimbursement must be submitted within 60 days of travel ending. This mirrors UConn Travel policy.
- Awards expire after 90 days
- Awards will be closed after this period
- Award funds cannot be transferred in part or in whole to other trips.
- Unused funds will be returned to the funding pool for redistribution
- Value of unused funds will be returned to the traveler’s annual fair share maximum
- Exceptions only in special cases and with significant justification
- Exceptions must be requested before award expires
- Travel costs related to expired awards (that haven’t been granted exceptions) will be assumed by the traveler/department.
Reminder:
Per UConn Travel Policy “reimbursements submitted over 120 days after travel is complete will not be reimbursed even with the approval from a Dean, Director, or Department Head.”
Any activity related to your faculty position for which you receive outside compensation, honorarium, or other form of payment (including payment of expenses) may require review and approval by the Faculty Consulting Office. Travel or other Professional Development costs relating to or overlapping with outside consulting activities are not eligible for reimbursement under the AAUP Faculty Travel Funding Program.
Staff members: When charging the travel award account in Concur, please include the award number in the line item description. Also, please include in a Note the AAUP Faculty Travel Award # and attach it. If not all award monies were used, you are also encouraged to note this, and by how much.
Additional Important Information
Funding Sources & Criteria
- Funding pools run on the fiscal year (FY) cycle (July 1 – June 30).
- Award funds cannot be transferred in part or in whole to other trips.
- 1st source of funding for all requests (regardless of type of participation)
- Per UConn AAUP contract, 30% of AAUP Professional Development Fund will be reserved until February 1 for “junior” faculty (defined as terminal degrees earned within past 7 years; Article 19.6, Sec. F, Item iv).
- Sole source for non-active participation (aka Attendance Only)
AAUP Professional Development Fund
UConn AAUP contract (applicable to Storrs and Regional Campus), “each eligible full-time faculty member shall, upon request, receive up to $2,500 (FY27) from the Professional Development Fund for any academic-related travel expense so long as such funds are available” (Article 19.6, Sec. F, Item iii).
Covered Expenses
- All awards are made for the reimbursement of travel expenses only.
- All expenses reimbursed must adhere to UConn Travel policy.
- Award funds cannot be transferred in part or in whole to other trips.
Reminder: Any activity related to your faculty position for which you receive outside compensation, honorarium, or other form of payment (including payment of expenses) may require review and approval by the Faculty Consulting Office. Travel or other Professional Development costs relating to or overlapping with outside consulting activities are not eligible for reimbursement under the AAUP/OVPR Faculty Travel Funding Program.
Request Windows
FALL TRAVEL
Trips occurring July 1 – Dec. 31, 2026
Request Window Opens May 1
SPRING TRAVEL
Trips occurring Jan. 1 – June 30, 2027
Request Window Opens Nov. 1
Trips spanning funding periods or fiscal years will be considered part of the period or year in which the greater number of travel days occur
Requests will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to the popularity of this program and demand exceeding supply of funds, faculty are encouraged to apply as soon as they are aware of the travel opportunity. Funds are limited, and awards are not guaranteed.
FY 26 Application
For travel up to June 30, 2026.
FY 27 Application
For travel after July 1, 2026.
Need to Make Changes?
Please email your detailed request to facultytravel@uconn.edu.
Did You Cancel Your Trip?
Please email facultytravel@uconn.edu to let us know.
- Award funds cannot be transferred in part or in whole to other trips.
- Unused funds will be returned to the funding pool for redistribution after 90 days.
- Value of unused funds will be returned to the traveler’s annual fair share maximum.