Under Article 15.17, the Employer maintains a Conference Travel Fund of $100,000 per year to support contract faculty members attending scholarly/professional/artistic conferences. The Conference Travel Fund is available only to CUPE 3903 Unit 2 (contract faculty) members who hold or have held a contract in the bargaining unit in the twelve (12) months preceding the conference travel. Unit 2 members can submit applications at this link before either the fall or winter deadlines, October 1 and March 1. Following the submission deadline, the committee’s review process typically takes 6–8 weeks. The maximum award per member is $2,500.
All expenses must be receipted and directly related to the conference. Coverage includes, but is not limited to, flight/rail bookings, meals, accommodations, rental vehicle or taxi receipts, and conference/seminar registration fees. The Conference Travel Fund Adjudication Committee must approve your application before you can submit any conference travel receipts for reimbursement.
Because funds are limited and retroactive approval is not guaranteed, the committee recommends applying in advance, before you finalize your conference travel plans: by the March 1 deadline, if you’re attending a conference where you will be finalizing your conference registration and/or travel arrangements between April 15 and November 30, and by the October 1 deadline for conference travel that you will be finalizing between December 1 and April 15. You may also apply for funding for a conference you have already attended.
Preference in the allocation of awards will be made as follows: (i) individuals presenting research articles/abstracts, (ii) individuals asked to give commentaries or to chair sessions, (iii) individuals attending conferences.
All applications must include the name and email address of a department / hiring unit Chair who will be requested to endorse the application.