Conference Travel Fund Guidelines
Conference Travel Fund Guidelines
Please read the entire contents of this page.
Contents
- Application Package
- Submission Dates
- Eligibility
- Amount of Funding
- Selection Process
- Disbursal of Funds
- Responsibility of CTF Recipients
- Notification and Publicity
- Submitting Applications
- Questions and Contact Information
Only COMPLETED applications can be considered. Incomplete applications will not be considered. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS.
- Application Package
Only completed application packages will be considered.
A completed application package must include the following in this order:
- CTF Application Form with Parts I to IV completed (with all questions answered, all signatures provided and dated);
- Budget (Part IV of CTF Application Form)
- Abstract (maximum of one page; any additional pages will be discarded)
- Acceptance from conference organizers (if acceptance letter came via email, please print).
Since the CTF evaluation is an anonymous, peer-reviewed process, your name SHOULD NOT appear anywhere other than on Part I of the CTF Application Form which identifies your application. Your name SHOULD NOT appear on the Budget, Abstract, Transcript or the acceptance from conference organizers.If your name does appear, please use a dark coloured marker to conceal your name.
PLEASE DO NOT include CVs, conference programs, a copy of the paper or poster to be presented, bibliographies and other materials that are not items 1-4 as listed above.
If your CTF application is deemed ineligible but you are still eligible to apply to the next cycle, you will have to submit a new application package. We cannot return or retain applications.
- Submission Dates
Application deadlines are on October 16th, 2009, February 15th, 2010, and May 3rd, 2010.
CTF applications can be submitted for an upcoming conference as well as for a conference that occurred during the previous application cycle.
- The October 16, 2009 deadline covers conferences occurring between May 1, 2009 and March 15, 2010.
- The February 15, 2010 deadline covers conferences between October 15, 2009 and June 1, 2010.
- The May 3, 2010 deadline covers conferences occurring between February 15, 2010 and November 15, 2010.
- Eligibility
Since the CTF is administered by the Graduate Student Assembly and is funded by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, only students registered in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and all its departments, schools and divisions are eligible to apply. Professional students are not eligible. If you are unsure of your registration status, please consult with your registrar before submitting an application.
Graduate students whose paper or poster has been accepted for presentation at conferences are eligible to apply.
Only those presenting a paper or poster at a conference are eligible for a CTF.
Graduate students who are organizing panels but are not presenting a paper or poster are not eligible for consideration.
Applicants who have previously received a CTF cannot apply for a CTF for the period immediately following the one in which they received funds.
- Amount of Funding
The maximum amount of the award to one applicant is $750.
- Selection Process
There are several stages to the CTF selection process.
- Applications are collected from the Office of the Dean. All applications received by the CTF Administrator are reviewed for their eligibility (ie: submission of a complete application package including items 1-5 under the “Application Package” section)
- Applications are divided amongst the Selection Committee members for evaluation.
- Selection Committee members are volunteers from the Graduate Student Assembly and can serve only two consecutive terms. GSA Representatives who are applying for a CTF cannot serve on the Selection Committee. The CTF Administrator does not serve on the Selection Committee and Selection Committee Members do not know the identity of applicants.
- The CTF Administrator and the Selection Committee members meet to discuss general selection guidelines and ethical procedures for conducting a blind, peer-reviewed process.
- Each Selection Committee
meets to review all eligible applications. The Selection Committees
will prioritize applications for funding based on the following
criteria:
- Importance of the conference travel and presentation for the applicant's intellectual, academic and professional development. Selection committees will assess this criterion by reviewing the applicant's and advisor's statements in the application package.
- The financial need of the applicant. Reviewers will determine financial need by reviewing the applicant-submitted budget information. Applicants who do not have access to funding from their department or advisor will be given priority.
- The submission of accurate and complete budget information.
Selection Committees will then award money to applicants based on their priority, the total amount of money available, and the number of applications received.
- Selection Committee members submit list of recipients to the CTF Administrator.
- A representative from the Dean’s Office examines files to determine eligibility (ie: the student is currently registered).
- All applicants are notified about the Selection Committee’s decisions.
- A list of recipients is sent to the Financial Aid Office who process the funds to CTF recipients.
- The CTF Administrator and Selection Committee members meet to discuss the latest selection process and ways to improve future selections.
- The CTF Administrator provides a summary to the Graduate Student Assembly.
- Disbursal of Funds
All CTF awards are disbursed through the Graduate School Office of Financial Aid. The GSA does not handle financial transactions.
- Responsibility of CTF Recipients
By accepting money from the CTF, a recipient agrees that the money will be used solely for the conference indicated on the original CTF application form.
If there are any changes to the recipient’s plans to attend the conference, the recipient agrees to immediately notify the CTF administrator in order to review the particulars of the case.
After returning from their conference, CTF recipients are required to immediately submit a short (half page to one page) report of all activities undertaken with support from the CTF. This short report can include describing the panel of which the recipient was a part, other panels attended during the conference and other professional development activities.
- Notification and Publicity
Applicants will receive notification from the GSA via email.
The GSA will post the following information on the GSA website: list of recipients, conference attended, title of paper or poster.
The amount awarded to a recipient will not be made public.
- Submitting Applications
Applications are due by 5pm on October 16th, February 15th, and May 3rd
Applications can be submitted in person to the Office of the Dean in HGS. Please note that the Office of the Dean acts only as a drop off location for CTF applications and cannot answer any questions about the CTF. Please direct any and all questions to the CTF administrator.
If mailing an application, it is up to the applicant to ensure that all applications are received by 5pm on the day of the submission date taking into account delivery times and other contingencies.
If an applicant is not residence, it remains the applicant's responsibility to submit all completed forms and supporting documents.
Email submissions cannot be accepted.
Late applications CANNOT be considered. To ensure fairness to all applicants and administrative efficiency, NO EXTENSIONS OR EXCEPTIONS can be granted.
Please do not call the Dean’s Office. The Office is only acting as a drop off and collection point for the CTF applications.
COMPLETED applications should be mailed to:
Kathleen Batchler
GSA Conference Travel Fund
c/o Office of the Dean of the Graduate School
Yale University
P.O. Box 208236
New Haven, CT 06520 - Questions and Contact Information
***Please take a look at the the CTF FAQ page
***For further information, please contact Kathleen Batchler at kathleen.batchler@yale.edu.