Faculty Travel Process
Travel must be coordinated with the area dean’s office, and faculty must complete a Travel Authorization and Reimbursement Claim prior to traveling on any approved district business, whether or not reimbursement is requested. Forms are available in the area office and faculty workrooms, or online.
Supporting documentation of the travel, conference, workshop, expenses, etc. must accompany the travel request form and be submitted at least four (4) weeks in advance of the departure. The forms must route from the faculty member to the dean, to the appropriate VP, to the Business Services office, and to the College President in the case of out-of-state travel. Receipts for all travel must be turned in with the claim portion of the authorization for any approved reimbursement funds. Faculty should contact their area office for questions about travel request authorization and out-of-state travel.
Travel & Conference Funding
The Travel & Conference Subcommittee of the Faculty Professional Development Committee reviews and makes recommendations on faculty requests for travel and conference funding. Full-time and part-time faculty are eligible for FPDC funding once per academic year. Attendees are eligible for up to $800 per academic year. The Travel & Conference Subcommittee is responsible for being good stewards of travel funding. To that end, the funding award limit is subject to change.
Full-time faculty are encouraged to apply their $75 stipend to travel expenses. All faculty are encouraged to reach out to their area office to inquire about additional funding options to help offset personal costs for professional development.
Follow the Five Steps Below to Apply for Travel & Conference Funding
Complete the FPDC Funding Application
Download and complete the FPDC Funding Application
Complete the Los Rios Travel Authorization Form
Fill out Part I of the Travel Authorization and Reimbursement Claim form. Complete Part II of the Travel Authorization form only if you are requesting a cash advance or prepaid registration.
Get Required Signatures
You and your manager, dean or supervisor must sign the FPDC Funding Application and Travel Authorization forms. The committee cannot fund unauthorized applications.
Gather Travel Documentation
Include the following along with your completed and signed FPDC Funding Application:
- Los Rios Travel Authorization signed by you, your dean, and College President if traveling out of state
- Event description (agenda, schedule, conference website, etc.)
- Conference or workshop registration
- Hotel reservation (if applicable)
- Airfare receipt and/or flight confirmation number (if applicable)
- Mileage estimate from MapQuest using Folsom Lake College as starting and ending location (if applicable)
Submit Your Application
Scan your completed FPDC Funding Application with all attachments to create one PDF document. Email your application to the FPDC subcommittee for review at FLC-PD-Faculty@flc.losrios.edu
What happens next?
The Travel & Conference Subcommittee of FPDC will review your application and recommend whether or not to fund your professional development activity. Most requests are granted if they meet the established guidelines and funding is available. If you do not hear from the committee within seven days of your submission, please send an email to the subcommittee chair, Debi Worth, at worthd@flc.losrios.edu.
General FAQ's
All part-time and full-time faculty members can apply for funding.
The maximum funding per fiscal year for each applicant is $800. Please note this amount is subject to change depending on the overall health of the travel budget.
Funding can be used toward registration costs, transportation and meals.
We are unable to guarantee funding for all applicants. You are encouraged to apply for funding as early as possible because funds are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
FPDC receives an annual allocation to the Travel & Conferences fund. The balance of the Travel & Conferences allocation is carried forward into the following fiscal year.
Full-time faculty members can solicit unused faculty stipends from their colleagues to be applied towards conferences, workshops or travel. You are encouraged to work with your dean to identify additional funding from your division and other college programs or grants.
Full-time faculty members are encouraged to use their $75 annual stipend towards travel and conference expenses.
Full-time faculty members may donate their unused faculty stipend to apply to their colleague's travel expenses. If you have successfully solicited stipend donations from other full-time faculty members, please compile the emails that confirm their donation and include these with your travel documentation.
We encourage you to apply as soon as possible. Plan to submit all forms at least 30 days before the event. If you are requesting a cash advance or registration prepayment, please allow 45 business days for processing.
If you are attending an out-of-state event, your application should be submitted at least 45 days before the event. Out-of-state travel requires approval by the College President, so be sure to allow for this extra processing time.
Get in touch with the FPDC chair to discuss your situation. We will do our best to help support your professional development interests.
If you receive funding and need to cancel your participation, please inform the Business Office and the FPDC Chair immediately.
No. Events cannot be funded retroactively.
Travel FAQ's
All reservations for conferences, lodging and transportation are your responsibility. For guidance, be sure to contact your division’s administrative assistant.
Once your application has been approved, you can pay for registration and travel arrangements on your personal credit card and will be reimbursed with any approved travel funds.
If you would like the college to prepay your travel costs you can work with your division’s administrative assistant to book reservations via the Los Rios contracted travel agency, Concur. Please note that each travel transaction completed online via Concur costs $7, and phone transactions will cost $12. These fees should be included in the travel costs listed on your Travel Authorization form.
District policy requires that transportation costs must be the lesser of roundtrip airfare or mileage.
Air Travel
You are welcome to book air travel through any airline or travel site, unless you are requesting prepayment. Prepaid air reservations must be made using Concur. For guidance, please see your division’s administrative assistant.
Auto Travel
You can choose to drive a private vehicle or request a district vehicle if you are a qualified driver. Consider carpooling if you will be traveling with your colleagues. Private vehicles are eligible for mileage reimbursement based on MapQuest directions using Folsom Lake College as the starting and ending location. District vehicles include the use of a gas card to fuel the vehicle. Remember to keep your receipts for all fuel costs.
Public Transit
Transit options include train, light rail, subway, bus, ferry, cab, etc. Remember to keep your receipts for all transportation costs.
All Los Rios employees and students are eligible to become District Drivers. Learn more and complete the required training. Be sure to contact Campus Operations at (916) 608-6995 to check availability and reserve a district vehicle at least two weeks before travel.
Resources
- FPDC Funding Application
- FPDC Funding Application Sample
- Concur Travel (book airlines at the least expensive rate, billed directly to Los Rios)
- Los Rios Regulation R-8341: Travel and Conference
- Los Rios Standard Mileage Chart
- Los Rios Mileage and Miscellaneous Expense Log