CUNY COVID-19 Update
The Notification of Intent/Petition to Travel Form, which is used for domestic and international travel out of state and out of the country. This version is a major revision, and is divided into two parts. The first part helps to determine whether the second part (the petition) is actually required. This is summarized here.
Another significant change is that instead of Central reviewing all petitions, now campuses review all notifications/petitions from fully vaccinated applicants, who must include a screenshot of their CUNY-verification of full vaccination in order to travel. (Previously, Central provided provisional decisions, which campuses then had to get LVA confirmation on each approved petitioner to finalize). The upshot is that a petition without that screenshot should be sent back to the petitioner for completion, unless they are unvaccinated, in which case the petition has to be sent to Central.
- CUNY Faculty and Staff Travel
- CUNY Travel during the pandemic (domestic and international)
- We are following COVID-19 developments closely and will post updates on this policy as soon as these restrictions can be relaxed.
- Complete, sign and submit the Request for Conference Registration Fees form to the Office of Academic Affairs six to eight weeks before the payment due date for the registration fee.
- Attach a completed registration form and conference information. Also include the link to the conference Web page
- The conference registration fee will be paid by the college
The college encourages faculty and staff to attend professional meetings, scholarly seminars and workshops in their discipline as part of ongoing professional development. Prior permission and an approved authorization to travel by the department chairperson and the Senior Vice President and Provost of Academic Affairs is necessary for attendance at such functions. The approvals should be obtained in advance of purchasing any tickets or making travel arrangements when seeking reimbursement. The amount of reimbursement is limited based on the funding sources and eligibility for each source.
Please note: Faculty who are planning to attend a professional development event without seeking reimbursement are still required to fill out an Approval to Travel No Reimbursement Form.
Travel Authorization and Expense Report
1) You must first request and attain permission to travel by completing a Travel Authorization via CUNYfirst. Authorization for both out-of-town travel and local travel must be completed and submitted, via CUNYfirst, for approval to the individual’s chairperson/designee and thereafter to the Provost/Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at least six (6) weeks prior to the date of departure. Please enter anticipated expenses up to $750.00.
2) Expense Reports must be submitted within 30 days after the date of completion of travel. Failure to comply will be subject to denial of funding. If travel has taken place in the month of June, the Expense Report must be submitted immediately upon return from the trip, so that it can be charged against the correct fiscal year.
3) When you have finished creating a Travel Authorization or Expense Report, you must select “Submit,” and when the page refreshes, select “Ok,” so that the report will be routed to your approvers.
- Executive Orders Banning Travel to North Carolina and Mississippi
- Hotel Tax Exempt Form for New York State Only
Funding sources of reimbursement may include the following for those eligible, please see details of eligibility and requirements for each funding source below:
Sources of Reimbursement
- PSC-CUNY 2021-2022
- BMCC First Time Presenter Fund 2021-2022
- BMCC Leadership Fund 2021-2022
- Sources of Reimbursement 2021-2022
- Provost’s Travel Fund (temporarily suspended)
The Travel and Expenses Process Flowchart outlines the travel authorization and expense reimbursement process in more detail. Traveler Frequently Asked Questions and Approver Frequntly Asked Questions have been created to assist with common questions regarding travel. Further, Strategies for Expediting the Travel Authorization and Expense Report Approval Process have been put together to help faculty navigate the travel system and required approvals.
