Department Travel Policy

Faculty and staff travel is important for personal development, and departmental growth and visibility. Thus the Department encourages professional travel, but it must be done in light of budget constraints and the need for fiscal accountability. Subject to availability of funds, the Department will strive to provide funding for professional travel to one meeting per year to those members of the department (faculty and staff) who are actively participating in, or who will otherwise accrue significant professional benefits from, the meeting and who do not have access to nondepartmental sources of funds for travel.

If you want to use department funds for travel not supported by a grant, please send the Department Head an e-mail explaining the reasons for the travel including a description of the activities to be undertaken or benefits to be derived as a result of the travel.

After obtaining approval from the Department Head (or simply when planning a trip without the support of departmental funds), please submit an online travel form by going to:

MYPACK Portal –> For Faculty and Staff –> Travel –> Travel Authorizations

If traveling for business purposes that will not be reimbursed by the university, a travel authorization should still be entered and approved for insurance reasons. This will verify that you are traveling as an employee of NCSU and not taking personal time while you are being paid by the university.

Additional details when filling out the online travel authorization:

There is a specific box for you to check labeled “No reimbursement needed” in the travel authorization online form. Checking this box will eliminate any automatic reminders from the NCSU system regarding a reimbursement to be filed. You should always include a comment regarding any expenses that will not be submitted for reimbursement. For example, if all of your expenses are being covered by another university/sponsor for a business trip, a notation of that in the comments section should be included.

If you’re taking some personal time on a business trip, there is a box to check for that when you complete the authorization. If you are taking some personal time on a business trip that will not be reimbursed by the university at all, you can make a notation of that in the comments section of the travel authorization.

University rationale:

The university wants to know how all of your expenses are being paid. Even if you do claim a reimbursement for meals and airfare, but no hotel because you stayed with family or friends, a notation of that should be made. Basically, for any business or partially business related trip, the university wants to know when you are going, why you are going, how you are getting there, where you are staying, and if you are, or are not, claiming expenses.