Information and Instructions

GSS Travel Funds Information and Instructions

Application deadlines are posted on the GSS Funding page. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM on the Thursday deadline. Applications that are received later than this deadline will not be accepted or considered for the current deadline.

Only electronic applications will be accepted starting with the November 13, 2008 deadline. Paper applications will NOT be reviewed or returned.

Eligibility

All applicants MUST meet the three following criteria for consideration:

Applicant must be a graduate student in a degree program at The University of Iowa at the time of application as well as the time when s/he collects a GSS Travel Funds award.
Applicant may collect a GSS Travel Funds award only once per current University of Iowa fiscal year (July 1 – June 30).
Applicant must be making a presentation at a scholarly conference (domestic or international) in the near future or have given the presentation no more than three months prior to the GSS Travel Funds application deadline.

Read all instructions carefully BEFORE proceeding. Treat this application as seriously as if you were applying to a major funding agency (e.g. NSF, NIH, Fulbright, SSRC, etc.). All applications are evaluated competitively based on merit. The goal of GSS Travel Funds is to help graduate students disseminate their research and discuss it with other scholars. There is no guarantee that a properly completed and submitted application will be funded. Reminders:

Applicants may only submit one (1) application per deadline.
GSS Travel Funds are awarded for travel to both domestic and international conferences.
The application (with all documentation) must be submitted electronically by the 11:59 PM deadline.

Disqualifications

There are a few ways in which an application will be disqualified

Failure to provide proof of presentation acceptance
Failure to electronically sign submitted application
Application is written to fund research or scholarly production
Applicant has already received a GSS Travel Grant in the current fiscal year.

Proof of Presentation Acceptance

We ONLY ACCEPT PDF documents. No exceptions. Please see Instructions and Guidelines section below if you need help with document scanning or conversion to PDF.

The following criteria define what is required of “proof of presentation acceptance” documentation

A PDF "photocopy" of the letter/e-mail received FROM the conference staff.
A PDF "photocopy" of the page in the conference program where your name and title of presentation are listed. If possible, please highlight your name and title.

NOTE: Abstract submission and/or conference registration confirmations ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE documents to prove conference acceptance (unless such a confirmation explicitly states that your presentation has been accepted to the conference).

Instructions and Guidelines

Fill out the application in a careful and complete manner. Points are allocated for adherence to instructions, brevity, clarity, spelling, and grammar of the application and attached documentation. DO NOT SUBMIT unnecessary/extraneous/non-requested paperwork (e.g. hotel/airfare bill, statements of any kind, etc.).
Applications are reviewed by a diverse committee of graduate students who may or may not be in the applicant’s field of study. Therefore, all applications should be written in a manner such that it can be understood by a graduate student in any discipline.
Co-presenters must submit separate applications. Groups should apply individually but alert the GSS Travel Funds Committee chairperson(s) of their travel plans.
If you are attending a scholarly event and your presentation does not fit the general category of an oral/paper/poster presentation at a conference (such as a workshop or artist’s residency), your application will still be considered providing you are presenting your own work to other scholars. Please explain the specifics (and perhaps uniqueness) of the scholarly event and your presentation in application questions found in Sections 5 and 6.
Applicants are encouraged to make attempts to obtain funding from other sources. Points are given for each funding source sought (up to three) even if funding is not obtained. DO NOT list funding sources for which you do not have appropriate printed documentation to prove your funding attempt (with one major exception: If you are submitting an application for ECGPS simultaneously, you do not need to attach proof). For proof of funding, you may submit either a PDF copy of the completed application required by the funding source, or a PDF copy of the letter/email FROM the person/department/organization that states that you have requested funding. NOTE: letters or emails sent FROM the applicant to the funding source DO NOT count as proof.
There are numerous computing facilities available across campus for students use, such as the Instructional Technology Centers (ITCs). Many provide scanners and have PDF conversion software available. Lastly, check the copier(s) in your department. Many around campus have the ability to scan documents and email them to department secretaries as PDF documents. We recommend you first gather your documentation, in PDF form, before starting the application.
The GSS Travel Funds committee is not responsible for your documentation. The committee will not return any part of your application. If the applicant is to reapply, all documentation must be resubmitted.
Once an application has been submitted, it may not be edited or altered in any way. If you have extenuating circumstances that require special consideration, please contact the current GSS Travel Funds Committee chairperson(s) as soon as possible.
Please email the current GSS Travel Funds Committee chairperson(s) with any questions that arise which have not been covered in the instructions.

Notification

If your GSS Travel Funds application has been funded, you will be notified by email (at the address you include in the application). You have one month from the conference date or the award notification date, whichever is later, to submit receipts for conference related expenses. While original receipts are preferred, photocopies will be accepted if originals are unavailable. Submit original receipts for travel related expenses to:

GSS Travel Funds, c/o Paul Meintel
Graduate College
Gilmore Hall, Room 205

Award Amounts

GSS Travel Funds are awarded in the following fixed amounts:

$200 for travel to regional conferences within approximately 300 miles of Iowa City.
$300 for travel to national conferences in North America generally greater than 300 miles from Iowa City.
$400 for travel to conferences outside North America.

PLEASE NOTE: GSS Travel Funds are awarded in the form of a fellowship. Please be aware that the U.S. Government considers all fellowships as taxable income.