When employees are required to travel, approval must be obtained prior to the occurrence of the official travel. The Pre-Travel Authorization Form (Appendix EE) should be submitted through established administrative channels for approval. The approved document will be returned to the person making the request. Upon return, travel reimbursement forms must be completed within 15 days accompanied by the original approved Pre-Travel Authorization Form.
- In-state Travel: The President is authorized to approve in-state travel for institution employees or students traveling on institution-related activities. Reimbursement shall be made in accordance with applicable state laws.
- Out-of-state Travel: The President is authorized to approve out-of-state travel for each institution’s employees or students traveling on institution-related activities. Reimbursement shall be made in accordance with applicable state laws.
- Foreign Travel: The Chancellor must approve all foreign non-educational travel prior to the commencement of the travel. Refer to Policy 709.01 related to educational foreign travel. The Chancellor shall issue a procedure and a reporting format. The Chancellor shall report all approved out-of-country travel to the Board of Trustees.
Deviations from Pre-Authorized Travel
There are situations beyond a traveler’s control which may cause the amount of actual expenses to exceed the amount of pre-authorized travel expenses. For example, a flight may be delayed or canceled, requiring a traveler to return to base a day later than expected and causing the traveler to incur additional travel expenses, such as an extra night in a hotel. In order for such unforeseen expenses to be reimbursed, a traveler should provide receipts along with an explanation of the circumstances when submitting a request for reimbursement. Additionally, the president or agency head should certify the increased expense as necessary.