Colleges and universities
A whole campus, one travel program.
Faculty at conferences, researchers in the field, teams on the road, recruiters in a new city every night, study abroad cohorts, visiting speakers and candidates, trustees and leadership. A university travels like a large company, with the accounting of a nonprofit and the rules of every award it holds.
This quarter, by unit
At a glance
How universities usually travel
- Most trips
- Faculty, research and athletics
- Structure
- Many units, one institution
- Special rules
- Research awards and grants
- Who approves
- Chair, dean, sponsored programs
- Paid from
- Department budgets, awards, gifts, athletics
Who travels
Who travels from a university
Faculty
Conferences, invited talks, collaborations and committee work. See faculty and research travel.
Researchers and students
Fieldwork, archives, field stations and lab visits, often on research awards with their own rules.
Athletics
Teams, coaches and staff to away fixtures and championships. See athletics.
Admissions and recruiting
Recruiters on the road, visit days, and candidate travel. See admissions and recruiting.
Study abroad
Faculty-led programs, cohorts and exchanges. See study abroad.
Guests and leadership
Visiting speakers, faculty candidates, trustees, and leadership and advancement travel, with guests booked as guest travelers.
Approvals
The approvals a university needs
Approval follows the money and the person: a chair or dean for department funds, a principal investigator for an award, athletics for teams.
- Each traveler has a named approver: chair, dean, PI or unit head, with delegates
- Approval only out of policy, always, or never, set per policy group
- Restricted destinations that always need approval, for international travel rules
- A full approval history and audit log for sponsored-program and internal audit
Paying for it
Unit, award and gift
Universities run on many funding sources. Every charge carries an entity, department and project from booking, and finance can reallocate with the change recorded.
| Money | How it is coded |
|---|---|
| Campus or legal entity | Entity |
| College, department or unit | Department |
| Research award, grant, gift or program | Project |
| Athletics team or event | Department and project |
A typical year
A university travel year
Summer
Fieldwork and conferences
- Research travel and summer field seasons
- Fall recruiting routes planned
Fall
Recruiting and athletics
- Admissions on the road
- Fall sports away fixtures booked by season
Winter
Conferences and candidates
- Faculty conference season
- Faculty candidates flown in as guests
Spring
Study abroad and championships
- Cohorts depart and return
- Championship travel at short notice
Year-end
Close and report
- Travel by unit and award for finance
- Exports for the general ledger; unused credits applied
Who does what
The school and the travel team
| Task | Your institution | silentVIP |
|---|---|---|
| Approve the trip | Named approver: chair, dean, PI, athletics | Checks options against policy |
| Federally funded travel rules | Applies award terms and requirements such as the Fly America Act | Books the options your rules allow |
| Book and change travel | — | Quote-and-select booking; changes and cancellations |
| Guests, speakers and candidates | Invites and approves | Books them as guest travelers, coded to the host unit |
| Insurance, visas, medical care | University risk office or the traveler | Itineraries that fit entry requirements |
| Incidents while away | University emergency process | Incident monitoring 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; contacts the travelers |
| Finance | Reconciles and reports to sponsors | Invoices per entity and period; file exports |
Federal awards
Research travel has its own rules
Travel charged to US federal awards follows the cost principles in 2 CFR Part 200 and your award terms. International air travel paid with federal funds is also subject to the Fly America Act .
Your sponsored programs office knows the rules for each award. We book the options those rules allow, keep the record of what was approved, and code every charge to the award.
Questions
Common questions
Can each department keep its own approvers and budgets?
Yes. Each traveler has a named approver, and department budgets can be set per period and compared with actual spend in reports.
Can we import our people from HR?
Yes. An HR roster CSV import keeps travelers, departments, approvers and policy groups current.
Do you apply the Fly America Act for us?
No. Your institution and the traveler apply the award rules. We book the options your rules allow and record the approval.
Can faculty book their own flights?
Live self-service search across airline and hotel inventory is not available today. Travelers request a trip and choose from the options our team sends.
What about single sign-on?
Single sign-on with Google or Microsoft is available on request, and an account can require it for everyone.
More in Education
A travel program your school can stand behind
Tell us about your school, district or institution and how it travels today. A person reads every enquiry and replies.