School of Arts & Sciences

Frequently Asked Funding Questions

What is the first rule of funding within A&S?

If you are looking for money then start off by asking your department chair.

What is the second rule of funding within A&S?

There are no cash cows in A&S. There are 21 departments and over 260 full-time faculty members in A&S. Every one of them needs/wants something.

What is the third rule of funding within A&S?

It does not hurt to ask. The worst that will happen is that someone will say NO.

See the information below for answers to your funding questions. If you don’t find the answers in these pages then contact Brian Sommers (sommersb@ccsu.edu or 832-2792) at the School of Arts & Sciences.

DEPARTMENT FUNDING

How is my department funded?

Faculty and staff funding is a book-length subject unto itself. It is also funding that your department does not have discretion over. Questions on such funding should be directed to the A&S Dean’s Office. So we’ll skip that. The following funds are at the discretion of your department.
The OE or operating budget is for purchases of goods and/or services. Your department is allocated these funds by the School of Arts & Sciences at the beginning of each fiscal year. All of these funds should be used up by the end of the Spring Semester. Any deficits carry over to the next year. Any surpluses are lost. Funds can be transferred between OE and DPS.
The DPS budget is for student help and graduate assistants. Your department is allocated these funds by the School of Arts & Sciences at the beginning of each fiscal year. All of these funds should be used up by the end of the Spring Semester. In other words, it really helps if student workers and grad students are off the payroll by mid-May. Any deficits carry over to the next year. Any surpluses are lost. Funds can be transferred between OE and DPS.
The Travel budget is based on the AAUP contract. Your department is allocated these funds by the School of Arts & Sciences at the beginning of each fiscal year. Deficits are not permitted in the AAUP travel accounts. Money cannot be transferred from travel into OE/DPS or vice versa. AAUP travel money does carry over. Departmental surpluses will be considered when decisions are made concerning future funding allocations.

How does my department get more funding?

Each October the budget request cycle begins. It is not completed until late Spring. So the rule of thumb is to think ahead. If your department wants more funding for specific needs then be prepared to submit requests in October. Additional funds are not easy to come by. So you should have a good rationale for why the funds are needed. You may not get what you asked for. The university has its priorities and sometimes they work for you. Sometimes they don’t. A good rationale that demonstrates the number of students/faculty/departments impacted by the request is VERY helpful. If it is something that your department really cares about, then it also helps to show that. Committing some of your existing budget helps to demonstrate the importance of the project to your department.

What if something important happens that our department did not budget for?

This is not something that our budget system is well-equipped to handle. So try to plan ahead as much as possible. Scrape together whatever funds your department can provide. If it is really important then your department may want to hold off on other expenses. Then and only then approach the School of Arts & Sciences for funding. But keep the 2^nd rule of funding within A&S mind.

TRAVEL FUNDING

PLEASE NOTE: SOME OF THE FOLLOWING MAY CHANGE DUE TO THE CONDITIONS OF THE STATE BUDGET AND TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED BY THE GOVERNOR

Where do I go for basic policy information on faculty travel?

The CCSU-AAUP contract has travel policies within articles 9 and 12. You can access the contract online (CSU/AAUP Contract). In addition, the School of Arts & Sciences has a detailed travel policy statement on its web page (A&S Travel Policy).

How do I get funding to present at a conference?

Each year your department is provided with travel funds to support faculty members who are making presentations at academic conferences. In addition, the School of Arts & Sciences provides supplementary travel funding (budget permitting). Together, you can receive up to $1500 per fiscal year. That money is not guaranteed. The funding does get used up. So submit your travel paperwork early. The Arts & Sciences travel addendum form has a check-off for those requesting the supplemental A&S funding. You have to request the funding. It is not provided automatically.

What happens if I run out of travel funding but still want to go to a conference?

If you run out of travel funding but still have conference plans then you have three options. The first is to pay the cost yourself. The second is to contact your chairperson to see if he/she can provide any additional funding out of the department’s operating budget. The third is grants.

What happens if I am just attending a conference?

If you are just attending a conference then the maximum travel funding that you can receive in any fiscal YEAR is $750. If your department would like to provide additional funding out of its operating budget, if you were attending for recruitment or program development activities for example, then that is up to your department. Please note that if you are attending a conference for accreditation purposes then there are funds for that. Contact your department chair or the A&S Dean’s Office for more details.

Can we use a department PCard for travel costs?

Yes and no. Yes you can if your department would like to cover your conference registration. Airfare can be covered if it is done through Sanditz Travel. No, you cannot use it for any other travel costs.

Is there anything else that I should know about travel funding?

Travel funding does run out. If you have travel plans that are late in the fiscal year, get your paperwork in as soon as possible.
Travel funding is based on the DATES of the TRAVEL. It is not based on the date the paperwork was submitted.
Travel funding can be tricky and takes time. Any travel paperwork should get to the A&S Dean’s Office at least 3 weeks before your date of departure if you wish to receive any funding.
If you are requesting a cash advance then make sure that you get your paperwork in a month ahead of your departure. Also make sure that you have submitted the paperwork necessary for the advance.

What if I need funding for research travel?

Then you need grant funding. You could ask your chair for funding out of the department’s operating budget. But as you can probably tell by now, there are a lot of demands on that budget.

GRANTS

What grants are offered through the School of Arts & Sciences?

There are two grant programs within the School of Arts & Sciences. The first is the Dean’s Research Initiative (DRI). This is a grant program designed to support faculty research within the School of Arts & Sciences. Application deadlines for the grant are October 1, December 1, February 1, and April 1. Please see the School of Arts & Sciences web page for more DRI information (Dean's Research Initiative Page). Any faculty member within the School of Arts & Sciences who does not already have a DRI grant in progress is welcome to apply.
The second School of Arts & Sciences grant program is the Diversity Initiative grant program. Its goal is to provide financial support for meritorious programs that nurture a campus environment in which all members of our community can expect to be treated with dignity and respect as they teach, work, and learn. It is not for research support. For more information please contact the School of Arts & Sciences.

What internal grants are offered within CCSU?

There are four grant programs internal to CCSU that are offered through the Sponsored Programs Office. They are the Faculty-Student Research Grants, the Summer Curriculum Development Grants, the Faculty Development Grants, and the Faculty Development Grants for part-time faculty. Guidelines for these internal grants can be found at the Sponsored Programs website (Sponsored Programs).

What grant programs are offered within the CSU System?

The University Research Grants program is administered jointly by the four universities within the CSU system. Guidelines for the University Research Grants can be found at the Sponsored Programs website (Sponsored Programs).

What if I need help finding an external grant or developing a grant application?

Contact the Office of Sponsored Programs or visit their web page.

Can I get additional pay through grants? …equipment purchases through grants?

Some grants allow for stipend requests (or equipment purchases). Some do not.

What is Research Indirect?

Research Indirect is the funding that comes back to you, to your department, and to the School of Arts & Sciences through SOME external grants. If you have an external grant that includes ‘research indirect’ then you get a portion of that research indirect (15%) back. It is placed in a personal account that is set up by the Grants Office. The university gets the lion’s share of the research indirect (35%). If the grant was set up through the Sponsored Programs Office then your department (15%), the School of Arts & Sciences (15%), the Grants Office (10%), the Provost (5%), and the Sponsored Programs Office (5%) will also receive some of that indirect funding. You have discretion (within reason) over your personal indirect funds. Any questions on such funds should be directed to the A&S Dean’s Office or to the Grants Office.