General Principle

As long as the department continues to receive ample OBR funding, the department will try to at least partially support a student who attends a conference to present a paper or who attends a conference at which a paper which s/he has co-authored is being presented.  The OBR Budget Committee will consider other requests for supporting students' travel, but these requests will need unusual justification to receive approval for even partial funding.  Faculty may need to use their own OBR Discretionary Funds so that their students are fully reimbursed for their travel expenses.

Application & Evaluation Procedure

1. The student should apply for funds from other sources.  In particular, the student should apply for travel funds from the Graduate Student Senate and from the conference (if such funds are available). Travel funds from the Graduate Student Senate must be applied for within the first two or three days of classes each semester.  Further, the student should inquire of the conference to learn whether or not travel and/or other support funds are available from the conference, and if such funds are available, the student should apply.
   
   

2. After applying for other funds, if additional funds are still needed the student should request (via email or hard copy) funding from the OBR Student Travel Coordinator, preferably BEFORE attending the conference to ensure that funds will be available.  This request should contain the following information:
   
   

   1. the names of the student and her/his research advisor,

   2. the conference to be attended, its location, its dates, and the conference URL

   3. the student's role in the conference (e.g., presenting a paper, co-authoring a paper, etc.),

   4. other funding requested and the status of the request(s), i.e., approved, pending, or denied,

   5. funding requested from departmental OBR funds, in particular the amount requested for:

      
      

      1. conference registration at student rates,

      2. airfare,

   6. exceptions to the above, such as registration at non-student rates, single-room lodging, etc., should be justified in the request.
      
      

3. In general, a student presenting a paper or co-authoring a paper can expect to receive OBR funding for conference registration and airfare ONLY.  Lodging and meals should generally be covered by other funding sources, by the student's advisor from his or her grant or OBR Discretionary Funds, or by the student, but in rare cases some funding for those expenses may be covered by departmental OBR funds.
   
   

4. In evaluating student requests for funding, the OBR Budget committee may also consider the number of requests per year from students of a particular advisor.  While the committee would like to support as much graduate student travel as possible with respect to graduate students presenting their research at conferences, departmental OBR funds are limited.  An advisor should carefully consider which conferences are most appropriate and should suggest paper submissions accordingly.
   
   

5. It is important to note that the window of opportunity to request certain funds, e.g., Graduate Student Senate funds and graduate student support from individual conferences, may be very limited.  However, failure on the student's or advisor's part in requesting these funds in a timely manner will not be grounds for requesting compensatory funds from the departmental OBR Budget Committee.
   
   

OBR Student Travel Coordinator

The current OBR Student Travel Coordinator is Prof. Robert Walker, walker@cs.kent.edu.  All requests for graduate student travel should be sent to him, not to the Graduate Coordinator.

Overview

The Graduate Student Senate (GSS) represents the concerns of the graduate student community of Kent State University. The Graduate Student Senate also serves as an allocation body by providing funding to graduate students and graduate organizations for speakers, workshops, social events, capital equipment purchases, and professional travel.

The GSS is composed of representatives chosen by procedures established by the graduate departments / schools of Kent State University. The GSS also appoints graduate student representatives to a variety of university committees.

GSS general meetings are held four times each semester. Gradfests are held for all graduate students following the general meetings.

Additional information regarding the GSS can be obtained from the GSS office at (330) 672-2406.

CS GSS Representatives

To be determined...

GSS Travel and Research Support

The Graduate Student Senate provides partial funding for graduate students to attend conferences and make presentations. Graduate students are encouraged to apply. It is best -- and maybe even necessary -- to request these funds within the first 7 calendar days of the semester.

"The total available funds will be equitably distributed among approved applicants who submit requests within the first 7 calendar days of the semester. The rate of reimbursement will be a percentage based on the total available funds divided by the total estimated expenditures requested by all applicants."

Applications submitted after the first seven days will be funded on a first-come-first-serve basis "if additional funds become available". Application forms are available online at the GSS site. Completed forms should be returned to the Graduate Student Senate Office, room 120L of the Student Center. In order to be considered for funding, a student must provide an OFFICIAL COPY of your current semester schedule from the Registrar's Office, 122 MSC. Any form received without this will be invalid.