Travel Expenditures and Approvals
All faculty and staff members should have their business travel approved by their supervisor prior to finalizing arrangements. Additionally, travelers should verify the availability of funding prior to making purchases associated with their trip. Use of the university preferred travel agents, Travel & Expense (American Express) cards, or personal funds are permitted when traveling on behalf of the University.
It is the responsibility of the traveler to review all policies and procedures regarding the necessary documentation needed to approve expenses. The Mandel School is not responsible for missing documentation, and cannot approve expenses without them. Policies or examples of required documentation not expressly described below are still required to be adhered to.
Travel Receipts
When booking travel, please be reminded that the University requires detailed receipts (e.g., for airline this means a receipt that details flight numbers, destination(s), ticket number(s), and proof of payment). The University will not reimburse for airline or other trip insurance.
Due to this, if a receipt for a hotel and air is “bundled” from a vendor such as Expedia, and no detail can be provided, the University will not process the reimbursement. This is because a “bundled” receipt does not provide the necessary detail and it cannot be demonstrated that the receipt doesn’t include travel insurance or any other unallowable expenses. This also applies to any other “bundles.”
University Preferred Travel Agents
Booking flights and hotels through use of the University’s Preferred Travel Agencies is encouraged as it allows the costs to be billed directly to a School or funded speedtype. It is the responsibility of the traveler, or their designated arranger, to work directly with the Agency to determine the appropriate itinerary.
Both Direct Travel and Flite II require an authorization form to be filled out indicating flight and/or hotel details and all associated costs. This form must be signed by either Rachel Blake, for departmental budgets, or Nancy Lupi, for funded speedtypes, before the form can be sent to the agency and the booking finalized. Please make sure the form is complete before forwarding for signature. We cannot sign incomplete forms, and this could delay your booking. Forms will be returned to the traveler or designated arranger for submission to the selected Agency.
Contact information and authorization forms for both agencies can be found on the University’s travel website.
Who to Contact
Questions about allowable expenses, required documentation, or funding sources should be directed to the Finance & Administration Office.
| Contact | Area |
| Rachel Blake, Director of Finance | Department purchases (OPR, INS) |
| Nancy Lupi, Assistant Director of Research Administration | Grant purchases (RES, TRN, SPC, OSA) |