Conference Funding Information Session September 22, 2016

The Student Council endeavors to support the needs of the student body by providing the opportunity to apply for financial support when attending or presenting at professional conferences both domestically and abroad.

Just a few of the conferences we supported you to attend last year…

DPMI What We cannot fund In short, check out: http://www.miis.edu/academics/resources/ipl/ immersive

How is Funding Allocated? 60% of your student activities fee is directed to Student Council’s budget Based on applications from past years, 2/3 of funding is designated for Fall Semester and 1/3 of funding is designated for Spring Semester Money rolls over by program from previous semesters Despite our best attempts, funding may run out so please apply early!

Eligibility Are you a current degree-seeking student? Are you in good academic and financial standing? Are you attending or presenting at a professional conference? Does the conference take place between August 29, 2016 and August 27, 2017? Have you already received conference funding this academic year?

The Application Process The application can be found on our website: http://www.miis.edu/student-life/council/conference The application is open until May 5, 2017 Your application should include: Documentation showing the estimated costs (e.g. hotel reservation, airport shuttle, Google map demonstrating mileage) and/or actual receipts (e.g. conference registration fee, airfare) If presenting, proof of presenter status (e.g. letter of invitation, conference program) A one-page essay

The Application Process Your application is reviewed and scored by a committee of Student Council members Each member reads your application and assigns it a score between 0 and 3 The final score is the average of the reviewers’ scores Each score corresponds to a funding percentage Assuming program funds remain, funding is awarded according to the rubric If an applicant requests $500 to attend a conference and receives a score of 3, the maximum amount of $300 will be awarded If an applicant requests $200 and receives a score of 2, $132 will be rewarded (66% of $200)

The Essay In one page, please tell us: How the conference is relevant to your academic course of study How the conference will aid you in your intended career track About some of the potential benefits to the MIIS community (And in general: why you are excited about this opportunity!)

Criteria used in evaluation 1. Submitted application with proposal... The application should demonstrate that the conference is directly related to the student's field of study and/or academic interest and explain the general benefits and classroom benefits the student would receive from attending. 2. Submitted application with a detailed proposal... The proposal should demonstrate that the conference is directly related to the student's field of study and/or academic interest. It should also outline the specific and tangible classroom benefits the student would receive from attending and should explain how the conference is related to the student's future career goals, touching on how conference attendance will benefit the MIIS community as a whole. 3. Submitted application with a detailed, comprehensive proposal... The proposal should demonstrate that the conference is directly related to the student's field of study and/or academic interest. It should also outline the specific and tangible classroom benefits the student would receive from attending. Finally, the proposal should explain how the conference is related to the student's future career goals and provide a detailed, robust explanation for how conference attendance will benefit the MIIS community as a whole.

Reimbursement Process The initial notification is only pre-approval for funding up to that amount You must then submit for actual reimbursement within two weeks after the conference; if you fail to submit for reimbursement within two weeks, you forfeit your award Funding may be used for: Conference Registration Travel and transportation Lodging

Reimbursement Process Reimbursement requests include: A voucher form All relevant, original receipts The required deliverable (either a blog post or registration to present at a Conference Funding Symposium—to be held in February and May) Once all documentation is received, your reimbursement check will be processed by the Cashier’s Office within approximately 2-3 business weeks

When Should I Apply? With the exception of the first review date, you must apply for funding in advance of your conference E.g. if you plan to attend a conference in November, you must apply by the October 11, 2016 review date The review dates are: October 11, 2016 December 2, 2016 April 1, 2017 May 5, 2017 You will receive an e-mail with your funding decision within 2-3 weeks of the nearest review date

Questions? http://www.miis.edu/ student-life/council/ conference studentcouncil@miis.edu student.services@miis.edu