PAG Policies & Procedures

 

Purpose

Professional Advancement Grants (PAG) are provided to graduate and professional students at Iowa State by the Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS) to help defray expenses related to conference travel.

Amount of Support

- The maximum amount of a PAG award for the 2023-2024 fiscal year is $250.

Application

  1. The application form can be found here: PAG Application  
  2. Documentation of registration is required at the time of application.
    1. You do not need to submit documentation in the application, only by request.
  3. Incomplete, late, or duplicate applications will not be considered for funding.
  4. The user is responsible for entering information correctly, and on-time. 
  5. The deadline for an application is 5:00 pm on the 15th of the month prior to the month of the conference/event. There is no limit to how early an individual may submit an application.

Student Eligibility

  1. Applicant must be a graduate or professional student at Iowa State University (ISU).
    1. Must be registered for the Fall Semester to receive funding for a trip which occurs in August through December.
    2. Must be registered for the Spring Semester to receive funding for a trip which occurs in January through May.
    3. Must be registered for either of the 2 Summer Sessions or the previous Spring semester to receive funding for a trip which occurs during June or July.
    4. Must not graduate prior to travel occurring
  2. Students are only eligible to receive one PAG award per fiscal year (July 1 - June 30)
  3. Students may apply more than once, but the applications must be for different conferences.
    1. A student cannot submit multiple applications for multiple events occurring within the same month. Grad student must select and apply for only ONE.
    2. If a student is denied a PAG award for a conference due to missing the application deadline, they remain eligible to apply for a different conference that same fiscal year (but NOT the conference for which he/she has missed the deadline. i.e. missing the deadline doesn't affect future eligibility).

Travel Reimbursement

  1. A student MAY file for their PAG by themselves now through Workday. The associated worktag is PG102496 ("program" line of the expense report). Instructions for Workday can be found here
  2. Dispersal of funds will conform to ISU policies.
  3. Reimbursements must be completed within 1 month from the last date of travel.
  4. Reimbursements will only be approved for actual expenses incurred.
  5. All lodging receipts and all receipts for items $75 or greater must be retained in the traveler's academic department. The Graduate College will not be responsible for the retention of traveler's receipts.

You can submit your receipts, travel business purpose, and worktag PG102496 for up to $250 plus any other worktag that might be covering additional expenses to finance_delivery@iastate.edu.

If for some reason you are having challenges with accessing this via Workday please contact finance_delivery@iastate.edu.

Travel Cancellation

  1. If a student is funded to attend a conference and does not attend, the student must notify the Senate Information Officer in writing (gpsssio@iastate.edu) to cancel their PAG for that conference no later than 2 weeks after the conference.
  2. Students who do not follow the procedure to cancel will not be allowed to apply for an additional PAG within the same fiscal year.
  3. Funds awarded for travel to one conference cannot be transferred to a different conference.

Travel Eligibility

  1. Applicants may receive travel funding to attend a professional meeting as a presenter or as a non-presenter.
  2. Applicants may receive travel funding to cover virtual conference admission fees. 
  3. Applicants may receive travel funding to attend a professional workshop that provides experiences not available at ISU.
  4. Applicants will not receive funding for required academic activities or towards credit-bearing courses. 
  5. An applicant MUST retain documentation of the travel should the GPSS ask for it: 
    1. Must have an abstract acceptance confirmation or a registration email (email or letter) containing: 
      1. The name of the conference or workshop,
      2. Date(s) of the conference and/or presentation,
      3. Name, title, and affiliation of the person that sent the confirmation, and
      4. Contact information for the person that sent the confirmation

        GPSS may request that an applicant submit proof of acceptance in hardcopy, it is the applicant’s responsibility to retain the confirmation for one (1) year following the conference.

Travel Month Award Divisions

  1. PAGs shall be awarded based on "Travel Month".
  2. The month in which a conference occurs shall be determined by the last day on which the conference occurs regardless of when travel begins or ends, this is referred to as an applicant's "Travel Month".
  3. The total amount of funds budgeted for PAG awards for the fiscal year shall be divided equally among the twelve months.
  4. If in a given month there is unspent money, the extra money will be distributed to the immediately proceeding month.

Receiving PAG Funds

  1. An applicant who has never received a PAG before has priority, and will receive a decision as long as there are funds available. 
  2. An applicant who HAS received a PAG before (in another fiscal year) will be added to a queue and processed after their event's deadline has passed. 
  3. In the event where there is inadequate funds for those in the queue, a lottery will be performed. 
  4. A student will NEVER receive PAG funds upfront, they will only be disbursed as a reimbursement for actual expenses occurred.
  5. The Graduate College manages the PAG account, and verifies all withdrawal requests. 

 

 

Please email gpsssio@iastate.edu and gpssexec@iastate.edu if you have questions or concerns not addressed in the FAQ section, or have specific questions about your application.