Visiting Speaker Fund

Harpur College Visiting Speaker Fund 

Departments and programs may request funds from the Harpur Dean鈥檚 Office to help bring visiting speakers to campus. Matching funds are expected from departments and other participants. Typical funding levels are up to $300. Speakers who make multiple presentations or have a particularly significant impact or broad appeal may be eligible for additional funds.

Speakers may not be affiliated with 绿帽社. The fund does not support events at off-campus venues despite the worthiness of these activities. In the same vein, although we recognize the value of visits by our faculty, graduate students, and staff at off-campus locations, the fund does not cover travel or the costs of off-campus events. For faculty, staff, and graduate students, other travel funding opportunities are available on campus from various sources, including UUP Individual Development Awards, Graduate Student Organization, department resources, etc.

Application Process

Any faculty member may submit a request for funds, although the department chair or program director must endorse requests. Funds are allocated on a rolling basis, beginning on August 1 before the fall semester starts. If a department has already received visiting speaker funding during an academic year, decisions to grant additional funds may be deferred until later that year.

Requests should be submitted via an online Requests will be reviewed by Associate Dean Carl Lipo. For questions regarding the visiting speaker fund or the application process, don't hesitate to get in touch with Associate Dean Lipo.

Event Publicity

Sponsoring departments or programs are required to advertise the program on Dateline. For optimal publicity across the University, submissions should be sent to Dateline at least three weeks before the program.

Reimbursement Procedures

Budget (Management Procedure #202)

All payments and reimbursements will be charged to a foundation account in the Dean鈥檚 Office. Please have your department support staff contact Nancy Baudendistel at (7-5282) if they have questions. To draw against these funds, original expenses receipts are necessary and must be provided for processing. Please have support staff create a foundation voucher, excluding the account name and number, and send it with supporting documents to the Dean鈥檚 office for signature.

Allowable expenses include:

  1. speaker honoraria,
  2. speaker travel, lodging (at State rates) and meals (at current hosting rates), and
  3. costs of producing flyers and speaker series announcements.

Many units wish to provide hosting (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) for speakers. Since funds are tight, we use the same reimbursement rules that the university applies to state funds: We offer reimbursement for meal expenses for the speaker and one host, up to the maximum amounts allowed for breakfast and dinner, no alcohol. Unfortunately, we cannot reimburse for receptions or other similar group expenses, although we recognize the value of such events. We encourage faculty to contact their Department Chair for any department funds available for these purposes.

The intent of the Visiting Speaker Fund is to bring off-campus speakers to the campus, so we do not support the use of these funds at off-campus venues or events, despite the worthiness of these events or activities. In the same vein, although we recognize the value of visits by our own faculty, graduate students, and staff at off-campus locations, the Visiting Speaker Fund does not cover travel to or the costs of off-campus events. For faculty, staff, and graduate students, there are other travel funding opportunities available on the campus from various sources, including department resources, UUP Individual Development Awards, Graduate Student Organization, for example.

If funded Workshops request specific funds for any of the above (or similar) non-fundable activities, please adhere to these budget guidelines in making expenditures for which you will want reimbursement. As always, if you have budget-related questions, see the department support staff.

Travel (Management Procedure #204 and NYS Comptroller Traveler鈥檚 Guide)

All travel information is now online and current and can be accessed through the following website: .

Honoraria (Management Procedure #201)

For departments wishing to pay an honorarium, there are two separate ways to achieve this. One is through a State of New York Standard Voucher for someone who is not a State employee.

The other is by paying a State employee extra service. The extra service method is used regardless of the State agency where the individual is employed. There is no maximum limit on honoraria, although Albany may require more justification for higher honoraria.

  1. STATE OF NEW YORK STANDARD VOUCHER: Honoraria payments from State funds should be processed immediately upon the completion of the individual's obligation. Use a State of New York Standard Voucher, from the Business Office. .
  2. EXTRA SERVICE: If the speaker is on another State Payroll (excluding Non-Resident Aliens), the person must be paid using Extra Service. This requires them to provide a UP-8 form initiated through their Human Resource Office, complete an I-9 form plus Extra Service Vouchers. Extra service payments must fall within the maximum allowed per semester (this is no more than 10% of the person鈥檚 annual salary). Thus, a person earning $30,000/year may earn up to $3,000 per semester as extra service. This amount includes all services, both at their home campus and as a guest speaker. Be sure to make this clear to them before making a commitment.

    Any Extra Service appointment must be processed through HR Forms. For current employees of the 绿帽社 campus, it is necessary to process an Extra Service HR Form.

    Please inform your unit's support staff who handles HR Forms. Please contact Human Resources for assistance.

  3. EXCEPTIONS: For speakers who are non-resident aliens, you must be sure the person can receive payment for being a guest speaker. Certain non-resident aliens eligible for honoraria cannot be paid through the Standard voucher but must be placed on the payroll. Since the rules are lengthy and complicated, please check with Human Resources (777-2187) and/or Kim Avery (777-6953) regarding these rules. PLEASE DETERMINE PAYMENT ELIGIBILITY BEFORE COMMITTING TO THE SPEAKER. Other special rules may apply to foreign nationals. Check with the Business Office before committing. .

    A person serving as a department chair at a SUNY unit receiving a chair stipend must be paid for something other than Extra Service. Article 25.1 of the UUP Contract forbids chairs from being paid Extra Service.

    Finally, an honorarium may not be paid to State employees for service at their home campus, the campus where they hold their regular appointments. This State policy has no exceptions.

Questions