There are various sources of funding to support student-faculty interaction outside of the classroom supported by the Dean of the Faculty and the Dean of the College.
Beyond ºÚÁÏÇ鱨վ
The Beyond ºÚÁÏÇ鱨վ program sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Faculty supports course-related travel in the region surrounding ºÚÁÏÇ鱨վ. Preference will be given to travel that is integral to the course and listed on the syllabus. As these funds are limited, and almost all are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, we encourage you to submit proposals before the start of the term (and request vans if needed – see below for more details). We will seek to support class trips when unforeseen opportunities arise after the start of term, but we cannot guarantee that all requests can be approved. Support is available for local travel as well as to regional destinations. The budget limit is normally $2,500 per class.
Please note that funding is limited and allocated on a rolling basis, with priority given to faculty who have not recently availed themselves of this resource. Barring exceptional circumstances, faculty will not be granted Beyond ºÚÁÏÇ鱨վ funds for multiple courses in a single semester.
A brief proposal for funding should be sent to Danny Barreto (dbarreto@colgate.edu), Associate Dean of the Faculty for Global and Local Initiatives, and Cassidy Rodman (crodman@colgate.edu), and should include the following information:
- The course number and title.
- The nature of the trip, and how the trip supports the academic goals of the course.
- Number of participants (students and faculty).
- Location and desired date. If your dates are flexible and you are open to sharing transportation costs with another class, please feel free to mention that in the proposal. Please also be thoughtful when planning dates of travel to minimize disruption to other courses (see below).
- An estimated budget, including transportation and meals. If you will be driving a ºÚÁÏÇ鱨վ van, rental costs are $50 per day plus the estimated gas mileage. Please use the following to calculate meal expenses:
- For trips that include only one meal, a maximum of $20 per diem for each person should be used.
- For trips that include 2 or more meals, please itemize the meals using the following rates: $10 breakfast / $10 lunch / $20 dinner for a maximum of $40/person.
- Possible funding from departments or programs, including any endowed or discretionary departmental funds available to help defray these costs. (Please consult your department/program chair regarding the availability of such funds).
Preference will be given to travel that is integral to the course and listed on the syllabus. As these funds are limited, we encourage you to submit proposals before the start of the term, as priority will be given to early applications. We will seek to support class trips when unforeseen opportunities arise after the start of term, but we cannot guarantee that all requests will be approved. The funding limit is $2,500 per class.
- For Beyond ºÚÁÏÇ鱨վ travel, please use chartered buses (contact info: Hale Transportation 315-853-8670 or Wade Tours 518-355-4500), public transportation, or ºÚÁÏÇ鱨վ vans (see below for reservation instructions). Should you choose to use Hale Transportation, please create an order through Unimarket. .
- If you want to hire transportation for field trips that are within a 200-mile radius of Hamilton, faculty can contact the transportation department to check potential availability for these day trips. Vans hold 11 passengers plus the driver and buses hold 22 plus the driver. For an initial inquiry of availability, a pricing quote and scheduling, please send an email to transportation@colgate.edu with the following information:
- Date of trip
- Destination
- Number of passengers
- Pickup time at the location
- Estimated return time to ºÚÁÏÇ鱨վ
- Students should be discouraged from traveling by personal vehicle. Where such means of transportation is unavoidable, we require that each student sign and before departure (it is the responsibility of the faculty member to distribute and collect before the trip, and discard these forms after the trip). Faculty are expected to travel with students to and from their destinations given the pedagogical approach of student engagement. Any exception should be approved by the PDoF office.
- To minimize disruption to academic schedules, we strongly urge faculty, whenever possible, to schedule trips on days when regularly scheduled classes do not meet (after 2:10 p.m. Fridays and during weekends).
- For those who may be interested in learning more about and/or planning class trips that are tied to the upstate area, please contact Julie Dudrick (jdudrick@colgate.edu) of the Upstate Institute.
As a part of our global and local initiatives, the Dean of the Faculty will support a limited number of short-term trips. These awards are normally limited to $5,000 (except in unique circumstances) and are meant to support course-related travel in fall 2026. Short-term trips are those that generally involve overnight stays for up to one week and exceed the Beyond ºÚÁÏÇ鱨վ allocation for a course. The trip must significantly enhance the course objectives. Proposals for short-term trips should follow the same format as those for Beyond ºÚÁÏÇ鱨վ. Questions about this program should be directed to Danny Barreto, Associate Dean of the Faculty for Global and Local Initiatives (dbarreto@colgate.edu).
To request ºÚÁÏÇ鱨վ vans, please contact Shelby King in the Physics and Astronomy department. In order to ensure that your request is confirmed prior to the start of classes, kindly email van requests to Shelby by Friday August 14, along with the following information:
- Dept/Class
- Faculty member
- Faculty member extension or cell number for planning
- Driver name
- Driver or other cell number in the event of an emergency
- Number of vans
- Date(s)
- Budget code
- Destination
- Anticipated number of passengers
Driver(s), if known — note that all drivers (faculty, staff, and students) must have prior authorization to operate any ºÚÁÏÇ鱨վ-owned, leased, or rented vehicles. Authorization procedures can be found in ºÚÁÏÇ鱨վ’s Driver Safety and Motor Vehicle Use Policy. Authorization must be renewed bi-annually. You may call the Environmental Health and Safety Office in advance of your reservation to confirm whether your authorization is current.
Please note: All fleet vehicles are located at a designated parking area at 100 Hamilton Street.
Shelby will work with facilities and academic departments to resolve any potential conflicts. Faculty will receive confirmation of van reservations by Monday, August 24, from Shelby. After August 24, van reservations and waiting lists will be coordinated by facilities using .
Dean of the College Meal Program
To encourage student-faculty-staff interaction, the Dean of the College has set aside money to support these casual opportunities with students. The objective is to bring faculty, administrators and students together in settings outside the classroom or office. Meal vouchers for the faculty member and up to two students at a time are available at the Office of the Dean of the College in 103 McGregory Hall. You may pick up printed vouchers or call 315-228-7425 to have vouchers mailed via campus mail. Present completed vouchers at Frank Dining Hall checkout with no additional paperwork required on the date of entry.
Faculty should contact Michele Carney in the Office of the Dean of the College with questions about this program.
Dean of the Faculty Refreshment Program
For many years, the Dean's Refreshment Program, sponsored by the Dean of the Faculty, has offered support for faculty who wish to share refreshments or a meal with their current classes outside the normal class meeting time. By enhancing and encouraging additional gatherings of the entire class, this program seeks to support extended student-faculty engagement. This program will continue this year, with an allowance of $150 per class.
The Dean of the Faculty will also entertain requests for supplementary funds for classes over 25. This program provides funding for entire classes only and does not cover alcoholic beverages.
Faculty should contact Cassidy Rodman in the Office of the Dean of the Faculty to access these funds.