9.6 Hosting University Visitors

DECISION 

NOTE: Faculty who intend to host visitors should check with their Program Head for funding approval if expenses will be incurred. 

NOTE: Candidate visits may have special circumstances that fall outside of this scope and should be discussed with the Director prior to coordinating the visit with the candidate. 

PLANNING and ARRANGEMENTS 

The Admin Team’s role is to assist with: 

  1. the steps of the process that have a financial and logistical impact to the school 
  2. determining the full scope of financial responsibility 
  3. compliance and adherence to WSU policies and regulations as well as the State of Washington (this knowledge may be helpful in the initial phase of planning as well) 

To engage the Admin Team, please send an email to sdc.admin@wsu.edu with the following information:   

  1. Guest 
    • Full name 
    • Email address and phone number if known 
  2. Purpose for the visit 
  3. Sponsoring/inviting Committee, Program, or Class 
    • Include name of coordinating faculty 
  4. Date of the visit and length of stay 
  5. Agenda / Itinerary 
    • In as much detail as known or reasonable, this is essential to plan logistics or to help in any unforeseen circumstances 
    • Please indicate specific details for each piece of the agenda that Admin Team is to provide assistance 
  6. Honorarium amount if applicable 
  7. Account code to which the expenses will be expensed.  

CONSIDERATIONS and REGULAR PRACTICES 

Transportation to and from WSU Pullman 

  1. Flights  
    • If SDC is paying the full cost, this expense can be charged to the SDC central travel card  
    • If the agreement was to cover a portion of the traveler’s flight, the traveler will be reimbursed after the official visit is complete 
      • A copy of itinerary/receipt is required as supporting documentation 
  2. Personal vehicle 
    • The traveler will be reimbursed after the official visit is complete 
  3. Other means of transportation are not common 

Lodging – only applicable for visits longer than one day 

  1. The Courtyard and Residence Inn are located on campus have a direct bill agreement with SDC 

Local Transportation 

  1. Shuttle from and to PUW airport is available for both The Courtyard and Residence Inn; MUST be pre-arranged 
  2. Most commonly, hosting faculty member provides transportation for visitors that are not familiar with Pullman and/or have no means of getting around 
  3. A rental car can be reserved via Enterprise/National at the WSU contracted rate. This practice is not common 
  4. Parking permits for WSU Pullman campus can be obtained for visitors and billed directly to SDC 

Honorarium 

  1. Honorariums can be paid to visitors if applicable for the visit purpose 
    • The form of payment is a check mailed to the address provided by the visitor 
    • The entire payment process takes 4-6 weeks from initial request to the visitor receiving the check.  Please provide the Admin Team ample time to gather the required documentation from the visitor prior to the visit.  
    • It is the goal of the Admin Team to submit the honorarium payment to Accounts Payable the day after the visit/lecture is complete 

Meals 

NOTE: Business meals are allowable and are often necessary to the purpose of the visit. In the spirit of fiscal responsibility, please limit the number of faculty/staff present to conduct the required business purpose.  

NOTE: Business meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) can take place on-campus, at a local restaurant, or be catered/brought-in.  

NOTE: All planned business meals MUST be included in the agenda and coordinated in advance. 

  1. As hosting faculty: 
    • Complete a Request to Serve Food (RTSF) in advance 
    • Provide transportation for the visitor to and from the meal 
    • Pay for all the attendee’s meals  
      • Submit the itemized receipt, plus summary receipt showing total including tip to the Admin Team for reimbursement 
        • Write the Names of actual attendees on the receipt (occasionally the plan changes from RTSF). 
      • You will be reimbursement up to the allowable amount  

POST-VISIT PROCESS 

The SDC Admin Team will process all expenses associated with and incurred during the visit, specifically: 

  1. Honorarium payment 
  2. Expense reports 
    • For visitor – to reimbursement flight or mileage expense as per prior agreement 
    • For hosting faculty – to reimbursement for business meals 
  3. Invoices from hotel, car rental company, catering company, etc.