Student Travel Applications
Eligibility
To be eligible for an SAU Foundation Student Academic Travel Scholarship, a student must
- be enrolled and in good standing in an undergraduate or graduate program of Southern Arkansas University immediately before the commencement of such travel and be eligible to continue in the next term as a fully enrolled student
- be, in the judgment of the selection committee, without sufficient available financial resources to afford such travel
- hold an overall minimum 2.5 GPA at the time the scholarship is awarded
- be a citizen of the United States (for study abroad only)
Guidelines
- The Faculty/Staff Travel Scholarship Advisory Group will submit travel award recommendations to the SAUF Scholarship Committee for final approval.
- The maximum funding available for approval is 50% of the gross travel expenses.
- Exceptions based on financial need may be made at the discretion of the SAUF Board.
- Faculty/staff travel expenses are not eligible for this funding.
- Recurring trips are acceptable; however, students will not receive funding if he/she has participated in SAU travel to the location previously.
- Thank you letters to student travel scholarship donors are required regardless of the award amount.
- Funding of $1,500 or greater requires a presentation to the SAUF Board (Scholarship Committee or Board of Governors) and/or a presentation offered to the community at-large.
- Funding of $1,500 or less requires a written summary of the travel experience.
Selection
- SAU Foundation Individual Travel Scholarships are for the support of individual students, traveling in a program approved by the University, either independently or as part of a group. The goal is to assist students who would not otherwise be able to participate. Students traveling in a group that has received a group scholarship will not be eligible for an individual scholarship.
- Student Academic Travel scholarships are supplemental funds and are not intended to cover the full cost of travel.
- Plans for independent study must be reviewed and approved by a faculty member prior to application. The faculty member’s name must be included on the application.
- For travel to a conference, preference will be given to students who have been accepted to present their research or original work.
- Recipients of this scholarship will be selected on the basis of an SAU Foundation Scholarship application accompanied by a written statement specifying the goals and the intended use of the funds, with consideration being given to both academic proposals and experiential proposals.
- Applications for individual travel must include a recommendation from a faculty member.
- Priority of consideration will be given to those applicants with less travel experience.
- Selection of the recipients of SAU Travel Scholarships are final and in the sole purview of the Selection Committee and shall be made without discrimination on the basis of sex, race, religion, age, sexual orientation, national origin, physical impairment, or veteran status.
Procedures
- Recipients may be required to execute a form releasing Southern Arkansas University and Southern Arkansas University Foundation and any of their employees and agents from any liability for any injuries or property damage suffered by the recipient in connection with the travel.
- Any use of funds awarded for other than the purposes described in the student’s application for the scholarship, or any substantive failure to complete the travel proposed in the student’s application for the scholarship, will require a full or partial repayment to the University of the money advanced to the student, the amount of the repayment to be determined by the Selection Committee.
- Recipients will be required to show proof of trip insurance for travel abroad through their current policy or through a policy taken out specifically for the study trip. In the event that the student is unable to participate after the trip has been paid for, the insurance will reimburse the SAU Foundation and the Student Travel Scholarship Fund.
- Recipients will be required to sign a pledge to comport themselves in a manner that will reflect favorably on Southern Arkansas University and to cooperate with the travel leader during the trip.
- The Scholarship may be subject to taxation as scholarship income. The recipient is responsible for determining the extent of his or her tax liability, for reporting the grant on the appropriate tax forms, and for paying any resulting taxes.
A written report will be required from a recipient of the Scholarship within one month of the completion of travel. The report should describe the travel and reflect on the accomplishment of the goals stated in the proposal. The report will be reproduced and maintained for access by other members of the University community. Failure to submit the report will cause the student to be ineligible for future travel scholarships.
Group Travel Scholarships
The goal of the Group Travel Assistance is to provide new opportunities for students.
- Group Travel Scholarships are not intended to replace departmental funding of established class activities.
- Preference will be given to travel that offers a unique one-time opportunity for which no other funding is available.
- Preference will be given to those groups planning a project using what they learned from their experience to better the University or community.
- Each group will provide a report on the travel within one month following the trip. Failure to submit the travel report within one month following the trip will disqualify the group from consideration during the following academic year.
Procedures
- A Group Travel Application should be filled out by a sponsoring faculty member requesting funds for a group trip.
Scholarship Selection Committee
Dr. Abdel Bachri
Dr. Alec Testa
Dr. Neelie Dobbins
Dr. Ed Kardas
Dr. Svetlana Paulson
For additional information, please call 870-235-4078.