Conferences

Effective: July 1, 2023
Updated: August 20, 2024

Occasionally, a seminar’s central concerns involve scholars too distant for regular participation, or a seminar wants to engage a broader audience. On such occasions, seminars may request conference funding from The Seminars through a formal application process, with the understanding that funds are limited and that The University Seminars does not pay honoraria to conference speakers.

Starting with Fall 2024, applications for conference funding will be reviewed twice a year. The deadlines for applications are September 15, 2024, and March 1, 2025. The application process remains the same. All applications are to be submitted on Submittable. 

Resources

Booking Travel
Rapp Onboarding
Group Meals
Reimbursements
Payments for Goods and Services
Parking at CU
Public Representation

Organizers are encouraged to seek additional funding sources for costs not covered by The Seminars. Seminar-supported conferences come from the work of a seminar, its members, and chairs. Conferences may not be organized and run by graduate students or post-docs. The role of graduate students in conference organization and execution is limited to the part-time work.

Submit a Conference Proposal

Once organizers have received formal notification of the funds awarded for the conference, they can plan conference expenditures in consultation with the office. Restaurants, caterers, food delivery services, venues, and other service providers may demand payment (or deposits) at the time of reservation or day of service. Conference organizers should contact the University Seminars office when this occurs. The University Seminars office will determine the best payment arrangement available at the time of the request. If time permits, The University Seminars office will ask vendors whenever possible to register as suppliers of Columbia University (see Payments for Goods and Services). 

Conference organizers may be asked to use their personal credit card to make any expedient payment. Any expenses charged to a personal credit card should be reported to the University Seminars office for reimbursement (see Reimbursements page).

Timely and direct communication with vendors and with The University Seminars office is key. Contact the University Seminars Administrative Assistant, Giran Ceballos ([email protected]) to confirm whether a vendor/supplier is active in the University accounting system.

Columbia University utilizes the PaymentWorks system for vetting new suppliers/vendors. The approval process for new suppliers/vendors can take a minimum of six weeks to complete. Whenever possible, hotel and travel reservations should be arranged through The University Seminars Administrative Assistant. All travel arrangements booked through The University Seminars office are paid directly. See Payments for Goods and Services page for details.

Conference Timeline

  • Establish conference goals and objectives, in consultation with the seminar.
  • Set a proposed budget, considering fixed and variable expenses.
  • Secure other funding sources to share costs.
  • Consult with the Seminars office about budget figures.
  • Submit Conference Proposal through Submittable.
  • Finalize title, date, location.
  • Invite speakers and confirm their participation.
  • Submit Conference Planning Worksheet. 
  • Schedule planning meeting with Pamela Guardia ([email protected]).
  • Hire a conference rapporteur (can be the seminar’s usual rapporteur or another).
  • Design online and print publicity materials.
  • Build a website and choose a registration portal (if applicable).
  • Submit publicity materials to Summer Hart ([email protected]). 
  • Communicate all audio-visual needs to the venue.
  • Select all vendors, establish all methods of payment.
  • Submit all Traveler Information Form.
  • Rapporteur should confirm that all travel arrangements (including car service and parking), and hotel reservations have been made with Giran Ceballos ([email protected]). 
  • Confirm all Faculty House arrangements with Gary Mayta ([email protected])
  • Consider all other accommodations or services:
    • Office of Disability Services: wheelchair rental / sign language interpreter.
    • Public Safety: security guard.
  • All invoices from all vendors must be submitted to Giran Ceballos. 
  • If invoices cannot be submitted by this deadline, organizers may need to pay with their own credit cards (e.g. for catering) and be reimbursed after the conference. 
  • Contact the Seminars office with any payment issues or to make special payment arrangements if available at the time of the request.
  • Make sure everything is in place and everyone knows what they need to do. 
  • Schedule an AV run-of-show meeting with Gary Mayta ([email protected]).
  • Plan a building walk-through.
  • Submit conference publicity materials (final program, photographs, poster, etc.) to Summer Hart ([email protected]).
  • Conference organizers submit any receipts for reimbursement to Giran Ceballos ([email protected]).
  • Confirm receipt or payment of vendor (guest speaker) reimbursements / supplier invoices.

Travel and Accommodations

When conference speakers have been confirmed, the conference organizers or rapporteur will direct traveling speakers to the Traveler Information Form. Travel is not arranged outside of this process. Speakers should avoid making their own arrangements and request reimbursement. If necessary, the conference rapporteur may complete the form on behalf of the traveler for most hotel and rail bookings. However, due to the sensitive data required under TSA Secure Flight Rules, traveling speakers are expected to complete the Travel and Hotel Accommodation Request Form for any flights.

Once the Traveler Information Form is submitted, Giran Ceballos ([email protected]) will communicate with the traveling guest directly to make travel and hotel accommodations. 

Each academic year, Columbia releases a list of preferred hotels and rates. Please request the 2023-2024 PREFERRED HOTEL LIST from the The University Seminars office. for reference before submitting requests for guest accommodation. The Seminars office makes hotel reservations and pays hotels directly; speakers should not make their own reservations. However, guests need to be aware that upon check in, they must put down a personal credit card for incidentals.Hotels may temporarily charge guests’ credit cards for the amount of the entire stay. Contact The University Seminars office immediately if the hotel fails to reverse this charge. 

The University Seminars provide funds solely for the speaker’s accommodations and coach air or rail fare. The Seminars do not make payments for additional persons traveling with the speaker, extended stays in a hotel for vacation, or extraneous expenses such as room service. 

Seminars may request to use their gift account funds to cover some additional costs allowable by the University, but budgets should be reviewed carefully before confirming these provisions. To check whether an additional expense is allowable by the University, contact the Program Director, Pamela Guardia ([email protected]).

If a pre-arranged travel or hotel reservation is no longer needed, inform the Administrative Assistant, Giran Ceballos as soon as possible so that it can be canceled in a timely manner. If a reservation is not canceled, charges will be applied to the organizer’s conference funding and/or seminar’s gift account.

A traveling guest, or rapporteur on the guest’s behalf, may request car service with Luxury Transportation LLC for transport to and from the airport or to and from the University by submitting a Car Service Request Form. 

A separate form must be filled out for each destination, even for a round-trip booking. Once the car service is reserved, the traveling guest or rapporteur may contact Luxury Transportation LLC directly to make changes to the reservation using the phone number and reservation number provided on the confirmation email. 

The Seminars office can reserve parking for any seminar conference attendee at the rate of $25 per vehicle, per day. Attendees must submit parking requests directly to Giran Ceballos with no fewer than three business days’ notice. The reservation will hold a spot at one of the garages, the guest will not be turned away. If the preferred garage is full, the guest will be directed to the other garage. See Parking at a Columbia University Garage page for details.


 

Publicity and Documentation

Email publicity and documentation to Summer Hart ([email protected]).

For the website and newsletter:

  1. Full title of the conference
  2. Date/s of the conference
  3. Location of the conference
  4. Name and number of the affiliated seminar or seminars
  5. Primary conference organizer’s name and email address
  6. Website or registration links, if applicable
  7. One paragraph description of the event (350 words or fewer)
  8. Print quality* PDF of poster or flier with proper acknowledgement**

*What do we mean by print quality?

  • For posters/flyers: 300 dpi or no fewer than 2400 pixels on the shortest side. 
  • For photographs: 300 dpi or no fewer than 1000 pixels on the shortest side.

**What is the proper way to acknowledge co-sponsorship of a University Seminar?

The conference is sponsored by the individual seminar, not The University Seminars or Columbia University. Correctly acknowledge co-sponsorship in one of three ways: 

  1. Co-sponsored by The University Seminar on [FULL NAME OF SEMINAR].
  2. Co-sponsored by The Columbia University Seminar on [FULL NAME OF SEMINAR].
  3. Request a custom logo from Summer Hart ([email protected]).

For the Annual Report and newsletter:

  1. Final program.
  2. Conference publicity materials (final program, photographs, poster, etc.). Links to other external sites: video, audio, etc.

Hiring Conference Support

Chairs may ask their current Rapporteurs to work for a conference. Current Rapporteurs will receive their current rapporteur hourly rate.

 

If the Rapporteur is not available to work extra hours for a conference, the Chair may hire a CU graduate student as a temporary part-time worker provided they adhere to the 20-hour per week rule described below.

Chair should contact Gesenia Alvarez ([email protected]) with the name and email of the part-time/temporary student employee candidate to begin the onboarding process.

Temporary student employees who are not current rapporteurs will receive $25/hr.

  • Payroll Budget: The University Seminars will pay a rapporteurs (or other PT temp workers) up to 20 hours from the general payroll fund.
     
  • Conference Budget: Any hours paid over 20 hours will be deducted from the funds allocated to the specific conference. 
     
  • 20-Hour Rule for Graduate CU Students: Full-time Columbia University graduate students may only work up to 20 hours per week across all CU positions.
     

    Some full-time graduate students hold student officer appointments (e.g., fellows, teaching/research assistants, preceptors, readers) while also working as rapporteurs or in other part-time roles at CU. Students considering additional part-time work, such as for a conference, should discuss their plans with their academic administrator. Note that some academic departments have limitations on additional work hours. For guidance, please contact Gesenia Alvarez ([email protected]) for more information.

  • University and academic holidays must be observed.