Dear Colleagues,
Faculty who are not requesting Beyond Colgate funds but wish to reserve a van for a class outing, please scroll down to the end of this email.
Beyond Colgate
As you finalize your course plans, I invite you to submit applications to the Beyond Colgate program, which supports course-related travel for spring 2026.
Please note that funding is limited and priority will be given to faculty who have not recently availed themselves of this resource. Except in unusual cases, faculty will not be granted Beyond Colgate funds for multiple courses in one semester.
A brief proposal should be sent to April Baptise, Associate Dean of the Faculty for Global and Local Initiatives (with a copy to Cassidy Rodman), 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 (student 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 expenses (bus rental, daily Colgate van rental [$50 per day] and estimated mileage for a Colgate van); meals (use the following to calculate per diem):
- 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 use the following per diem calculator: $10 breakfast / $10 lunch / $20 dinner for a maximum of $40/person.
-If your trip includes multiple meals please itemize the number of meals at the above indicated rate in your budget.
- For trips that include only one meal a maximum of $20 per diem for each person should be used.
- 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 can be approved. Support is available for local travel as well as to regional destinations. The budget limit is normally $2,500 per class.
Reminders
- For Beyond Colgate travel, please use chartered buses (contact info: Hale Transportation 315-853-8670 or Wade Tours 518-355-4500), public transportation, or Colgate vans (see below for reservation instructions). Should you choose to use Hale Transportation, please create an order through Unimarket. Instructions can be found here.
- For local transportation, i.e. field trips that are within a 200 mile radius of Hamilton, faculty can contact the transportation department to check availability for these day trips. The charge is $50.00 per hour for the entire time the bus or van is gone with an extra hour for the pre and post trip tip for the driver. The vans hold 11 passengers plus the driver and the buses hold 22 plus the driver.
- For an initial inquiry of availability and scheduling please send an email to transportation@colgate.edu with the following information:
Date of trip
Destination
How many passengers
Pickup time at location.
Estimated return time to Colgate - Students should be discouraged from traveling by personal vehicle. Where such means of transportation is unavoidable, we require that each student sign and submit a risk management form 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.
Short Term Trips
The Dean of the Faculty, under the global and local initiatives umbrella will support a few short term trips (normally budgets of $5,000 to $10,000) that will enhance a course that is offered in spring 2026. Short-term trips generally involve overnight stays that extend no more than one-week of travel that exceed the Beyond Colgate allocation for a course. The goals of the trip must enhance the course objectives. Proposals for short-term trips should follow the same format as that for Beyond Colgate. Questions about this program should be directed to April Baptiste, Associate Dean of the Faculty for Global and Local Initiatives (abaptiste@colgate.edu).
Van Request Policy for Academic Departments
To request Colgate 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 Monday, January 12, 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 in order to operate any Colgate University owned, leased, or rented vehicles. Authorization procedures can be found in Colgate’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, January 19 from Shelby. After January 19, van reservations and waiting lists will be coordinated by Facilities using this online van reservation request form.
Best wishes,
April Baptiste, Associate Dean of the Faculty for Global and Local Initiatives