Conferences

IPD ELIGIBILITY: Full-time Faculty and 7.5+ LHE Part-time Faculty

The IPD offers various funding opportunities for attendance or presenting at Conferences, Professional Meetings, Workshops, Seminars, and Classes that are related to the District's educational program and the faculty member's professional growth. Annual conference allowance (July 1 through June 30) is per eligible faculty member and is issued on a first-come first-served basis, determined based on available IPD funds, and the annual allowance is subject to change each fiscal year.

District policies prohibit receiving IPD and any other District funds for the same professional development activity including Flex credit, IPD salary advancement credit or IPD Alternative Methods funding.

CRITERIA: (in accordance with Article XXI. Professional Development Institute, Section 21.1. of the faculty contract). Attendance of a conference or other professional development activity must be related to a faculty member's discipline or teaching in the classroom. It must enhance the professional growth of faculty and their knowledge and skills, ultimately improving teaching, student learning, and college functioning.

Travel and Conference Expense & Reimbursement Guide - This guide provides comprehensive information regarding conference travel expenses and reimbursement procedures for CCCD employees. Please review prior to completing your CAR.

Application (CAR form) must be submitted to the IPD Office at least six-weeks prior to the date of the conference/PD activity. Review the IPD Application deadlines to ensure that you submit your CAR in time to be included on the IPD meeting agenda. Refer to the Application Process section below for further information.

FUNDING OPTIONS

2024-25 CONFERENCE FUNDING:

A single conference or other professional development activity can be funded up to 100% of actual permissible expenses ( e.g. registration, airfare, lodging, mileage, meals, and parking, etc.) up to the $2,200 annual max. If the maximum is not used on the first conference/activity and as funds permit, multiple applications can be submitted to request funds up to the $2,200 annual max.

Faculty members are to fund conference related purchases out-of-pocket and submit for reimbursement. Refer below to Reimbursement Process.

IPD FUNDING OPTIONS:

$2,200 towards attendance of a Discipline and/or General Education Conference, Professional Meeting, Workshop, Seminar, and Class. (A single fund is offered this year for discipline and general education conferences).
An additional $150 in conference funding to faculty members presenting at the conference/PD activity. (Must submit proof of presentation such as the conference program when submitting for conference reimbursement).
A separate $2,200 fund to attend Academic Senate for California Community Colleges conferences linked here with priority given to Academic Senate and standing committee members. Apply at least six weeks in advance and the Senate Office will assist with prepayment of the registration fee.
A separate $2,200 fund for faculty members to attend a conference per their GWC or District leadership role, committee member role, faculty coordinator role, or as a request by the college or District. This includes conferences of a general import to the educational program of the college. Funding is subject to one conference/PD activity per academic year.
- Faculty members must first contact the Office of Instruction to request VPI Faculty Conference funds. The IPD may act as a secondary funding source to subsidize VPI funds. If VPI Faculty Conference funds are depleted, the faculty member must include written confirmation of this from the Office of Instruction with their CAR.
- In the Purpose of Trip section of the CAR or attach as a separate written statement: explain the the reason for attendance including in what capacity you will be attending, which administrator requested you to attend, what knowledge and/or skills do you expect to gain, how do the outcomes relate to GWC's or District's educational program and/or the committee you are representing.

IPD funds will not be approved retroactively. CARs must be received by the IPD at least six-weeks prior to the date of the event. IPD accepts CARs up to a year in advance. If current conference details aren't posted to their website...no problem! Just include a copy of last year's information. You are responsible to follow up with the IPD Office to provide a copy of the current conference details once available. Contact the IPD Office for assistance. 714/895-8175 or email GWCIPD@gwc.cccd.edu

Additional funding opportunities:

Supplemental CFE Funding – CFE will provide up to $300 in supplemental funding to eligible faculty members who have exceeded their campus annual conference funds on a single conference. (For example, your total expenditures exceeded the IPD's approved $2,200 on a single conference). Contact maria@cfe1911.org to request additional information.

SEAP funds – you may submit a SEAP Conference Funding Request Form to the Equity Office to request conference funding through the Student Equity and Achievement Program. If you qualify, you may use it as the primary funding source or combine with IPD funds to fully fund all preapproved eligible conference-related purchases. For example, you may apply to the IPD for up to $2,200 as the primary funding source and request SEAP funds as a secondary funding source to subsidize the difference of your remaining total preapproved eligible expenditures. Contact the Equity Office for further information at Equity@gwc.cccd.edu

Salary Advancement Credits (SAC) - If you are full-time faculty member on Columns I-IV of the salary schedule and wish to earn SAC instead of requesting funding for attending a conference/meeting/class, it is recommended that you complete a Salary Advancement Application. SAC is not approved for professional development activities already approved for District funds.

POST-CONFERENCE SURVEY
After the conference you will receive a link to a required IPD Post-Conference Survey. We hope you enjoyed your conference/PD activity and look forward to hearing all about it!

APPLICATION PROCESS

CAR Form (Conference/Class Application Form) - Effective October 2024, all conference requests must use this new District form.

Travel & Conference Expense & Reimbursement Guide - Please review prior to completing your CAR! This provides comprehensive information on allowable expenses and important guidelines.

How to complete a CAR form:

A faculty member making a request to attend a conference, professional meeting, or class seeking IPD funding shall submit a Conference Authorization Request (CAR) to the IPD Office at least SIX WEEKS prior to the requested date of attendance.

Apply Early! Discipline conferences require review and approval by the IPD Committee during their Fall and Spring meetings. It’s encouraged that you apply early and, if needed, you can always cancel your application later versus applying too late and running out of funds.

The applicant is responsible for covering all costs and submitting a request for reimbursement of preapproved eligible expenses. Reimbursement will not exceed the approved IPD funding limit and must be accompanied by appropriate, itemized receipts.

IPD APPLICATION PROCESS:

This is a request for IPD funding and is subject to approval by the IPD Committee. Your CAR will not be considered fully approved until it is signed by the college president for domestic travel. Board approval is required for international travel.

Complete a CAR form (linked above)
- [SAMPLE CAR - How to complete CAR for IPD funding]
Comments section:
- Write in the total amount of conference funding you are requesting: "$_____: Requesting IPD funding"
- If you are traveling outside of the allowed travel period enter the justification in this section (i.e. "Arriving early on personal time")
- Add additional notes that are relevant to your conference (i.e. "Traveling by car in lieu of airfare").
Funding tips:
- When estimating the total amount of conference funding needed, we recommend you include an additional $200 (not to exceed the IPD's $2,200 max) to ensure all expenditures are covered.
- Mileage is reimbursed at 70 cents per mile roundtrip from GWC.
- Refer to the Travel & Conference Guidelines linked above for detailed information regarding covered expenses.
Do not fill out the Budget Section.
- The IPD Office will enter their budget number after the CAR is approved by the IPD committee.
Save file but DO NOT sign CAR yet
- Your signature is required, however, don't sign until after you have combined your CAR with the conference flyer to create a single PDF file. **Signing the CAR before combining it with the other required documents will lock the CAR, giving you an extra step later when attempting to combine all paperwork**
Conference flyer
- CAR packet must include screen shots of the conference description, dates, location, and the agenda/program (if available).
- Registration fee and quotes for airfare and hotel are not required.
For Part-time Faculty Only (assigned to 7.5+ LHE):
- CAR packet must include verification of your LHE.
- Include your current load sheet or a written confirmation from your Division Office.
Create a Single PDF file.
- Combine all documents to create a single PDF (refer below for instructions).
- Save the file using the Business Services naming convention:
  "CAR - Your Name - MM.DD.YY" of Departure.
Sign the CAR form.
- Sign under the Originator/Traveler and save file.
Route the CAR packet for Dean signature.
- Let them know that you will be requesting IPD funding and the budget section will be completed by the IPD Office after your CAR is approved.
- The Dean's signature does not guarantee IPD funding.
- The Division Office will return the signed CAR to you.
Submit your CAR packet to the IPD
- Email the completed CAR packet to the IPD Office at GWCIPD@gwc.cccd.edu no later than SIX weeks before the conference.
- CAR packet must be received by noon per the dates listed here IPD Agenda Deadlines for inclusion on the meeting agenda.
- If you did not receive a confirmation email from the IPD Office, it is your responsibility to check the status of your CAR submission.
- Incomplete CAR packets will be returned and if not submitted by the agenda deadline, they may be postponed until the following meeting agenda.
IPD Review Process
- Your CAR will be included in the IPD meeting agenda contingent upon timely submission.
- The IPD Office will notify you of the funding approval status. (Reminder - your CAR is not fully approved until it is signed by the college president).
College President's signature
- The IPD Office will route IPD approved CARs to the college president to sign via AdobeSign.
- The IPD Office will email faculty member a copy of the fully signed CAR.
- It is at this time that you may make conference related purchases for domestic conferences.
Faculty responsibility: Download your Database Receipt in SharePoint
- The IPD Office will submit the fully signed CAR to the President's Office SharePoint to generate a Database Receipt. (This receipt replaces the Board letter for local conferences).
- Go to the President's Office SharePoint and download your CAR Database Receipt from the "Entered" worksheet in the CAR Spreadsheet.
- IMPORTANT: Save a copy of your CAR and Database Receipt to your computer. These documents are required later when you submit your reimbursement claim.

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

International travel continues to require board approval prior to travel.
Following college president's signature, the IPD Office will route your CAR to the President's Office for inclusion on the District board agenda.
District will email you a board approval letter. It is at this time that you may make conference related purchases.
Refer to #13 above to download your CAR Database Receipt.
Include your board letter and Database Receipt with your reimbursement claim.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

We highly recommend that faculty submit their own CAR packet to the IPD Office and not rely on support staff or their Dean to submit it to the IPD on their behalf.
IPD funding is based on first come, first served and subject to receipt of a fully completed CAR.
Incomplete CARs will be returned.
Resubmissions not meeting the current agenda deadline will be postponed to the following agenda.
Retro authorization is not provided.

How to combine CAR documents to a single PDF file (LINK)

Protected files - If your CAR is signed, it may have been converted to a protected file, preventing you from combining it with your other documents. Try this method:

Open the CAR and click "File" at the top left
Select "Print"
In the Printer options select "Microsoft Print to PDF". This will create a new version of the file as a PDF.
Save the document with a NEW file name. Make sure you save this newly generated PDF with a different name than your original. This step is crucial to ensure that the new PDF will not have restrictions when combining it with your receipts.
Click the link above for instructions on how to combine documents into a single PDF.

Please contact the Administrative Assistant in the IPD Office for additional support with the application process. We are here to help! GWCIPD@gwc.cccd.edu or call (714) 895-8175

REIMBURSEMENT PROCESS

The Reimbursement Claim Form should be completed within 10 days for domestic travel and 14 days for international travel after completion of the conference/class regardless of whether out-of-pocket expenses are expended.

A claim form is required for ALL conferences regardless if not claiming a reimbursement
Example: You attended a virtual conference and District paid for your registration. You have zero out-of-pocket expenses. You must still submit a Reimbursement Claim Form to file a $0 claim. Include the copy of the registration payment provided by District. This will allow District Travel to close our your CAR.

CCCD Reimbursement Claim Form 2025 Save a copy to your computer to access fillable form. DO NOT SIGN it until you combine it with your receipts to create a single PDF file.

CCCD Travel & Conference Expense & Reimbursement Guide - Please review prior to completing the reimbursement form. This provides comprehensive information on allowable expenses and important guidelines.

How to complete Reimbursement Claim – important tips!

IMPORTANT: When submitting receipts for conference travel reimbursement, it is crucial to ensure that every receipt clearly displays the method of payment used for the purchase; if a receipt does not show how you paid, it will not be accepted by Business Services and you will be asked to resubmit a valid receipt.

REIMBURSEMENT PROCESS:

Complete the Reimbursement Claim Form.
- DO NOT SIGN it yet until after you have combined it with your receipts and other documents to create a single PDF file.
- [SAMPLE REIMBURSEMENT FORM - Important tips on completing form]
Include your CAR signed by college president AND your Database Receipt
- Go to the President's Office SharePoint and download your CAR Database Receipt from the "Entered" worksheet in the CAR Spreadsheet.xlsx. (Effective Oct 2024, for domestic travel, the Database Receipt replaces the board travel letter with the exception for international travel). You are not entering any data in this spreadsheet! Simply look for your CAR File and click on the far right column to open your Database Receipt.
- The Database Receipt contains your CAR# (aka Control#) and the Budget # needed to complete your claim form.
- You can also download a copy of your CAR File from this same spreadsheet.
For International Travel
- Include your District Board Travel Approval Letter
- If you checked your email but were unable to locate a copy of your board letter, contact Dana House at District at dhouse6@cccd.edu to request a copy.
Include ITEMIZED receipts
Please keep in mind that Business Services processes a large volume of documents. To streamline their review process and to prevent delays of your claim, we recommend adding notes to your receipts that highlights any key details associated with your claim.

Receipts must be itemized and include the payment transaction. Include receipts in the order listed on the reimbursement form. If your receipt only documents the price, search your records for a receipt that displays that your payment was processed. Contact Business Services for assistance with alternative documentation if you are unable to find a valid receipt.
- Airfare - If you traveled with a companion, be sure to deduct their portion from the total amount you are claiming.
- Auto Rental and Insurance
- Mileage - must include a round trip Google map from GWC.
- Lodging - must include the hotel folio receipt since this includes an itemized description of all fees.
- Registration fee - be sure your receipt includes the method of payment. Most reimbursements are delayed due to employees failing to provide a valid receipt that documents the ACTUAL payment method; not just showing the price of the registration fee. Check if your registration confirmation email includes a link to download a more detailed receipt.
- Meals - New! All meals will be reimbursed at a per diem rate. Receipts are no longer required. If meals are included in the cost of the conference (Business Services will check the conference program), expenses for additional meals or a substitution are not allowable, unless you provide a written explanation of the necessity to do so (e.g. special diet, medical issues) and documentation of the inability of the conference to provide the substitute meal.
- Parking
- Shuttle/Taxi/Rideshare
- Other
Conference Agenda or Program
- Include the conference agenda or program in your reimbursement packet. This documentation helps verify the event details and streamlines the review process.
Create a Single PDF file.
- Combine all documents to create a single PDF (refer below for assistance with this process).
- Save your file using the Business Services naming convention:
  "LastName, FirstName_CAR#_____-TravelClaim"
Sign the Reimbursement form
- Sign under Claimant and save file.
Route the Reimbursement packet for Dean signature
- Your Division Office will return your claim packet to you once signed.
Submit your Reimbursement packet
- Email the completed reimbursement packet to GWCBusinessServices@cccd.edu
- Their team will notify you when the check is ready to pick up.
- Reimbursements take approximately 3 - 4 weeks to process.
- If you have not received your reimbursement within the expected timeframe, please contact Business Services to inquire the the status.

How to combine CAR documents to a single PDF file (LINK)

Protected files
If your reimbursement form is signed, it may have been converted to a protected file, preventing you from combining it with your other documents. Try this method:

Open the reimbursement form and click "File" at the top left
Select "Print"
In the Printer options select "Microsoft Print to PDF". This will create a new version of the file as a PDF.
Save the document with a NEW file name. Make sure you save this newly generated PDF with a different name than your original. This step is crucial to ensure that the new PDF will not have restrictions when combining it with your receipts.
Combine this new PDF with your receipts and documents to create a single PDF file.
Save your file using the Business Services naming convention:
"LastName, FirstName_CAR#_____-TravelClaim"