Enhancements simplify logistics for research and teaching-related travel

New technology and streamlined administrative procedures are making travel – from field research in remote areas to collaborations in specialized labs – and the related reimbursement processes simpler and more efficient.

The enhancements, part of a Stanford Financial Management Services simplification initiative, are designed to meet the needs of faculty, staff, students, and visiting researchers in support of the university’s mission while also complying with external laws and regulations. These efforts include launching new and simplified booking tools, streamlining key processes, and providing easy access to guidance for administrative staff.

Stanford supports travel for a range of research opportunities. Students conduct anthropological digs in the Adriatic, while others evaluate the impact of air pollution on health in rural areas of the United States. Guest researchers visit Stanford to conduct experiments in Stanford labs or to speak in Stanford seminars. For those and many other types of trips, essential support comes from Stanford staff and systems.

“Travel plays a crucial role in our mission of teaching and research. Our students and faculty travel to all corners of the Earth to conduct research, present their findings, or study abroad,” said former Provost John Etchemendy. “Their travel helps us better understand remote ecosystems, economies, and cultures, and these new travel processes facilitate this work and simplify the essential supporting role of our administrative staff.”

Etchemendy, former President Richard Saller, and Vice President for University Affairs Megan Pierson are leading an effort, at the request of President Jonathan Levin, to improve efficiency in administrative tasks and reduce operational frictions.

More flexible options and tools

A central component of the improvements underway is FMS’ Stanford Travel program, which is designed to offer flexible booking options that meet university travelers’ varied needs. This resource provides tools that help travelers and administrative staff book discounted travel with ease and simplify booking on behalf of visiting scholars and researchers. The tools also provide benefits such as specialized service and support.

A key enhancement is the new Stanford Travel Connect portal, where users can sync their airline accounts with the university’s travel program – so they can use familiar apps and other booking tools to arrange university travel easily, with automatic access to university-negotiated discounts and benefits.

Booking through this tool is now available on American, Delta, and United, with other airlines to come. Stanford is among the first higher education institutions to offer this service. An additional feature provides guest travelers with the option of creating their own travel profile and managing their own travel arrangements directly within Egencia, which has significantly reduced administrative staff time.

“The support of the Stanford Travel Program and the range of booking channels offer me flexibility for complex trips,” said Davis Albohm, director of global partnerships for Stanford’s SEED program in the Graduate School of Business, who travels extensively in Africa and Asia.

Tools to ease compliance

Stanford’s financial ecosystem involves as many as 12,000 users and millions of transactions each year. These purchases, reimbursements, and transfers must comply with federal regulations, university policies, and requirements tied to funding sources.

Stanford Travel’s booking program identifies flights that comply with federal regulations, such as the Fly America Act, which requires the use of specific carriers for travel funded by the government.

All reservations booked through the program are automatically recorded in the Travel Registry, which enables Stanford to support travelers during emergencies. The value of this feature was illustrated after the recent earthquake in Myanmar, when the university was able to contact and quickly account for the safety of six undergraduates who were in Bangkok.

Guided by travel systems users

Input from faculty, staff, students, and visitors has helped shape the travel improvements as well as reimbursements and other processes that FMS is simplifying.

Changes to the visitor travel reimbursement process, implemented in March, are cutting payment processing time and steps significantly, from weeks to days. Previously, visitors had to be registered as Stanford suppliers for reimbursements, a time-consuming process. Now, they can be reimbursed quickly and simply through a third-party payment provider.

Another new tool provides built-in guidance and alerts designed to reduce obstacles and make processing transactions easier, especially for staff who use financial systems infrequently.

Staff are saving time and clicks across thousands of transactions each year because data fields that are no longer necessary for compliance with IRS tax reporting requirements were removed.

Among the users is Carly Matuszak, an associate director in the dean’s office at the School of Medicine. “My departments are already noticing time savings,” she said, “making a huge impact on my expense queue.” 

“Our tools and processes are continuously evolving to meet the university’s needs,” said Anne Sweeney-Hoy, senior associate vice president for finance. “We are dedicated to making it as easy as possible for our faculty, students, and staff to navigate the financial ecosystem effectively to support the university’s missions of teaching, research, and health care.”

“Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies 8,180 acres, among the largest in the United States, and enrols over 17,000 students.”

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