Grants to Attend Academic and Professional Conferences
Request for Proposals

Individual students and student groups attending academic and professional conferences with a faculty or staff member may apply for mini-grants from the Discovering and Claiming Our Callings Initiative. These mini-grants to attend conferences are intended to enhance the vocational discernment and preparation of Wartburg students. In recent years over $45,000 has been provided to over 300 students to offset the cost associated with attending conferences.

How to Apply
Students who are planning to attend a conference after June 1 may submit an application for funds to be used after that time period.

Guidelines for disbursement of funds:

  1. In order for funding to be approved:
    1. A faculty or staff member must accompany each student or group of students.
    2. The conference must be professional or academic (not a student conference).
  1. Funding from the Callings Initiative is to support student attendance. Faculty and staff should use professional development funds to offset their costs.  (Faculty/staff costs will be considered for support from the Callings Initiative if the faculty/staff person typically would not attend this conference and no department professional development funds are available).
  1. Typically funding will be capped at $200 per student. (Exceptions may be considered under special circumstances).
  1. Funding is designated to offset the costs for:
    1. Travel
    2. Conference fees
    3. Lodging
    4. Not for meals
  1. Funding will be approved prior to the conference, but will be disbursed when the student submits a reflection document following their return to campus. Students must submit receipts for anything they would like to be reimbursed for.
  1. If a student is presenting research at the conference, Institutional Research funds should be requested prior to applying for funds from the Callings Initiative. Visit: http://www.wartburg.edu/wcur/.
  1. An effort will be made to distribute funds equitably across disciplines.
  1. A percentage of the funds will be reserved for distribution during each academic term.  Funds are distributed on a rolling basis, so an effort should be made to apply early in a given academic year.

To apply student attendees must submit all of the following electronically to michael.gleason@wartburg.edu:

  1. Application (XLS) - Please complete all three tabs. The tabs include:
    1. Tab1 - Conference logistics and attendee information
    2. Tab2 - Budget planning worksheet
    3. Tab3 - Conference sessions that will be attended by each attendee
  1. Written proposal that includes the following:
    1. A description of the conference and its relationship to the student’s major and/or professional interest for each student
    2. A statement as to the value of the conference for the vocational discernment and preparation for each student
  1. Additionally, the faculty or staff member who will accompany the student or group must submit a letter of recommendation.

Groups should submit a joint application and written proposal. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. (Please submit applications as early as possible to allow for distribution planning).  Coordinators of groups are also encouraged to coordinate the submission of reflections.

Post-Conference Follow Up

A few examples of conferences that have been attended in recent years include: