Finance Resources & Training

                                                                               

 

Education Abroad Finance Training

All faculty and staff participating on education abroad programs must complete this mandatory training prior to any invoices being paid for your program. Training completion ensures that you are informed and are prepared to adhere to KSU and BOR travel policies.

Training Deadlines:

  • Fall Programs: June 1
  • Spring Programs: November 1
  • Summer Programs: January 1

 

Finance Training

Faculty-Led Program Finance Timeline

To stay on track and prevent financial delays for you or your vendors, click on the timeline below to see what actions you should be taking and when.

Finance Timeline

 

Concur Travel Management System

All faculty and staff participating on education abroad programs will utilize the Concur Travel Management System to manage their travel related requests.  This includes all travel requests, cash advance requests and expense reconciliations.  Paper submissions will no longer be accepted.

To Access Concur

 

  • All KSU faculty and staff participating on an education abroad program must submit a travel request through Concur. Travel requests must include all required information prior to being approved.  When preparing to submit your request, please ensure that you have the following information on hand:

    1. Trip start and end dates
    2. Purpose of trip
    3. Speedchart/program account number 
    4. Estimated expenses for faculty and students (if applicable)
      • Categories include airfare, lodging, rental car, per diem, and miscellaneous.
      • If you are a program director, your travel request should include student/group expenses. For example, total lodging for both you and the students. 
      • If you are a participating faculty or staff, your travel request should ONLY include your expenses.  

    Travel requests must be submitted and fully approved before invoices or reimbursements can be processed. Travel bookings should also not be made until your travel request is approved.

    How to Create a Travel Request Video 

    For instructions on how to create a Travel Request click HERE

  • After your travel request is approved, you can proceed with utilizing the online booking tool, if applicable.  Please refer to the following links for assistance with booking airfare, hotels, or car rentals through the system:

  • Combining business and personal travel is allowable, if the personal travel does not cause the University additional cost. Cost comparisons should be done at the time of booking. A search should be done in Concur for the business travel only. Screenshots or printouts of these pages must be kept as documentation of the cost. The cost comparison should be attached to the travel request. Personal travel also requires written pre-approval from your supervisor. Travel arrangements must be made to accommodate the business duties of the traveler and not personal preference. Rental vehicles may only be used for official State business. The state liability policy is only in effect while the employee is using the rented vehicle for official State business. Friends, family members or pets are prohibited from riding in a State rented vehicle.

  • A cash advance request should be submitted to cover items that you were unable to prepay and must be resolved in country.  This amount should be based off of the program budget and can also include items such as per diem and transportation. 

    Cash advances are not disbursed until 7-10 days before program departure. The Office of Fiscal Services must have your Supplier Authorization/Registration form on file in order for a cash advance to be disbursed.

    Required Steps for Requesting a Cash Advance:

    1. Submit Cash Advance Infomation Form

    Prior to submitting your cash advance request, complete the information below to let us know what amount you plan on requesting.  Your submission will be reviewed to confirm that the requested funds are available prior to you submitting your official cash advance request. This form does will not initiate the cash advance process, but is a requirement.  To request a cash advance request in Concur, see step 2.

     
     

     

    2. Submit official requests for cash advances in Concur. 

    For instructions on how to create a Cash Advance Request click HERE

    State policy requires that all travel expenses are reconciled within 45 days of the program return. Expenses not reconciled within 60 days may be reported on your W-9 as taxable income. Cash advances outstanding more than 120 days are subject to payroll deduction.

  • Within 14 days of your return to campus, you are required to submit an expense statement to reconcile an outstanding cash advance or request reimbursement for program related expenses.

    • Upon review, if there is an issue with the information submitted, the faculty/staff will be contacted to request additional information or obtain clarification on the documentation submitted.
    • Individuals with cash advance funds to return will be notified by Travel of the exact amount that needs to be returned and how to return the funds.

    For questions about your travel expense statement or reimbursement, contact your Education Abroad Business Operations Specialist. 

     

 

Business Processes

  • After your education abroad program proposal has been reviewed and approved and you need to make changes to your budget, all changes and corresponding vendor quotes need to be submitted for review.

    Updates include but are not limited to the following:

    • Changes in pre-quoted items
    • Addition/removal of an activity or expense
    • Adjustment to student/faculty participants

    All updated budgets and supporting documentation should be emailed to EAOAccounts@kennesaw.edu 

  • All Supplier Registration forms for vendors must be submitted and approved before any payments can be processed. 

    • Vendor Registration Procedures (Non-KSU Employees and Non-KSU Students)

      In order to pay a domestic (U.S.) company or individual, the supplier will need to be registered with the University System of Georgia's Shared Services Center (SSC) for purchase order processing and subsequent payment. To receive a copy of the Supplier Registration Form, which is needed to begin the registration process, please reach out to your KSU contact. This form will be used for both new suppliers and any changes to existing suppliers. 

      In order to pay a non-U.S. based company or international individual, please see the International Payment Checklist for required documents.

      Due to the sensitive nature of the information included on the supplier registration form, the completed form should never be emailed. You may send a copy by mail to your KSU contact or to the address listed below:

      Kennesaw State University
      Attn: Supplier Registration
      Office of Fiscal Services
      3391 Town Point Drive
      Suite 3700, MD 9110
      Kennesaw, GA 30144

    • Supplier Authorization/Registration Form (KSU Employees and KSU Students)

    International vendors will also have to complete Form W-8BEN (individuals) or Form W-8BEN-E (entity).

    For more information on the vendor registration process click HERE.

  • All education abroad programs that intend to enter into a contractual agreement with a vendor must receive prior approval from the KSU Contract Review Team. This process must be followed regardless of:

    • Monetary value is included or not
    • The funding source
    • Vendor that you’ve previously worked with

    Program invoices cannot be paid if there is a corresponding contract that is not approved, therefore the Education Abroad Office helps to facilitate this process.  All unsigned contracts should be submitted using the Education Abroad Contract Submission Form. The contract will be routed through the KSU Contract Review and once the contract is approved for signatures, the program will be notified.  

    Pre-approved templates do not have to go through the Contract Review Process but must still be submitted to the Education Abroad Office for approval.  

    The Education Abroad International Service Provider Agreement Form should be used for lectures, guides and other activities that support the academic goals of the program. This should be used when the collective compensation provided by a vendor is more than $201 USD. 

    All contracts must be fully approved and signed before vendors can be paid. 

    Submit your unsigned contract/agreement using the Education Abroad Contract Submission Form.

  • Program invoices should be submitted using the online invoice submission form. 

    Invoices must be submitted on the vendor company's letterhead and must also contain the following information to be considered a valid invoice:

    • Invoice number
    • Invoice date
    • Company name and contact information
    • Itemized list of products and/or services purchased
    • Faculty and student charges must be separately stated
    • Wire transfer information for international vendors (if applicable)

    Invoices will not be submitted for processing until the following has been confirmed:

    • All vendor registration forms have been submitted
    • All Travel Requests for the program have been submitted in Concur and fully approved
    • All student payments have been confirmed

    Click here to submit your invoices.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

  • If you are the program director, your travel request should include your travel related expenses as well as the student/group expenses that were included in the program budget.

    If you are a participating faculty or staff, your travel request should only include your program expenses.  

  • The Office of Fiscal Services requires all faculty and staff traveling to account for their own expenses. An employee should not incur expenses for another employee.

  • The speedchart is the account number associated with your program which allows you to make program payments.  If you are unsure about your program account information, contact your Education Abroad Business Operations Specialist. 

  • Instructional expenses are education abroad program expenses that will be incurred by participating University employees that are required for the administration of the program. Instructional expenses also include specific, pre-approved expenses that support program operations. Instructional expenses are paid using State appropriated funds which are restricted from covering student expenses. All allowable education abroad instructional expenses are listed below.

    • Employee Air Travel
    • Employee Lodging
    • Employee Per Diem
    • Employee Ground Transportation
    • Employee Medical Insurance
    • Employee Visa/Exit/Passport Fees
    • Employee Communications
    • Guest Lectures
    • Classroom Space Rental
    • Books

  • Once you receive the invoices from your vendors, you can submit them for processing using the online invoice submission form.

  • Invoices will be processed after all participating program faculty travel requests have been approved and all students on the program have made their payments.

  • It can take 5 - 7 days for Office of Fiscal Services to process invoices. The processing time may increase if additional information is requested regarding the invoice or during peak processing times.

  • This varies depending upon the nature of the contract.  It is recommended that you submit intended contracts to the Global Education Finance Team as soon as you have decided that you would like to do business with a particular vendor.

  • No.  A blank contract without signatures should be submitted to allow the Review Team to make edits/recommendations before it is approved for signatures.

  • You should request budgeted funds to cover program costs that you expect to pay in country.  This can include per diem and emergency expenses.

  • If you spend more than what is budgeted, you may not be reimbursed for the overage.  Programs should adhere to their budget and contact the Education Abroad Business Operations Specialist for questions regarding additional expenses.

  • Within 14 days of your program return. Expense reports that include cash advance funds should be reconciled within 45 days of the program return.  Expenses not reconciled within 60 days may be reported on your W-9 as taxable income. Cash advances outstanding more than 120 days are subject to payroll deduction.

Finance Documents

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