Lecture Planning:

Following notification of the award, faculty hosts have two semesters to bring a Burack lecturer to campus. Please contact the Burack Series coordinator, Susan Davidson (email link), to schedule the lecture and make venue arrangements for the lecture and reception. Making these arrangements several months in advance will be helpful for successfully securing a venue for your preferred date. Considerations should be made to maximize student attendance (so not scheduling lectures on Fridays, for example). Faculty hosts should select dates that do not conflict with religious holidays, UVM breaks, etc. (see UVM Academic Calendar). Ideally only one Burack lecture will be scheduled per week.). Ideally only one Burack lecture will be scheduled per week.

A reception will be held following the lecture to provide an opportunity for students and faculty to meet the speaker and share ideas. Susan Davidson will work with University Event Services to arrange the reception.

We strongly recommend that the faculty host (and/or other faculty colleagues) coordinate the Burack lecture with at least one undergraduate course and offer some academic credit to undergraduate students who attend the lecture. Offering extra credit or assigning work that requires attendance for undergraduate courses greatly contributes to undergraduate attendance and a successful event.

There should be an opportunity for graduate students to interact with the speaker. We recommend an informal lunch. It is also appropriate to invite undergraduate students. The faculty host may also elect to build a schedule for the lecturer that includes department visits and guest speaking at various classes.

Chartstring:

Chartstring information will be provided by the Burack Series coordinator at the start of the planning process.

Honorarium:

The Burack lecturer honorarium is $2500.

Once the lecture and reception date and time are set, the faculty host will receive a Speaker Engagement Letter for the lecturer, signed by the Burack Series coordinator. This letter must be cosigned by the lecturer and returned to the faculty host prior to the lecturer’s arrival to campus. This co-signed letter will accompany the host department’s honorarium request for the lecturer.

In order to have an honorarium check issued to the lecturer, the department’s business manager must submit a purchase requisition in PeopleSoft with a a W-9 form, the Employee vs. Independent Contractor form, and the cosigned Speaker Engagement letter. The W-9 and Employee vs. Independent Contractor forms can be found in the "Forms” section of University Financial Services.

Travel:

Air and Rental Car: The faculty host or department business manager should use his/her UVM Purchasing Card to make reservations. The charge will need to be reallocated to the Burack Lecture Series chartstring. Air travel and rental car guidelines can be found in the UVM Travel Policy (PDF).

Personal Vehicle Usage: Mileage on a personal vehicle is reimbursable. Please refer to Travel & Expense Reimbursement on the Division of Finance website for current rates.

Lodging:  The faculty host should use her/his UVM PurCard or the department PurCard to reserve accommodations. UVM has pricing agreements with preferred vendors – please see Lodging Agreements for Business Travelers (PDF). Rooms should be booked for no more than three nights and should not exceed $200 per night; any overages may be cost-shared with the host department. Only room, meals, and taxes are reimbursable. Please note that UVM is state-tax exempt (city tax is applicable). State-tax charges should not appear on the final hotel invoice.

On-campus Parking: If the speaker will need on-campus parking access while visiting campus, please order a parking pass through Transportation and Parking Services.

Budget Guidelines:

Budgeting for each lecture is tracked through the President’s Office. Faculty hosts cannot control many of the costs; however, hosts should stay within budget for the following two categories:

  • Hotel charges should not exceed $200 per night for up to three nights.
  • One lunch with graduate students should not exceed $200 and one dinner with faculty should not exceed $400.

Any overages in these categories may be cost-shared with the hosting department.

Please note that alcohol may only be paid for with the President’s Discretionary Gift Fund and must have prior approval. Susan Davidson (email link) will provide you with the appropriate Alcohol Approval Form; please email the completed form to Susan 2 weeks in advance of the lecture. If alcohol is served during official off-campus functions, the person serving alcohol must hold a valid liquor license. An original itemized receipt and signed credit card slip must be provided, and the tax must be removed from the bill, because UVM is state-tax exempt. Faculty and department hosts will not be reimbursed for alcohol purchases outside of these parameters. Serving alcohol is discouraged at any events held on campus.

Lecture Advertising:

Once the lecture date is set, Burack Series coordinator Susan Davidson will provide the faculty host with a Poster Information form to capture details regarding the lecture. Please email the completed form to Susan at least 30 days prior to the lecture date, in order to have ample time for promoting the event. The President's Office may have to cancel the lecture if we do not receive the Poster Information form in a timely fashion.

We will print 265 copies of the standard 11x17 Burack Lecture poster. Twenty-five posters will be forwarded to the faculty host; the rest will be distributed using campus distribution lists, including Deans, Directors, Department Chairs, and Residential Life. The lecture will be advertised on the electronic info screens around campus, including the UVM Bored Calendar, the Campus Calendar of Events, and the Burack Lecture Series website. Please note that bulletin boards in the Davis Center, Bailey Howe Library, and academic buildings are not serviced by Residential Life. Faculty hosts are asked to arrange for postering any of these desired areas. The faculty host may choose to advertise the lecture to appropriate University units.

If the faculty host purchases off-campus advertising, these costs should be charged to the host department's budget.

Videotaping:

With the lecturer’s consent, all lectures are recorded and posted on the Burack Lecture Series website. The Speaker Engagement Letter includes a video permission section.

ADA Accommodations:

Arrangements can be made for a sign language interpreter or other accommodations. Please contact University Event Services at (802) 656-5665 or by email eventservices@uvm.edu to make arrangements.

Commemorative Gift:

Each lecturer will receive a Vermont gift basket. The faculty host may choose to present the gift at the lecture or make arrangements for the Dean or Department Chair to present the gift on behalf of the University of Vermont. The gift will be delivered to the host three weeks before the event, along with 25 event posters. The gift will be delivered to the host with the 25 event posters.

Checklist Timeline:

Below is a checklist timeline to help guide faculty hosts through the hosting process.

Before the semester begins:

  • Upon receiving the letter from Gary Derr selecting your nominee for a Burack lectureship, discuss a number of possible dates with the lecturer after reviewing your department’s schedule and checking the UVM Academic Calendar.
  • Contact Burack Lecture Series coordinator Susan Davidson (email link) with those dates. Susan will work with University Event Services to secure a venue for the lecture and the reception. As space on campus is at a premium, we recommend contacting Susan as soon as you have potential dates.
  • Design a schedule for the lecturer to visit classes, meet with other departments, and/or attend a lunch with graduate students.
  • Arrange travel for the lecturer as required (flight, rental car, hotel, etc.) Make sure the arrangements are compliant with UVM Travel Policy (PDF), and Business Meal, Hospitality and Amenity Policy (PDF), and are compliant with the timeline for reimbursement.
  • Susan will send the Speaker Engagement Letter to the faculty host. When the letter is cosigned by the lecturer, the faculty host should send a scanned copy to Susan and retain a copy for submission with the requisition for honorarium and reimbursement for travel expenses. Work with your department’s administrative support on processing of the requisition.
  • Susan will send the Poster Format Form to the faculty host.

6 weeks before the lecture:

  • Susan will send the faculty host and administrative support an email with the chartstring, the Poster Format form, and the Alcohol Approval form.

30 days before the lecture:

  • Return the Poster Format form to Burack Series coordinator Susan Davidson.

Two-Three weeks before the lecture:

  • Three weeks before the lecture, 25 posters and the Vermont gift basket will be delivered to the faculty host. An additional 310 posters will be distributed to departments via campus mail and information will be posted on the info screens around campus and other electronic sources.
  • Return the Alcohol Approval form to Susan Davidson.
  • Determine who will introduce the speaker and serve as the lecture emcee.
  • Confirm final details and schedule with the lecturer.

During and after the Burack lecturer’s visit:

  • The faculty host serves as UVM ambassador and guide during the Burack lecturer’s visit. At the main lecture, the faculty host or her/his designated emcee should introduce the lecturer, facilitate the question-and-answer session, and remind the audience that the conversation with the lecturer can continue at the reception immediately following.
  • Work with your department’s administrative support to complete the honorarium and travel reimbursement request.
  • If a department Purcard is used for expenses related to Burack lecturer's visit, use the chartstring provided by the Burack Series coordinator for Purcard reallocation.