Guidelines for Hosting a Visiting Educator

The following guidance will primarily assist sponsors in making a budget to accompany their proposal. Once visits are approved, sponsors will receive additional guidance on logistics.

Honorarium

The standard honorarium for visiting educators who come to Whitman’s campus is $500. In cases where distinguished guests have speaker fees that exceed this funding level, please consult with the Associate Dean for Faculty Development.

The following honoraria are recommended for virtual visits where educators teach or help facilitate a class:

• 50-minute: $150-200
• 80-minute: $200-250

Laurie Doohan, Senior Academic Assistant, will work with your guest speaker to complete the paperwork necessary to process an honorarium.

Please keep in mind that if your guest is not a citizen or a permanent resident of the United States, additional paperwork will be required. The IRS requires Whitman College to withhold 30% of the amount of funds to be received by the speaker if they DO NOT have a US social security or tax identification number. Honorariums should NOT be “grossed up” to cover the 30%. To minimize potential miscommunication with your speaker concerning these regulations, please see Immigration Information.

Advertising

The easiest way for faculty to request advertising is using the Whitman Communications form: Event Advertising. Costs for on-campus flyers and off-campus paid advertising are included on that form.

Before you fill out the Event Advertising Form, it will be very helpful if you gather:

• Event Date
• Event Location
• Presentation Title
• Photo of Speaker
• Bio of Speaker
• Short description of the event or lecture (50 words or less)
• Budget number (GL # from Qi Jia or your building academic asst.)
• Full name of the endowment (from Qi Jia or your building academic asst.) 

Advertisements in Whitman Today should be sent to whitmantoday@whitman.edu at least two days before you want the announcement to appear.

Events should be posted on the Events Calendar at https://calendar.whitman.edu/ using the " Submit an Event" link.

Venue Reservations

Reservations are made using the Event Request link on My.Whitman. Please make venue reservations and technology requests as early as possible.

Explore reservable spaces on campus using the Reservable Spaces Link or contact Victor Saldana, Assistant Director of Conference, Events & Scheduling, x5366.

Technical Support

When you reserve a room, the request form will ask about your needs related to any technological support. Such requests must be submitted at LEAST 14 DAYS BEFORE YOUR EVENT.  

If you wish to record your event, you will need to collect the  Recording Permission Form to submit with your request.

Please consult the Classroom and Event Technology (CET) Fees and Policies to estimate related costs. 

Book Signing

If a book signing is desired, you should contact the Bookstore (x5274) as soon as possible. Please let them know the titles from which the author will be speaking and an estimate of the audience size. This will allow time to order appropriate quantities of the book(s). 

Meals & Catering

Local Meals

Sponsors of visiting educators may host one dinner event to extend hospitality and build community. Up to six people, including the distinguished speaker or visitor, may attend. The dinner may be at a higher-end restaurant in Walla Walla, but there is a $75 per person per day meal limit, including tax and tip, and a limit of one alcoholic beverage, with a value up to $20, per Whitman participant.

Any other events with the visiting educator that involve food should be in on-campus venues or more fast or casual dining establishments.

Catering

Please note that Bon Appetit must be used for all on-campus catering. To review options and submit an order, see https://whitman.catertrax.com. For any questions, you can reach out directly to Brenna Frisbie at frisbieb@whitman.edu.

Lodging

Typically, visiting educators stay at the Marcus Whitman, Courtyard by Marriott, or the Finch. When budgeting for a hotel, please keep in mind that costs are generally higher from April through October. Additionally, some weekends are substantially higher due to local tourism events.

If the visiting educator will stay for an extended time or needs access to a kitchen during their stay, please inquire with Laurie Doohan about booking a Whitman rental. Rentals like AirBnB or VRBO should not be used.  

Transportation

Airfare

Airline ticket purchases for visiting educators should follow the same guidelines as for Whitman employees articulated on pages 13-14 of the Travel and Business Expense Policy. If the visitor prefers to arrange their own flight, please refer them to  World Wide Travel in Walla Walla who can directly bill Whitman. If the faculty sponsor will purchase the flight, they should do so on their purchasing card.

Rental Cars

Whitman has a contract with Enterprise and National Car rental agencies for deeply discounted rental car use for College business purposes. One benefit is waiving one-way rental drop-off fees. Contact Laurie Doohan for the discount code and details. All gas used in rental vehicles is reimbursable.

If visiting educators will be traveling to Walla Walla in their own car, they will receive reimbursement according to the standard IRS mileage reimbursement rate.