Annual Fellows' Meeting

The Conference

The Florida Education Fund (FEF) hosts its Thirty-Ninth Annual McKnight Doctoral Fellows' Meeting and Research & Writing Conference (AFM) at the Tampa Airport Marriott Hotel at 4200 George J. Bean Pkwy, Tampa, FL 33607. The Conference is designed to address issues pertinent to the needs of matriculating graduate students, research scholars, and tenure earning professors. In addition to opportunities to visit with exhibitors/recruiters, the Conference will feature presentations by dynamic scholars who will share their research on important issues in graduate education and offer a series of panel discussions focusing on research in the major academic disciplines, as well as critical skill development workshops on grant and dissertation writing, comprehensive exam preparation, and writing for publication. To ensure the success of this year's conference, your participation is vitally important. Dress/attire is business casual.

The Conference Exhibitors/Recruiters

Meet the following exhibitors/recruiters and more at the Conference:

Registration Fee

The $70 registration fee for matriculating Fellows (see the registration form for all registration fees) includes access to all conference activities, planned meals, and double-occupancy rooming. All Conference registrants will receive an official conference identification badge, and no one will be admitted into Conference activities without an official badge.

Conference Beginning and Ending Times

Conference registration will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, November 22, 2024. We expect the Conference to end at approximately 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 24, 2024. Please make your travel arrangements accordingly.

Lodging for Matriculating Fellows

Lodging for matriculating McKnight Fellows is provided by FEF - DOUBLE OCCUPANCY ONLY. All matriculating students must check-in with the hotel if they sign up to stay at the hotel. Failure to do so will result in you being considered a NO SHOW, and you will be assessed a $80 per night fee to pay hotel costs.

Fellows who choose single room accommodations must indicate that choice on their registration forms and will be asked for a credit card at check-in to pay for the entire $159 room rate per night plus taxes.

To lessen your financial burden, after the Conference, all matriculating McKnight Fellows (ONLY) who reserved a single room will receive a reimbursement check in the amount of $79.50 per night stayed (the amount we would have paid to cover your shared room). To obtain a reimbursement, please submit your request on the official reimbursement form with the ORIGINAL hotel bill attached. Note that all requests for reimbursement must be submitted by January 10, 2025, no exceptions.

Your registration form indicating your room preference must be received by the FEF by October 18, 2024. After October 18, 2024, you are responsible for obtaining your own room reservation with the hotel and securing it with a credit card. FEF will reimburse you $79.50 per night stayed ONLY with proper documentation.

Room cancellations made after November 15, 2024, and no-shows are subject to a $80 per night room cancellation fee for a shared room and a $159 room cancellation fee for a single room. When applicable, this cancellation fee will be deducted from students' stipends.

Lodging for Other Attendees

Lodging for invited speakers and presenters who are traveling to Tampa for the Conference is provided by FEF. Conference speakers and presenters should indicate the need for a sleeping room on their registration forms and register for the Conference by October 18, 2024, to ensure best hotel accommodations.

All other attendees (non-matriculating students, Exhibitors, MDF Alumni, etc.) should indicate the need for a sleeping room on their registration forms and must present a credit card at check-in to pay for their rooms. Please register for the Conference by October 18, 2024, to ensure best hotel accommodations.

Parking

Parking is available at the Tampa Airport Marriott Hotel. Please self-park and save your parking ticket. For those staying at the hotel, parking is already included in your stay and you will not be charged. For local guests who are not staying at the hotel, we will provide a parking voucher that you can give to the attendant once you depart. Please see Ms. Monica Montes at the registration desk for more information.

Transportation - Matriculating Fellows Only

FEF will pay ONLY the LESSER OF either a discounted air ticket (air travel should be booked at least 2 weeks prior to flight time), compact car rental with unlimited mileage (reimbursable rental cars require preapproval by the FEF), or mileage to and from the Conference as verified by the State of Florida Department of Transportation/Transportation Statistics Office Highway Mileage Chart and/or as indicated on google.com/maps.

Any expenses above and beyond the least expensive method of travel will not be covered by FEF. Original travel related receipts are required for applicable reimbursement. Please note the reimbursement request due date of January 10, 2025.

Conference Deadlines

Inquiries

The Florida Education Fund
201 E. Kennedy Boulevard
Suite 1525
Tampa, FL 33602
(813) 272-2772
Fax: (813) 272-2784
Email: mmontes@fefonline.org