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Enacting Travel & Entertainment Restrictions to Reduce Discretionary Spending

Review the New Travel & Entertainment Guidelines web page for the latest information and guidance. 

Article last updated June 5, 2025

Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer Stephen Agostini and Senior Director Scott Monatlik sent the following communication to all employees.

Like many other higher education institutions, UC and UCLA are facing significant financial challenges due in part to federal and state funding reductions. UCLA has been working diligently with campus senior leaders and the UC Office of the President to continue to advocate for legislation, policies and programs that reflect our values, support our mission and benefit all members of our community.

In response to UC President Drake’s directive regarding the implementation of cost-saving measures and in anticipation of additional government funding reductions, UCLA is actively working to reduce discretionary spending while still supporting the University’s academic mission.

As a near-term measure, we are asking that you review all non-essential travel and entertainment activities to determine whether they can be canceled or postponed indefinitely.

Here is some guidance to help you and your teams make informed decisions:  

Reducing Non-Essential Travel

Non-essential travel includes, but is not limited to:

  • Retreats and team-building trips;
  • Select conferences (see FAQs for specifics); and
  • Other travel that can be postponed or for which the results can be achieved virtually.

If non-essential travel has already been booked, please consider canceling the trip – travelers will be reimbursed for nonrefundable costs. 

Reducing Entertainment Expenditures

Broadly speaking, departments should reduce entertainment expenditures wherever possible.

  • Sponsorships: Units should cease providing sponsorship for events hosted by other organizations.
  • Employee Meals: In accordance with BUS-79 Expenditures for Business Meetings, Entertainment, and Other Occasions, the University will not pay for or reimburse costs for meals involving only UCLA employees unless the business purpose cannot be accomplished during working hours. For example, two or more UCLA employees having a breakfast, lunch or dinner meeting will not be reimbursed.

Departmental meals or other expenditures may be allowable but are limited to once per quarter. 

Activities Not Subject to These Prohibitions

  • Faculty, researcher, or student travel for scholarship*
  • Study abroad programs
  • Faculty, researcher, or student travel to conduct necessary research
  • Sponsored research travel
  • Faculty, researcher, or student travel to attend a conference for scholarship*
  • Local conferences that do not require lodging or daily meals and incidentals
  • Meeting or training participation required by a grant or required to maintain grant funding
  • Student athlete activities (Athletics)
  • Recruiting meals or trips
  • Fundraising trips and activities
  • Department meals or other activities, including employee morale events (limited to once per quarter). Retreats or team-building trips are not allowed**
  • Activities required under a collective bargaining agreement

Whenever possible, allowable travel should be booked by contacting the UC Travel Center at (310) 206-2639 (option 2), emailing travel@finance.ucla.edu(link sends email), or using the UCLA Concur Online Booking Tool. Conference hotels should be booked through the conference / conference partner to ensure attendees receive discounted rates.

*For the purposes of these guidelines, "Scholarship" refers to activities that support the University’s academic and research mission – the specific application of this definition may differ by unit / department.

**Morale events are local activities while trips require hotel and/or airfare. 

Pre-Approval Requirements

To ensure thoughtful spending, the following expenses will now require pre-approval from a unit's / department’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) or Chief Financial Officer (CFO):  

  • Essential travel not included in the above list
  • All employee entertainment activities  
  • All employee morale activities (Travel Accounting pre-approval also required)

If you have any questions, please contact Senior Director Scott Monatlik at smonatlik@finance.ucla.edu. Additional updates will be shared in the coming weeks regarding other measures UCLA is taking to address the budget.

Our dedication to excellence in teaching, research and service remains steadfast. We deeply appreciate your flexibility as we navigate these financial realities and ensure UCLA’s long-term stability. We are confident that by working together, we will overcome these challenges and emerge stronger. 

Sincerely, 

Stephen Agostini
Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer

Scott Monatlik
Senior Director, Tax Director
Office of the Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer