Staff Development

President George Benson announced the creation of the Staff Professional Development Incentive Program on September 14, 2011. The program was opened to applications beginning in December 2011. The funding application form is available here. It is a PDF form that can be completed electronically.  

Please see below for information about the program. Questions about the program should be directed to Elizabeth Kassebaum, chair of the Professional Development Program Committee, at kassebaume@cofc.edu.

Purpose and Scope of the Program

The Staff Professional Development Incentive Program provides staff¹ with the opportunity to develop new skills or acquire new knowledge and/or share information with peers relevant to staff job performance.  Examples of possible activities that could be funded under the Program include, but are not limited to, travel to or organization of on- and off-campus conferences, workshops, and seminars;  academic courses not offered at the College of Charleston; travel and accommodations for off-campus programs; and research or training directly related to the staff member's position. Grants funded under the Program must be specifically linked to enhancing academic quality or service to the College community. 

Individual and group applications for Program funding may be submitted. Individual applications support the professional development of a single staff member. Group applications usually support professional development for four or more staff, typically at a local or on-campus site. 

Staff Eligibility 

Applicants must be permanent staff who have completed at least 6 months of service at the College of Charleston before applying for a grant.  Applications from temporary staff will be considered only if the supervisor writes a detailed letter of support for the application. 

A staff member may receive only one individual award per academic year and no more than two individual awards in three consecutive academic years.  An academic year begins on July 1 and concludes on June 30.  The individual award limitation does not apply to staff who have benefitted from a group award serving the professional development needs of four or more individuals. 

Any professional development activity that begins in one academic year and concludes in another will typically receive funding only during one academic year. 

Maximum Award

Awards under this Program will not exceed $1,200 per staff member.  Cost sharing (see below) is strongly preferred for any budget requiring an expense exceeding $600 per staff member. 

The Program Committee will try to fund as many grant proposals as possible, as long those grant proposals provide all the required information and are within the scope of the program.  Partial awards are possible, at the discretion of the Program Committee.  Speaker fees or honoraria will not exceed $1,000. 

No grant proposal will be considered for a sum exceeding $3,500, no matter how many staff will benefit from the proposed activity.  This Program rule may be waived by the President of the College (or the President’s designee).

Program Exclusions

The Professional Development Incentive Program may not be used to cover staff meal expenses for one-day conferences.  In addition, journal subscriptions, professional organization memberships, book purchases, computer hardware, computer software, office supplies, and certification exams are not covered by the terms of the Program. 

Retroactive requests for funding will not be considered.  Once awarded, funds ordinarily must be expended within four months and always must be expended in the same academic year (see below). 

Professional Development Program Committee

The Professional Development Program Committee will have two members selected by the Staff Advisory Committee to the President and two members appointed by the President.  The members of the Program Committee will select a Committee Chair.  Questions about the Program should be directed to the Committee Chair.

The Program Committee is responsible for supervision of the Program.   Committee members serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority. 

Any appeal of a decision by the Program Committee should be submitted in writing to the President (or the President’s designee).  The decision of the President (or the President’s designee) is final.

Application and Decision Deadlines

Grant applications may be submitted at any time to the Program Committee.  The required form for grant application is available here.  A one-page grant proposal should be attached to the required form and should explain how the proposal qualifies for the Professional Development Incentive Program, along with the purpose of the grant.  For group applications, all the employees who will benefit from grant funding must be listed by name and job title. 

On a separate page, a detailed budget also must be included as part of the grant application.  The budget should list any sources of funds for cost sharing (see below). 

Grant applications must be signed by the applicant and the applicant’s supervisor.  For group applications, a single individual should be designated as the grant applicant.  Group applications from four or more individuals may support the professional development of both permanent and temporary staff.

Incomplete applications will not be accepted.  Questions about the grant application may be addressed to any member of the Program Committee, as listed on the Program website. 

Grant applications normally are considered at three times during the year:

Application Deadline                                Decision Notification

October 1                                             October 15

February 1                                            February 15

June 1                                                 June 15*

*Grant recipients announced on June 15 ordinarily will receive funding in the upcoming academic year, which begins on July 1.  For example, a grant application approved on June 15, 2012, would be supported by funds available in the 2012-2013 academic year, which begins on July 1, 2012. 

Cost Sharing

The Program is not intended to relieve individual departments of their obligation to support professional development for staff.  If a grant proposal and budget show little or no financial support from the home department or division of the applicant, the applicant must explain why the department was unable to provide such support. 

Any other actual or potential source of funding for the proposed professional development activity must be described on the grant application. 

Post-Grant Report

For all employees who receive funding under the Program, a grant expenditure report must be provided to the Program Committee in writing within 90 days of completion of the grant activity.  The report must include a brief narrative explanation of the benefit received by the applicant and the College as a result of funding the grant.  Grant recipients who fail to file a post-grant report will not be eligible for future program funding. 

If appropriate, grant recipients are strongly encouraged to make a presentation to other employees in their departments on the results of their professional development experience.