Professional Development Guidelines
Guidelines for the Professional Development Committee in the Distribution of Funds
1. The Committee will endeavour to fund as many applications as possible, within the following guidelines.
2. The purpose of the Professional Development fund is to support part-time faculty in their own professional and academic development. It cannot be used to support normal departmental costs and responsibilities (e.g., to pay for visiting speakers, classroom supplies, teaching materials, or curriculum and program development).
3. Applicants may request funding for only one project at each distribution. Members may apply for two different activities in neighbouring cities within the same two-week period or apply for an inexpensive (i.e., $500.00 or less) local workshop or conference etc. within the same application.
4. Monies awarded for a project which is not carried out cannot be transferred to another project without a written request to the Committee. This request should be submitted to the Chair of the Professional Development Committee, c/o the CUPFA office, well in advance of the expiration date of the awarded grant. The request may be considered between the dates of the meetings scheduled to review applications, but may have to wait until the next meeting to be reviewed.
5. In an effort to distribute monies to as many CUPFA members as possible, the Committee will give a lower priority to, and may have to exclude altogether, applicants who have received funding in the same academic year as well as those who have received funding for two consecutive academic years (with the possible exception in #3 above). These decisions may be influenced by the availability of funds and the number and quality of new applications.
6. The Committee will not fund retroactively: the activity for which funds are requested must take place after the deadline at which the application was made. In the case of conference presentations, if the proof of acceptance of the paper in not yet available, the applicant should indicate this in their application, and must forward the proof of acceptance as soon as it becomes available.
7. The Committee will take into account the use made by the applicant of any previous grant, and will evaluate the quality of their report. Reports should be submitted prior to the submission of an application for a new grant.
8. In the case of conferences, the Committee will give priority to those presenting a paper or giving a workshop, but will also fund attendance. Simple attendance may be funded at a percentage of the total costs; presentation of a paper will receive full funding.
9. Since Article 9 of the Collective Agreement includes course development as a part of the duties for part-time faculty, the Committee will not fund course development. However, the Committee considers as eligible many activities which enhance teaching and contribute directly to course development (such as participation in workshops, conducting research etc.).
10. The fund is not intended to be a source of doctoral fellowships. The Committee will not fund tuition fees for postgraduate study, nor will it grant a stipend for work on a Ph.D. thesis. It may be possible, however, to fund some support for expenses related to thesis research, such as the costs of printing and binding a thesis.
11. The Committee will not normally fund projects whose principle purpose is the creation of a money-making property for the applicant. The Committee will not provide funds for capital equipment (e.g. a computer), nor pay the applicant for their time.
12. The Committee will cover costs associated with the production of a book but will not cover payments to a publisher to undertake the publishing of such book.
13. The Committee will endeavor to cover costs associated with research and research/creation knowledge mobilization depending on the quality of the project, availability of funds and the benefit to the applicant, CUPFA and the University.
14. Article 17 of the Collective Agreement remains the authority: these guidelines interpret it, but do not take precedence over it.
