Overview and General Policies
Mission
The purpose of professional development is to support the mission of the college by helping employees enhance their job skills, obtain job-related knowledge and information, increase productivity and efficiency, and/or prepare for higher-level positions. In the case of faculty members, it also provides an opportunity for classroom skill enhancement and increased knowledge in their specific academic discipline.
Scope and Constituencies Served
Faculty
The emphasis in developing and funding professional development opportunities for faculty is to promote evidence-based practices that foster excellence in teaching, enhance pedagogical skills in the classroom, the wellbeing and growth of faculty, and create learning environments that are inclusive. The following constituencies are served by this Plan:
- Teaching Faculty: Full-time teaching faculty (including program heads and assistant division chairs) are normally on nine-month appointments which include the fall and spring semesters of the academic year. All assistant division chairs and program heads are appointed as teaching faculty.
- Administrative Faculty: Administrative faculty perform work related to the management of the educational and general activities of the college, department, or division. Administrative faculty are normally employed on a twelve-month basis.
- Professional Faculty: Professional faculty are individuals holding non-teaching positions with continuing responsibilities, employed on a twelve-month basis. Librarians and Counselors are professional faculty.
- Adjunct Faculty: Adjunct faculty are employed to teach less than a normal faculty load or to teach less than a full session on a semester by semester or summer term basis. The total workload includes credit hours taught at all VCCS colleges.
Staff
The emphasis in developing and funding professional development opportunities for staff is to enhance job-related skills, improve efficiency, and develop work environments that foster employee wellbeing and growth. The following constituencies are served by this Plan:
- Classified Staff: Classified staff are employed on a twelve-month basis in either exempt or non-exempt roles.
- Part-Time Staff: Part-time staff are those employees limited to working a maximum of 29 hours per week on average and 1450 hours per year at any one or more VCCS colleges/System Office
Role of Coordinator of Professional Development
A Coordinator of Professional Development will be employed for a minimum of 200 hours, or 6 credit hours per each of fall and spring semesters and 3 credit hours for the summer term. The Coordinator of Professional Development will serve a 3-year renewable term, subject to annual review, and will be responsible for the following duties:
- Serve as a permanent member of the Professional Development Policy Committee.
- Work with the Professional Development Policy Committee and the Vice President of Academics, Students and Workforce Development to administer and analyze an annual assessment of professional development needs.
- Develop and coordinate the programming for the Convocation schedule for the fall and spring semesters.
- Work with leaders of constituency groups to create and maintain an annual calendar of Professional Development Activities.
- Prioritize faculty activities and events (both large- and small-scale) focused on excellence in teaching, inclusive practices, and optimizing student outcomes.
- Manage and update the Canvas course page for professional development, including archiving presentations and curating webinars, links, and other resources for faculty and staff. Continuously update the Canvas page with evidence-based resources that focus on teaching excellence and improving student outcomes.
- Market professional development activities to promote attendance and participation.
- Act as liaison both within the college and outside to professional development contacts at other institutions and the VCCS.
- Receive requests for competitive Professional Development Funding. Work directly with the Professional Development Policy Committee members to review requests and determine the awardees. Inform applicants of the outcome of requests and process the funding through the appropriate channels.
- Maintain records of expenditures and work with the Professional Development Committee to adjust budget allocations as necessary.
- Collect data on professional development activities and funding across the college, including following up with funding recipients, for inclusion in the annual summary
Role of Professional Development Policy Committee
The Professional Development Policy Committee supports college personnel in achieving personal and professional goals associated with their college functions. The committee shall:
- Make suggestions for and discuss professional development activities.
- Work with the Coordinator of Professional Development to administer and analyze an annual assessment of professional development needs.
- Assist with reviewing applications for competitive funding requests and determining awardees.
- Assist Coordinator of Professional Development in annual evaluation of Professional Development program.
- Assist Coordinator of Professional Development in reviewing and setting annual budget allocation percentages.
- Maintain the CVCC Professional Development Plan and update and revise as needed.
Funding Sources for Professional Development
There are multiple funding sources for Professional Development activities. Individuals seeking to obtain funding may explore numerous options and utilize funding from multiple sources for expenses resulting from a single activity. Funding is available from but not limited to the following sources:
CVCC Professional Development Budget. Professional Development funding is included in the annual CVCC Budget. The Coordinator of Professional Development in conjunction with the Professional Development Policy Committee will determine the allocation of funds based on the Professional Development Plan. Different activities require different application processes. Please refer to the appropriate section of the Professional Development Plan to determine the steps required to obtain specific types of funding. Examples: conferences including VCCA, workshops, off-campus training, non-mandatory credentials, educational tuition assistance, and professional organization memberships. The Coordinator of Professional Development will try either to spend unencumbered monies or will send a request to the Vice-President of Finance and Administration to carry over the funds to the next fiscal year. No individual may receive more than five percent (5%) of the total Professional Development budget in a given academic year but may obtain funding from different categories. Process: Funding inquiries should be directed to the Coordinator of Professional Development; requests for funding should be initiated through the appropriate form (see Part 2 below).
CVCC Departmental Budgets. Each department or division is allocated a portion of the annual CVCC budget. Individuals may submit requests for funding to their Division Deans and supervisors. Examples: VCCS mandatory meetings; training directly required for mandatory credentials, curriculum development, or departmental responsibilities (SACSCOC); and related travel expenses. Process: Applications for funding that fall under these broad categories should be directed to the division heads, not to the Coordinator of Professional Development.
CVCC Educational Assistance: Continuous Learning Program. All employees except student workers and federal work-study students are eligible to enroll in up to six (6) hours of credit course work at CVCC each semester, twelve (12) credit hours per academic year, at no cost (exclusive of books and other course-related materials). Courses are not required to be job-related and can be intended specifically for personal and professional growth. CVCC credit courses do not count toward the financial limits set for Tuition Assistance. Process: Eligible employees must complete the appropriate form (available from HR and on the Professional Development Canvas page), obtain supervisor’s approval, and submit the completed form to the HR Office by the designated deadline.
CVCC Educational Foundation. The CVCC Education Foundation offers Faculty and Staff grants ranging in value from $250—$2000. The purpose is for employees to be creative in their approach to improving the student experience and to advance the mission of the college. Process: Funding inquiries should be directed to the Executive Director of the CVCC Educational
Foundation.
VCCS. The VCCS sponsors numerous Professional Development activities such as New Horizons and Peer Group Conferences. These events require the participant to preregister with the VCCS and complete a travel request through Emburse Enterprise. Most require the participant to make hotel reservations in the conference hotel. Hotel fees are master billed to the VCCS. Employees who share a room are entitled to two nights’ coverage (one night per employee). For New Horizons, the College pays the registration fees from a General Account. There are no registration fees for Peer Group Conferences. Process: Information will be updated on the Canvas page for Professional Development and emailed to eligible faculty and staff.
Other VCCS-sponsored programs include the following:
- VCCS Paul Lee Professional Development Grant, providing grants for discipline development, instructional development, career development, and organizational development. Process: Details can be found here.
- VCCA Professional Development and Growth. VCCA administers a grant program that is open to VCCA members. The proposed program must be designed to promote the community college mission within the Commonwealth and be open to all colleges in the VCCS. Examples: travel, meals, lodging for keynote speakers, and meeting room charges. Process: More details can be found here.
Schedule for Obtaining Funding
Funding will be made available on a rolling basis throughout the academic year to provide maximum flexibility for both requests and disbursements.
Program Evaluation
For the purposes of funding and setting priorities for the coming year, the following three activities will be undertaken:
- An annual assessment will be developed and administered to faculty, staff, and administrators during the spring semester to assess needs and priorities. This could be in the form of a survey or some alternate form of assessment.
- As part of its ongoing committee business, the Professional Development Policy Committee will consider and recommend possible updates and/or revisions to the Plan.
- The Coordinator of Professional Development will prepare an annual summary for the VP of Academics, due by the end of the fiscal year, summarizing the year’s professional development activities at CVCC
Categories and Funding Procedures
- Professional Organization Memberships
- Off-Campus Conferences and Professional Development Activities
- Off-Campus Non-Conference Professional Development Activities
- Educational Tuition Assistance
Descriptions, eligible groups, limitations, and links to the forms are included in the charts
below. (Note that the budget percentages are recommended allocations and should be viewed
as flexible targets.)
Professional Organization Memberships
Description: Funds are made available to support individual faculty members and eligible staff in covering the costs of membership fees for professional organizations related to their job responsibilities.
Eligible Groups: Faculty, classified staff, and part-time staff (minimum of 20 hours worked per week and must obtain supervisory approval).
Budget Percent: 5%
Limitations: Funds awarded for professional memberships will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until available funds are depleted. A maximum of $250 will be awarded to each applicant.
Funding Process:
- Please click on the Professional Organization Membership Form (Form 1) to download.
- Email to the Coordinator of Professional Development at profdev@centralvirginia.edu.
- You will be contacted about completing the purchase through the Purchasing Office
Off-Campus Conferences and Professional Development Activities
Description: Funds are made available to support individual faculty members and eligible staff in attending or participating in off-campus conferences, professional meetings, workshops, training events, and seminars. Also considered are study abroad requests, credentialing programs, online workshops, and other competency-based activities.
Eligible Groups: Faculty, classified staff, and part-time staff (minimum of 20 hours worked per week and must obtain supervisory approval).
Budget Percent: 25%
Limitations: Attendance at the annual New Horizons Conference and Peer Group Conferences are funded from another account. It is not necessary to submit a Professional Development Request Form for these conferences; a Emburse Enterprise preapproval, however, should be completed. Note that requests for funding that specifically fall under a department’s needs for credentialing should be directed to the departmental budget.
Funding Process:
- Complete your Emburse Enterprise preapproval. (You will be reimbursed through CR.)
- Please click on the Off-Campus Professional Development Conferences and Events Form (Form 2) to download.
- Print out the completed form for the required approval signatures.
- Scan and email this completed form to the Coordinator of Professional Development at profdev@centralvirginia.edu.
Off-Campus Non-Conference Professional Development Activities
Description: Funds are made available to support individual faculty members and eligible staff in attending or participating in non-conference professional activities and meetings that are held off-campus or online. These include workshops, training events, and seminars. Also considered under this category are study abroad requests, credentialing programs, online workshops, and other competency-based activities.
Eligible Groups: Faculty, classified staff, and part-time staff (minimum of 20 hours worked per week and must obtain supervisory approval).
Budget Percent: 20%
Limitations: A Emburse Enterprise preapproval should be completed for all requests that require travel expenses. Note that requests for funding that specifically fall under a department’s needs for credentialing should be directed to the departmental budget.
Funding Process:
- If travel expenses are required, complete your Emburse Enterprise preapproval. (All travel expenses are reimbursed through CR.)
- Please click on the Non-Conference Job Skills Training & Professional Development Activities Form (Form 3) to download.
- Print out the completed form for the required approval signatures.
- Scan and email this completed form to the Coordinator of Professional Development at profdev@centralvirginia.edu.
Educational Tuition Assistance
Description: CVCC offers full-time faculty and classified staff partial tuition reimbursement for both undergraduate and graduate studies for course work at another accredited college or university. Tuition assistance is limited based on the availability of Professional Development funds.
Eligible Groups: Full-time faculty and classified staff.
Budget Percent: 50%
Limitations: Tuition assistance is limited based on the availability of Professional Development funds. The percentage of tuition reimbursed is generally 50%, though it can be more if funds permit. The total reimbursed to any individual cannot exceed 5% of the total professional development funds available in a given year. Requests for educational assistance must be for courses that are job-related or are part of a job-related degree program at an accredited institution. Note that requests for educational assistance that specifically fall under a department’s needs for credentialing should be directed to the departmental budget.
Funding Process:
- Make sure you have secured supervisor approval in advance before registering for coursework. It is your responsibility to maintain a record of this preapproval (e.g., email threads, etc.); it is also your responsibility to prepay tuition.
- Please click on the Educational Tuition Assistance Form (Form 4) to download..; secure the required approval signatures.
- After coursework is completed, three documents should be emailed to the Coordinator of Professional Development at profdev@centralvirginia.edu for consideration for partial tuition reimbursement:
- this completed funds request form;
- a receipt of your paid tuition; and
- a grade report of your completed coursework.
CVCC has struggled for many years to find an effective way to utilize Professional Development funds. Distributing funds equally has not proven to be the best way to provide the greatest benefit to the College. In fact, during 2015-16, only 35 individuals requested Professional Development funds. Recognizing the ineffectiveness of the current system, Dr. Capps invited Abby Stonerock, VCCS Director of Faculty Development, to campus to lead a discussion about Professional Development policy. That discussion established that colleges with successful professional development programs do not use equal distribution of funds and focus on the institutional instead of individual benefits in crafting Professional Development Policy. As a result of this discussion, Dr. Capps formed a Task Force to create a new plan.
The Task Force of ten individuals, representing all constituency groups, began by defining the mission and definition of professional development for CVCC. The group met 2-3 hours weekly and completed assignments outside of meetings during the entire fall 2016 semester. They proceeded in a methodical way, taking the following steps:
- Wrote and administered two surveys to determine professional development needs and satisfaction with the current progra
- Benchmarked all colleges in the VCCS and several institutions outside of the VCCS
- Conducted a SWOT and Gap Analysis
- Wrote a plan of Professional Development activities aligned with the Completion by Design model
- Developed a comprehensive Professional Development Plan
- Allocated percentages of the Budget
The research conducted by the Task Force indicated a need for the following steps to be taken:
- Hiring a Coordinator of Professional Development who will be responsible for managing the Professional Development Plan and communicating the offerings.
- Revamping the New Employee Orientation Programs to include:
- Student Success (Dean of Student Success Office)
- Institutional Equity (Dean of Institutional Effectiveness office)
- Policies and Procedures (HR office, Campus Police office, others as deemed necessary)
- Human Resources Services for CVCC Employees (HR office)
- Campus Tours
- Providing a comprehensive on-campus training program.
- Including a wider group of employees.
- Providing certainty in the approval of funding requests.
- Every effort was made to address these items in the development of this plan.
The entire plan was revised in the summer of 2023 with the aim of streamlining and simplifying the funding process and removing outdated and extraneous material.
Please click on the appropriate Funding Request Form below to download. Fill and submit to profdev@centralvirginia.edu.
Professional Organization Membership
Funding Request Form 1
Off-Campus Professional Development Conferences and Events
Funding Request Form 2
Non-Conference Job Skills Training & Professional Development Activities
Funding Request Form 3
Educational Tuition Assistance
Funding Request Form 4
Policy #: CVCC0108
Last Reviewed/Revised: 08/16/2023
Responsible Dept.: Academic and Student Affairs
Other Policy References: NA