Professional Development Guidelines
The following explanations re: the Professional Development Committee and the Distribution of CUPFA Professional Development Funds do not supersede Article 17 of the Collective Agreement, which is introduced as follows: “17.01 The parties recognize the benefits to be gained by providing the Association or part-time faculty members with the opportunity to increase their academic, professional, and technical competency, particularly as they enhance teaching quality, learning development, teacher training, research skills, and new technological advances”.
- The purpose of the Professional Development Fund is to support part-time faculty in their own professional and academic development. The Committee will endeavour to fund as many applications as possible, within the following guidelines.
- The Fund is intended to cover costs associated with research creation and knowledge mobilization based on project characteristics, availability of funds, and potential benefit to the applicant, CUPFA, and the University.
- The Fund cannot be used to support normal departmental costs and responsibilities (e.g., pay for visiting speakers, classroom supplies, teaching materials, curriculum and program development, etc).
- Monies awarded for a project which is not carried out cannot be transferred to another project without Committee approval based on a written request to the Committee chair (via Info CUPFA) well in advance of the awarded grant’s expiration date. The member’s request will be considered as soon as possible which may be at the committee’s next scheduled meeting.
- The Committee will give a lower priority to, and may have to exclude those who have received funding for two consecutive academic years. These decisions may be influenced by the availability of funds and the number and quality of new applications.
- The Fund cannot be accessed retroactively; the activity described in the request must take place after the published deadlines for grant applications. If proof that the applicant’s conference presentation paper has been accepted is not yet available, indicate this clearly and send proof of acceptance as soon as possible.
- New grant applications must follow report submissions from previous projects; the Committee also considers the details of applicants’ previous grants and reports, for example, the use made of any previous grants and the quality of the report.
- The Committee will give priority to conference requests that include presenting a paper or giving a workshop. Funding requests for simple attendance may be funded at a percentage of the total costs.
- The Fund can support certain activities that enhance teaching and contribute directly to course development (such as participation in workshops, conducting research etc.). Course development will not be funded as it is specified as a part-time faculty duty in the Collective Agreement, Article 9.
- The Fund is not intended to be a resource for doctoral fellowships and will not fund tuition fees for postgraduate study or provide a stipend for work on a PhD thesis. Some support for expenses related to thesis research may be possible, such as the costs of printing and binding a thesis.
- The Fund cannot provide a salary or stipend to the applicant, provide capital equipment (e.g. a computer), or create/contribute to a money-making asset for the applicant.
- The Fund can cover costs associated with book production, but cannot cover publishing costs or payments.
