Professional Development Funds

These funds are intended to support professional development activities such as the dissemination of creative work or scholarship (e.g., conference travel), and to be aligned with college priorities.

Deadlines

Funds are available for use from July 1 through June 30. In order to accommodate the end of fiscal year deadlines, faculty members should either have their funds spent or have communicated a plan to use their remaining funds prior to the close of the fiscal year. Please note, these funds are not an entitlement and may not be "rolled over" from one fiscal year to the next.

Pre-approval

Your use of professional development funds requires pre-approval from the CSSPP Dean’s Office and reimbursement cannot be guaranteed for expenses incurred without prior authorization.

Requests should be submitted as soon as plans are known but at least 2 full weeks in advance of your travel and/or expenditure. Requests will be reviewed by the Dean’s Office on a weekly basis, with every effort made to notify you of your request’s approval status in a timely manner. 

Submit Your PD Request

Examples of Approved Expenditures

Professional development funding can only be used to cover material and supply costs.

  • Conference/Research Expenses – including membership, registration, flights, lodging, meals, gas mileage, etc.
  • Editorial services/fees for article, journal or book submissions
  • Membership renewal – must be directly related to your field of academia
  • Continuing education course(s) or certification(s)
  • Workshop fees

Ineligible Expenditures

Funds cannot be used to supplement a department's existing operating budget.

  • Student salaries 
  • Personal book or journal subscriptions
  • Hardware or computer software
  • Non-academic memberships

Fund Management and Expense/Reimbursement Processing

Funds will be located in the department budget associated with each faculty member's primary academic appointment. Full-time faculty are eligible, and informed of their allotment each academic year. All receipts need to be submitted through Workday in order for reimbursements to be processed. Proof of purchase is required. Expenses should be made in the name of the faculty member seeking reimbursement and tied to a corresponding credit card. 

Accounts Payable has several guides to help with reporting your Professional Development expenses and requesting reimbursements: