State classified and administrative professional employees can apply for funds to use toward their professional development, such as assistance in paying for registration, tuition, books, certification expenses or professional membership fees.
The committee that oversees the fund, the Professional Development Award committee, is now accepting applications. Applications must be for upcoming professional development opportunities related to the employee’s current job duties or career ladder, and up to $2,000 may be awarded.
To apply for the Professional Development Award, submit an online application at the C2C website under the Education and Lifestyle section: https://commitmenttocampus.colostate.edu/professional-development-award/
Past recipients
Twenty-two applications were reviewed in January, and 10 employees were awarded funds.
Recipient: Michelle Miller (Business & Financial Services, Property Management)
Activity: University Property Conference (Stanford University)
“This conference had attendees from 31 different universities from all over the United States, including CU Boulder, MIT, Virginia Tech, Cal Tech, Cornell and, of course, Stanford University, as well as several government contractors. I attended seminars with many speakers and panelists sharing a wealth of information specifically discussing university property. I was able to connect with other property professionals from all over the country to exchange ideas and discuss specific property questions. Thank you again for allowing me this opportunity to grow in my job knowledge and represent Colorado State University to a prestigious list of higher education professionals.”
Recipient: David Sterle (Horticulture and Landscape Development)
Activity: Principles of Fruit and Nut Tree Growth, Cropping and Management course (UC Davis)
“This was an excellent learning opportunity and one which I would have been unable to attend without this award. Because I have recently started a new position facilitating a research program, while being located five hours from my supervisor, this was a chance for me to grow in knowledge at the beginning of my new position.
“I had the opportunity to speak with each of the presenters, ask specific questions about their research, and try to make our program at CSU stronger. Being able to interact with these researchers on a one-on-one basis, attending their lectures, and learning through hands-on activities was very valuable for my professional development.”
Recipient: Sally Jones
Activity: International Sorghum Crop Conference (Cape Town, South Africa)
“Attending this conference was truly the trip of a lifetime, and the conference was everything I had hoped it would be. I gave an oral presentation on my own sorghum research based at CSU, which highlighted crop production challenges our growers in Colorado face and ways we can work around them. I also co-authored a poster on a sorghum fertilizer study currently being done at CSU, and it was presented by a CSU Extension agent.
“I networked with industry reps from the United States and Australia, farmers from South Africa, and the best sorghum researchers from Niger, Ethiopia, South Africa, the United States and many other countries. One particularly exciting connection I made was with researchers and breeders from Kansas State University whom I had never met (we had a laugh about traveling across the globe to meet our next-door neighbors). We organized a collaborative small-plot field trial to test cold-tolerant sorghum cultivars Kansas State University developed in their breeding program at one of our CSU research stations in northeast Colorado. I wanted to test these lines to help Colorado farmers plant sorghum earlier in the growing season, and they wanted to see if their cultivars would be adapted to the cooler and drier Colorado climate. We planted the trial today, less than a month later! The symposium talks covered worldwide and regional sorghum issues and opportunities, from seed development all the way up to marketing and food uses, new and old.”
Recipient: Leah Bosch (CVMBS Office, IT Services)
Activity: Software Quality Assurance: Implementing Consistent Quality course (online)
“The award allowed me the training I have had my eye on for some time, but that my department could otherwise not afford. Since taking the training course, I’ve been able to develop new plans and policies that have allowed me to more efficiently manage my time and workload. The course has been extremely beneficial in lightening the load and increasing my productivity.”
Recipient: Sophia Linn (University Libraries, Geospatial Centroid)
Activity: GIS Application Development, Web Mapping course (Front Range Community College)
“At the Geospatial Centroid, where I serve as assistant director, we provide training and support to students, researchers and other clients, both on- and off-campus, who wish to incorporate these technologies in their studies or research. With the financial support from this award, I was able to take a semester-long course at Front Range Community College in Longmont that focused on developing web mapping applications, such as custom-built interactive maps. I now understand the systems much better and can more likely contribute to web mapping projects that pass through our center, as well as steer our students towards developing their own skills in this area.”
