The application period for the annual Commitment to Campus Professional Development Awards opened on Jan. 11, and staff members have until Jan. 25 to apply for up to $2,000.

CSU’s Commitment to Campus program and the Office of the Vice President for University Operations offer financial support to assist administrative professional and state classified employees seeking professional development. (Faculty members are not eligible for the award program). The professional development must be completed before June 30.

Awards are based on merit, as demonstrated by the applications. Funding requests may be made in any dollar amount up to $2,000 per individual per application. Requests may be partially funded, depending on other requests received and/or available funds.

Some employees used their funding to attend conferences last year.

“The conference gave me the rare opportunity to attend workshops hosted, and attended, by a variety of administrators in sponsored research roles,” said Evelyn Peterson, who works in the Center for the New Energy Economy and attended workshops hosted by the National Council of University Research Administrators. “Attendees came from across the country, and some came from overseas to network and learn about industry trends and best practices. … As a result of attending this conference, I walked away with an array of tools and ideas to improve operations within my unit at CSU.”

“Attending allowed me to learn best practices to bring back to build and improve our department’s service to our students,” added Kathryn Stewart, graduate coordinator for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, who attended the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors Conference. “I was able to learn and connect away from campus with CSU colleagues from our Office of International Programs. The conference was excellent and I felt renewed and learned a lot.”

Eligibility criteria

Applicants must meet the following criteria to be considered for funding:

• • Be a current CSU administrative professional or state classified employee in good standing; employed at part-time (50%) or greater; and employed for a minimum of one year as of the award application deadline.
  • The professional development activity must be fully paid for and completed during the same fiscal year as the award is approved. The applicant represents that their immediate supervisor and any necessary higher authority supports their request and will approve any time off needed.
  • Award recipients agree to provide the award panel a testimonial of up to one page and any pictures they take showcasing their participation in the activity. These reports, along with the recipient’s name and photos, may be used to promote the award program and appear in SOURCE, CSU Life, or other CSU announcements and publications. The statement should be submitted within 30 days and summarize how the award contributed to their ability to meet their professional development goals.
  • Recipients will be ineligible for future awards if no testimonial is provided.
  • Recipients may only receive one award in two years.

Other information

Awards will be paid to the awardee’s department for purposes of reimbursing the cost of the professional development experience after all payments have been made and receipts are furnished. No payments for awards can be made from C2C/VPUO directly to the employee, outside vendor, or to a grant (53-fund) account.

Applicants may use this award to help fund professional development needs that their department cannot meet. The proposed professional development must be related to the applicant’s current job function and duties. Funds cannot be used to pursue a degree or advanced degree, different positions, lines of work, or general education of personal interest.

Funds must be used directly for the professional development experience. Appropriate examples include, but are not limited to, conference registration, training, books, certification/licensure expenses, lodging and transportation expenses such as mileage and airfare.

Applications are reviewed by a volunteer panel composed of administrative professional and state classified representatives. The committee will evaluate applications by considering:

• • the relationship between the professional development activity and the applicant’s current work at CSU;
  • the overall benefit to the employee and the institution from the planned experience;
  • the cost of the activity after any department funds are applied; and
  • the overall quality of the application.

For more information, visit the C2C website.