Faculty Development Fund

The Faculty Development Fund (FDF) is designed to help faculty defray the cost of professional growth activities and projects.

All full- and part-time faculty are eligible to apply for monies from the FDF. Part-time faculty receive prorated allotments based on the number of undergraduate courses they teach per year. Proposals are judged on the basis of their potential for enhancing the applicants’ professional growth.

The elected members of the faculty development committee review applications. Faculty Development manages the fund and administers the awards, but does not judge the proposals.
 
Typically, monies for the fund come from the Faculty Endowment Fund (i.e. 1/3 of the annual interest). Any part of the annual allotment not used during the academic year is returned to the Faculty Endowment Fund at the end of the fiscal year. If in any given year the allotment should prove insufficient to meet faculty needs, additional monies may be transferred from the endowment fund to the FDF in accordance with existing college policy.

The Dean and members of the faculty development committee carefully monitor the disbursement of FDF monies and modify the procedures and guidelines in accordance with changing faculty needs and expectations. Faculty input is central to FDC deliberations on the FDF, as committee members work to be just and prudent stewards of this fund.

Fund for Pedagogical Development
Faculty Development offers awards to be granted to faculty who wish to attend (rather than present at) pedagogical conferences. The same eligibility rules, guidelines, and application procedures would govern these applications as govern traditional FDF applications.

The rationale for this proposal was that a faculty member may currently apply for faculty development funds to attend a conference if he/she is performing a significant role at the conference (e.g. presenting a paper or a poster, chairing a session).

However, FDF funds will not ordinarily be allocated to support attendance at an annual association convention or conference at which the applicant is not presenting a paper or performing a significant role. The faculty development committee notes that while these guidelines encourage and support faculty scholarship, the FDC would also like to encourage faculty members to stay current in their fields, especially in the areas of pedagogy and technology. Annual meetings often provide the best opportunity to learn about new technology and pedagogy.

Applications are submitted on a rolling basis and awards are on a first-come, first-served basis.