Faculty Professional Development Committee

Spring 2022 update:

All travel by Los Rios employees must abide by the Los Rios District travel Guidelines, which currently places some limitations on travel, and asks for compliance with CDC recommendations.

During the COVID-19 epidemic, Los Rios guidelines can change frequently.

The Faculty Professional Development Committee asks that you read the current Los Rios Guidelines before applying.

Find them in the lower right corner of ARC’s Travel Forms page.

1. Meet regularly to review and discuss funding requests from full-time and adjunct staff members interested in attending a variety of different professional development venues including, but not limited to, conferences, workshops, symposiums, retreats, etc.
2. As a voting member, participate in the Professional Development Coordinating Committee's responsibility to develop a strategic plan for the college's professional development and to allocate professional development resources to the professional development committees, the Center for Teaching and Learning, and the Instructional Technology Center.
3. Make recommendations regarding awards and award amounts with consideration given to established committee operating guidelines, procedures, and priorities as well as funding availability.
4. Encourage attendance at events of interest to faculty in collaboration with Faculty Senate, Center for Teaching and Learning, and other groups.
5. Disseminate information regarding upcoming professional development funding periods and submission deadlines.
6. Serve as a resource and liaison to representative area faculty seeking support.
7. Maintain a website with committee functions, membership, minutes, application guidelines and evaluation information.
8. Represent faculty professional development on related PD committees campus and district-wide.

Recipients may be either full-time or adjunct faculty.

Funding cannot be used to support tuition for credit-based classes.

The activity must demonstrate direct benefit to students, staff, and/or the college and should also relate to the employee's assignment and/or professional growth.

In addition to describing how attendance at this event activity will influence his or her professional development, applicants must identify and explain how the event relates to the State PD Guidelines and ARC's ISLOs and Strategic Goals.

All applicants have a funding cap of $800 per academic year. If more than one applicant from an Area requests funding to attend the same event, the committee reserves the right to partially fund or deny the requests. Applicants presenting at the same event will be considered separately.

For department retreats, funding is limited to $50 per person, not to exceed $500 total for all attendees combined.

Retroactive requests may only be submitted during the final funding period of the academic year in which the activity occurred. Amounts awarded to retroactive applications are contingent upon availability of funds remaining after consideration has been given to on-time applications.

The Committee reserves the right to deny and/or partially fund any request.

Applicants will receive notice of their funding status within one week of the Committee's decision.

1. Requests from applicants who have never received prior funding.
2. Requests based on recency of prior funding (if applicable).
3. Applicants who are scheduled to present or facilitate.
4. Applicants in receipt of funding support from other sources, such as their Area/Department, Perkins/VTEA, the Basic Skills Committee, grants, etc.
5. Proposals demonstrating clear support of campus goals and focus areas and direct benefits to students and staff.
6. Applications made prior to commencement of the activity.  
   Note: Applicants attending events between academic calendar years must plan accordingly. Due to budget considerations, the committee only approves funding for activities held during the current academic budget year (July 1 to June 30). During the first meeting of the fall semester, committee members will consider application requests to fund PD activities held during the prior summer (i.e. activities between July 1 and the first meeting of the fall semester).
7. Former applicants who have completed a post-activity evaluation report.
8. In-state professional development opportunities.

To receive funding, all travel must comply with current Los Rios travel guidelines.

Select the link to find these guidelines and all other travel-related forms.

Applicants must have a letter of support from their Area Dean.
The activity must be demonstrably necessary and beneficial to the quality of ARC's educational offerings and services.

Before applying for FPD funding, applicants must first complete Parts I & II of a Travel Authorization and Reimbursement claim (TAR), and secure their Area Dean's signature on the form. The other signatures are not necessary to apply, though they will be needed to receive funding.

Completed travel authorizations must be submitted, together with the application, at least 45 days in advance of travel as well as by advertised funding deadlines.

Funded out-of-state applicants will have their Travel Authorization returned by Business Services.

Within 30 days of returning from the event, the applicant must complete Part III, secure required signatures, attach original receipts, and re-submit to the office of the Associate Vice President for Instruction & Learning Resources, Library room 310, for a final signature.

Staff in the AVPI's office will then forward the Travel Authorization to Business Services.
Travel must conform to all District guidelines.