Professional Support
Consider the following Faculty Professional Development funding priorities as activities which assist individuals or groups to:
- develop expertise complementary to one’s discipline;
- maintain currency in a field or discipline;
- engage in research and scholarly activities;
- enhance instructional abilities or develop instructional innovations;
- execute or attend conferences and special events in one's discipline;
- please keep in mind travel restrictions;
- provide community and professional service
Description
Implementation of the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus Chancellor’s Professional Support Initiative is a joint effort of the Office of the Regional Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs and the Faculty Council Professional Development Committee.
A limited amount of funds is provided to support faculty members in their professional activities above and beyond support already provided by their respective colleges. This resource helps faculty members participate in specific activities that will help them build or augment their expertise in teaching, research, or service. The aim is to build capacity across the university and enhance the profile and prestige of the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus.
Eligibility
Full time resident faculty are eligible to apply; visiting faculty are not eligible to apply for Professional Development funds.
Applications are accepted and reviewed by the Faculty Professional Development Committee on a rolling basis each month during the academic year. Faculty can apply for support for a range of activities that include, but are not limited to the following:
- support for attending a virtual conference or travel to conference that follows the current guidelines
- research support
- materials for teaching activities or course development
- attending training seminars for research or teaching skills.
The applicant must provide a detailed description of the professional development activity/event and plan and all supporting documentation (e.g., support for conference travel must supply conference dates, application for research project support must have Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, etc.).
Please refer to the links below for current business-travel rules and procedures:
University of South Florida Travel Guidelines
Travel Expenses - Helpful Links
FLORIDA STATUTE 112.061
Florida Statute 1006.706 (5) (c) specifies that university employees are public employees for the purposes of travel and are bound by the travel requirements laid forth in F.S. 112.061. Most USF travel requirements are based, either directly or indirectly, on the provisions of 112.061.
Please refer to the USF Expenditure Guide for eligible expenditures from the Educational & General (fund type for professional development) funding source.
Funding decisions will be based on an overall assessment of the completeness and quality of the rationale, and consideration of availability of funds and competing applications during the funding cycle. Applicants do not need to exhaust other available funds before requesting FPDC Funding.