Purpose of Faculty Development Funding

Southwestern's Faculty Development Committee supports and encourages the current teaching faculty in activities that "improve instruction and promote professional growth" on campus. Faculty development activities include those that obtain new information, skills, or knowledge to enhance or maintain your effectiveness as an instructor.

All part-time and full-time faculty members that are planning to continue teaching at Southwestern for the near future are eligible for Faculty Development funds.

By tradition, most of the financial support is in the form of funding for individuals to attend workshops, seminars, trainings, classes, etc. These activities are still strongly supported. In addition, the Faculty Development committee also considers funding for other “campus-based” activities such as:

• general interest videos, books, software, and reference materials that improve teaching
• online coursework
• guest workshops 
• faculty-led workshops
• independent study

Activities that are typically funded:

• improve teaching.
• promote more general professional interest. 
• clearly relate to the area of the instructor's teaching assignment, or are of general interest to all faculty.

Activities that are not funded:

• Activity that is operational in nature (required by a curriculum or program).
• Personal or professional development unrelated to the instructor's present or anticipated responsibilities at Southwestern. 
• Projects initiated by Southwestern's administration. 
• For-credit courses which will be used for advancement on the salary scale (educational increments).
• Membership fees (unless these fees are an inseparable part of registration fees at meetings or workshops).
   Expenses accrued from attending board meetings as a board member.
• Special projects or projects outside the bounds of current goals. (These are better suited for the Teaching Excellence Program.)
• Books, software, tools, etc. that are to be used primarily by the requesting faculty member.

Guidelines for Approval

• Requests must meet the definition of faculty development as stated in the description of committee operations. 
• Requests that seem operational will be referred back to the Associate Dean/Supervisor.
• All part-time and full-time faculty members are eligible for faculty development funds.
• The merit of the request will be based on the criteria of institutional goals, program goals and professional goals focused on the three benchmarks goals from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) and Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE):
  • Active and collaborative learning – Students learn more when they are actively involved in their education and have opportunities to think about and apply what they are learning in different settings. Through collaboration with others to solve problems or master challenging content, students develop valuable skills that prepare them to deal with the kinds of situations and problems they will encounter in the workplace, community, and their personal lives.
  • Student Faculty Interaction - The more contact students have with their teachers, the more likely they are to learn effectively and to persist towards the achievement of their educational goals. Personal interaction with faculty members strengthens students’ connections to the college and helps them focus on their academic progress. Working with an instructor on a project or serving with faculty members on a college committee lets students see firsthand how experts identify and solve practical problems. Through such interactions, faculty members become role models, mentors, and guides for continuous, lifelong learning.
  • Support for Learners - Students perform better and are more satisfied at colleges that are committed to their success and cultivate positive working and social relationships among different groups on campus. Community college students also benefit from services targeted to assist them with academic and career planning, academic skill development, and other issues that may affect both learning and retention.

The criteria of at least one of these benchmarks must be addressed. Priority will be given to requests that support two or more of the criteria.

Frequency of awards will be considered and amounts requested will be examined to see that they are reasonable. As a guideline, the Faculty Development Committee will award requests at a capped maximum of $750. Those requesting funds who have been awarded faculty development dollars in the last three years will be considered on a sliding scale with a capped maximum as follows:

• $650 for applicant who was funded 3 years ago
• $550 for applicant who was funded 2 years ago
• $450 for applicant who was funded 1 year ago

Larger awards may be made if there is a clear and compelling reason to do so and the funds are available.

• Books, software, tools, etc. that are to be used only or mostly by the faculty member will not be funded.
• Fees for tuition and for work from which credit will be obtained will not be funded.
• Membership fees will not be funded, unless these fees are an inseparable part of registration fees for meetings or workshops.

Application Procedure

All requests should follow the regular application procedure:

1.     Complete the Application for Faculty Development Funds form. Remember to include your Supervisor's signature in the 'Application Requirements/Attachments' section of this form. This verifies you are approved for a college related absence and travel. Submit it electronically to facdev@socc.edu as an attachment. Also attach any other supporting documentation related to your event attendance, such as registration forms and brochures.

2.    You will be notified as soon as your request for Faculty Development Committee funding has been approved or disapproved via email. When further information is needed, the committee may postpone a decision for a short time.z


3.     If Faculty Development Committee funding has been approved, you will be contacted by the Faculty Development Committee Secretary in the Office of Instruction (Anna Chavez). She will confirm how you will access funds and assist with creating Online Requisitions and Online Travel Requests. Currently, all Online Travel Requests require the approval of the Vice President of Instruction, and out-of-State travel also requires the President’s approval.
 

4.     Submit a Faculty Leave Request to your Associate Dean/Supervisor prior to departure.

5.     You will be responsible for making all travel, hotel, and transportation reservations once the Faculty Development Committee has approved your request, the Secretary has input your Online Travel Request and all Online Requisitions have been approved by the VP of Instruction. Please allow at least five days for this process to be complete and plan you time accordingly.

7.        Upon your return, complete and sign the Travel Expense Report Form, attach appropriate receipts, and forward to Anna Chavez in the Office of Instruction.