Standard 5

Element 7: Unit Facilitation of Professional Development

This element is organized under five different types of faculty professional development activities. Each will be discussed briefly.

Sabbatical Leaves. The university provides sabbatical leaves for faculty for the purpose of professional development. This policy-based practice is the most traditional among universities of the unit’s professional development possibilities. Tenured members are eligible to apply for and take such leaves every seven years. The award of the sabbatical is dependent upon the quality of the application proposal. Awardees can take leave for either a semester at full pay or for the academic year at half pay. There is a requirement that the faculty member must return to his or her academic responsibilities at the end of the sabbatical period or pay back the amount of the award.

Professional Development Events. During the 2005-2006 school year, over fifty events were organized around the concept of sharing knowledge and ideas with fellow unit professionals for the purpose of providing systematic professional growth. These events were suggested by the faculty and organized by the office of the unit head. Over one hundred different professionals attended these Professional Development opportunities. An additional service was the organization of individuals willing to provide side-by-side professional support and sharing on over twenty topics. Over thirty professionals took part in various cohorts designed to encourage training, sharing, and collaboration on various professional topics. One set of activities for faculty and staff has been the development of “TechTank,” an open discussion group that meets weekly and provides faculty and staff with a forum to seek help, share knowledge and explore ideas about new technology for both work and personal use.

Center for Teaching Excellence. An important resource for faculty in enhancing their teaching knowledge and practice is the Center for Teaching Excellence (http://www.cte.ku.edu/). The KU Center for Teaching Excellence was established in 1997 and is truly a grassroots organization. Faculty initiated its development, and continue to guide its programs. CTE is advised by a board of faculty members (TEAM) and a group of campus-wide department liaisons called Ambassadors. CTE seeks to: provide opportunities for teaching faculty to discuss students’ learning and ways to enhance learning in their classrooms; support faculty as they implement their ideas for improving students’ learning; bring research about teaching to the attention of the university community; encourage involvement in the scholarship of teaching and learning; offer course assistance at any stage: planning, teaching, or evaluating; foster instructional innovation; and advocate and recognize excellence in teaching.

Unit Faculty Development Travel Funds. Funds are available for travel directly related to the faculty member's employment responsibilities, e.g., research, teaching, and service, and all funds must be allocated (a) on the basis of the potential of the proposed travel to advance the faculty member and (b) on the faculty member's record of accomplishment. The funds may be used for both domestic and international travel. Typically, up to $1,500 per faculty member per year is available.

Research Support Funding Program. The unit Research Support Funding Program is intended to assist tenure-track and tenured faculty to be successful in their research and extramural funding endeavors. To that end, seven separate funding opportunities are available. The goal of the program is to fund as many faculty members as possible, but individuals may apply to multiple programs during any academic year.

• New Hire Research Support: newly hired tenure-track faculty members are eligible for $3,000-$5,000 in start-up funding to support research activities. These funds may be used for student support, travel, research materials, or computer-related equipment.
• Summer Research Support: all tenure-track or tenured faculty members are eligible for up to $5,000 of summer support for research activities. Up to ten awards will be supported annually. Funding can be for faculty salary and/or other research-related expenses, with the expectation that a publishable manuscript or grant proposal will be produced. Priority is given to untenured tenure-track faculty members, though all faculty are eligible.
• Grant Development Support: all tenure-track or tenured faculty members are eligible for up to $2000 of funding to support grant development. The funding may be used for travel connected to a funding agency, student support, other expenses related to grant preparation.
• Academic Year Research Support: Currently, the Graduate Research Fund (GRF) provides approximately $25,000 to the School to support the funding of small research proposals. An additional $25,000 to that pool makes possible the funding of more and larger awards.
• Professional Development Support: All tenure-track or tenured faculty members are eligible for up to $2000 of funding to support travel and related expenses for professional development to attend workshops and seminars to help strengthen and further develop research skills.
• Seed Money for Innovative Ideas: Individuals or groups of faculty in collaboration may have ideas for research initiatives that may lead to significant research innovations or external funding opportunities that require time and support to begin. Generally such projects would be funded at the $5,000-$10,000 level, but other amounts are considered.
• Research in Measurement, Statistics and Evaluation – $10,000-$20,000 per year will be available to support a tenure-line faculty member with research in measurement, statistics and evaluation as a discipline. Funding can be used for salary buy-outs, summer support, graduate students, data collection costs and other research expenses. Proposals tie the activities directly to a research agenda.