Professional Development Fund

Professional Development Opportunities:

The College of Saint Benedict and the Support Staff Committee have an active concern for the professional development of the support staff employed by the College of Saint Benedict. Therefore, a fund has been established to foster training and development for CSB support staff employees. The Benedictine philosophy takes a holistic view of an individual, including: spiritual, physical, social, and intellectual well-being. Based on this philosophy, activities which promote the growth of an individual and enhance the ability of the individual to contribute to the College community will be considered for professional development funding.

Review of requests for professional development funds will be considered by a subcommittee of the CSB Support Staff Committee. The Support Staff Subcommittee for Professional Development will consist of one or two elected members of the CSB Support Staff Committee, who will function as chair, and two support staff volunteers.

Funding by the Support Staff Subcommittee for Professional Development will be considered for activities which enhance an employee’s job performance. The following criteria will be used when reviewing funding requests to attend activities/programs:

The proposed project or activity must have an overall benefit to you, your department and or the institution.
Funding will be made available to all benefit-eligible support staff members of the College of Saint Benedict.
Preference will be given to proposals which support the strategic priority/mission of the institution.
Preference will be given to those activities/programs for which other funding is not available and to those individuals that have not been funded in the past.
Activities/programs that are necessary for applicants to perform their jobs should be funded through other sources. This fund is intended to pay for training that is not required in order to do one’s job.
Membership fees will not be awarded through these professional development funds.
Individual funding may not exceed $500.00 per request – not to exceed $750.00 per fiscal year (without the approval of the full Support Staff Committee). All approved applications will be sent to the Associate Director of Human Resources for review.
Application must be complete and submitted in a timely manner.

Allocation Distribution:

Professional Development Fund Budget $5,000/fiscal year

Reserved for on-campus speakers/food/co-sponsorships $2,000

Reserved to fund individual requests July – December $1,500

Reserved to fund individual requests January – June $1,500

The above amounts may be adjusted, with approval of the full Support Staff Committee, as needed. The committee will work with Associate Director of Human Resources to coordinate speakers.

Application Process:

Complete this application or obtain one from a committee representative.

All requests for funding should be submitted in a timely manner (prior to program/event date) to the current Chair of the Subcommittee for Professional Development (consult the website or your committee representative for name of current Chair). These requests must be made in hard copy on the current application form and contain the appropriate applicant and supervisor signatures. E-mail applications will not be considered.
The Subcommittee may request additional information from the applicant to fully understand the nature of the activity/program and/or funding needs. A complete application should include copies of descriptive marketing materials outlining the activity pertaining to the request.
The Subcommittee will review requests on a monthly basis (according to the criteria listed above) and respond in writing within 2 weeks of their review of an application (monthly meeting schedule is listed on the website). If the request is approved, reimbursement and other financial transactions will be processed through the Business Office.

Support staff employees are encouraged to submit an application for funding to attend workshops or conferences in support of their professional development. Support from this fund cannot be used to relieve departments of their responsibility to provide for the professional development of their members. It is intended to supplement available resources so as to provide increased opportunities for support staff employees.

Submit completed applications in request of funding to:

Support Staff Subcommittee for Professional Development Chair: LaRae Foehrenbacher CSB Main Building, Room 219

Policy Effective 7/1/2003