Title
School of Nursing: Policy On Staff Development
Unit Policy
Introduction
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to state the School of Nursing's commitment to staff professional development and to outline how staff professional development funds are awarded.
Scope of Applicability
This policy applies to permanent SHRA staff who are employed .75 FTE or greater in the School of Nursing (SON).
Policy
Policy Statement
Introduction
The School of Nursing (SON) and the larger University encourage staff development and support it in four specific ways:
- The University provides numerous free development sessions for staff members. A listing of University offerings and the process for enrolling in them can be found on the Carolina Talent website.
- The University's Tuition Waiver program enables staff to enroll in one academic course per semester and have the tuition costs waived. Information on this program can be found on the Office of Human Resources (OHR) "Additional Training Resources" webpage.
- In addition, some SON divisions may be able to use small amounts of unencumbered funds from their operating budgets to help support staff members to attend programs or classes that relate specifically to their job duties. Information on this option many be obtained from the division head.
- Finally, the SON has a small endowment fund to provide support for a limited number of work-related educational experiences either in the state or in the region when local programs do not meet the need and when no alternative sources of funding are available. The employee's immediate supervisor must approve all requests for funds from the SON, and all requests to attend class during work hours.
Information that covers staff education and training opportunities, both credit and non-credit, may be found on the OHR "Organization & Professional Development" webpage.
Policy and Process for Obtaining Endowment Funds
Any SON permanent staff member who holds at least a 75% time position through the SON is eligible to apply for endowment funding to attend a professional development workshop, conference or meeting. The activity must be job related and approved by the staff member's immediate supervisor. Endowment funding may be used to pay for all state approved costs, which include registration, travel, hotel, and food allowance.
The School's Staff Professional Development Committee may make staff development awards annually of up to $1,500, pending availability of funds. Awards will be made based upon the degree to which the offering is directly related to the employee's job duties and will significantly benefit the School. Other factors that will be used in making awards include: employee's length of employment, past history of travel funding, and the availability of alternative SON sources of funding. Any award will be prorated according to the percentage of salary funding the staff member receives from state accounts.
If no application for funds meets the criteria, no award will be made for that year and funds will be carried forward to subsequent years, pending approval by the Dean. If additional funds become available or if the approved requests total less than $1,500, the School may make additional awards.
The Staff Professional Development committee may also consider written requests from the staff committee to use a portion of the carry forward funds from prior year(s) to pay for a speaker at a staff event. The current year's allocation would be preserved for individual awards made via the application process outlined below. Written requests should be submitted to the Staff Professional Development Committee outlining the proposed speaker, the topic and how it will benefit the SON staff, and the amount requested. Once received by the assistant dean for administrative services, the requests will be considered at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Staff Professional Development Committee (note: 3 meetings are held per year in January, April, and September.)
Application Process
To apply for staff development funds, a staff member must complete the Request for Staff Development Funds Form (below), which includes a summary of the purpose of the meeting and detailed cost estimate for the activity. The staff member's immediate supervisor must sign the form, which must be submitted to the Staff Development Funding Committee by September 15, January 15, or April 15 of each year. Requests will be reviewed and funding determined by the Staff Development Funding Committee. The chair of the Staff Development Funding Committee will notify those staff who requested development funds of the committee's decision by October 1, February 1, or May 1.
Exceptions
N/A
Contact Information
Policy Contact
Lisa Miller, Associate Dean for Administration
Other Contacts
N/A
Important Dates
- Effective: 11/2005; Approved by: Administrative Directors
- Revised: 3/16/16; Approved by Dean's Cabinet
Approved by:
Lisa Miller, Associate Dean for Administration