Click HERE to review the SAC Professional Development Program (PDP) requirements in PDF format.

Staff Advisory Council Professional Development Program

(SAC PDP)

The SAC PDP was established to help provide Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) staff opportunities for professional development. The goal of the program is to assist staff with covering the cost of professional development opportunities that would not be possible without financial assistance.  These opportunities must be directly related to career goals and current work responsibilities at FGCU. Awards will be determined based on a combination of demonstrated financial need, responses to the questions on the application, and a one-page letter.

Two (2) Support Personnel and two (2) Administrative & Professional staff members will be selected with each receiving up to $500 toward their professional development opportunity. Applicants must send their application materials to the Staff Advisory Council email (sac@fgcu.edu) no later than Sunday at midnight on March 31. Applications submitted after the deadline may not be considered. All submitted materials will be reviewed by the Staff Advisory Council, and awards will be determined by Monday, April 22. All applicants will be notified following the deadline of the selections. These awards are not entitlements, and there is no guarantee a particular applicant will earn an award for his or her submission. Applicants are reminded not to make financial commitments based upon the expectation of earning a SAC PDP award.

Eligibility

Employee must be a current Support Personnel (SP) or Administrative & Professional (A&P) staff member employed at FGCU for more than one consecutive year.

Application Materials

Supervisor Letter

Each applicant must provide a written letter from their supervisor confirming their approval of the applicant’s ability to attend the professional development opportunity; a statement must be included in the letter confirming that the applicant’s ability to attend is contingent upon receiving the funding from the SAC PDP. Exceptions are subject to approval by SAC officers.

Questions

1. What is the last professional development opportunity you attended (include name of seminar/conference, location of seminar/conference and dates/year)?
2. What is the professional development opportunity for which you are requesting funds?
   1. Name of seminar/conference
   2. Location
   3. Date(s)
3. How much does the professional development opportunity cost? Please include all associated fees (travel, registration, meals, lodging, etc.).
4. Please include the website address or a scanned copy of the professional development opportunity agenda with your submission.

Applicant Letter

Please include a one- to two-page typed letter with the following information: a brief introduction of yourself (paragraph), short term and long term career goals (1-2 paragraphs), and how the professional development opportunity will impact your career (1-2 paragraphs).

Criteria for Application Review

Initial applications will be reviewed by the SAC officers to ensure all of the necessary information has been provided, including:

1. Letter from applicant’s supervisor confirming their approval of the applicant to attend the professional development opportunity.
   1. A statement must be included in the letter confirming that the applicant’s ability to attend is contingent upon receiving the funding from the SAC PDP.
2. Answers to the three (3) questions listed above and supporting documentation for the professional development opportunity.
3. Applicant letter with their background, career goals and brief synopsis of how the professional development opportunity will impact their career.

Once the initial evaluation occurs, the SAC officers will select a Review Panel consisting of FGCU staff members who have not applied for the SAC PDP and/or serve in a supervisory role for an applicant of the SAC PDP. The Review Panel will meet with the SAC officers, discuss the applications, and provide a recommendation to the Staff Advisory Council for the two (2) SP and two (2) A&P staff members to be selected for the awards.

 All applications meeting the criteria will be judged on the following areas with a grading scale of 0-4:

1. Professional development opportunity’s pertinence to the applicant’s current position at FGCU.
2. Professional development opportunity’s agenda materials and their relevance to the goals of the applicant’s current responsibilities at FGCU.
3. Applicant’s professional development opportunity in relation to their career objectives outlined in their letter.

All complete applications are reviewed by each of the Review Panel members and scored for each of the criteria, with:

4 = Evidence exceeds expectations

3 = Evidence provided is clear and compelling

2 = Evidence provided is moderately convincing

1 = Evidence provided is minimally credible

0 = Evidence provided is not credible or no evidence is provided

Applications are ranked from highest to lowest score, and based on the budget; with two SP and two A&P staff members being selected. Each applicant awarded the SAC PDP may receive up to $500 in reimbursement. The Review Panel may provide the Staff Advisory Council with multiple names should there be ties with more than two from each staff designation.

The Staff Advisory Council will review and entertain a motion to accept the recommendations of the Review Panel for the awards. Applicants who are selected for the award will be asked to provide SAC with a one- to two-page letter outlining their experience upon return while providing the Treasurer with their receipts for reimbursement. The applicant must turn their letter and receipts to the SAC Treasurer within 5 business days of their return from the professional development opportunity.