What types of activities or events may qualify for the leave?

Examples of activities or events that may qualify for the Staff Professional Development Leave are as follows:

Business Conferences

Certification Training

Professional Training

Pursuit of Degree/University Courses

Research

Site Visits

Assume Professional Association Leadership Position

Please note: This list is not all inclusive, please inquire call 243-6766 to help determine the eligibility of your Leave Status for an event or activity not found on the list above.

Department Managers please consider these important points:

Funding
There is no impact to the departmental budget. Salary and benefits for a staff member on professional development leave are funded centrally. The department retains the employee’s regular budgeted salary line to utilize as necessary during the leave. Because of the importance of investing in the professional development staff, the University assumes associated expenses.

Staffing & Workload
Every employee fulfills an important role, so how is the work accomplished during an employee’s leave? With the available salary line that remains in your department, you may want to consider one or more of the following possibilities:

Hiring a temporary employee.

Reassigning duties to other staff members and rewarding them with
    lump sum bonuses or temporary promotions.

Hiring a student employee during the leave.

Important Note: Department Administrators are encouraged to consider staff requests for professional development leaves. Although a temporary burden may result from the employee’s absence, the department, university, and employee will benefit from the employee’s renewed dedication and increased contributions. This is an important investment in the organization and the employee.