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Professional Meeting Allowance, Supplemental Meeting Allowance, and Professional Development Funds

Professional Meeting Allowance (PMA)

The purpose of PMA funds is to encourage faculty participation in off-campus professional meetings on the regional and national levels. All full-time faculty members are eligible for up to $1,000 PMA to assist with direct costs for attending off-campus or virtual professional meetings or for registration for an online webinar.

Funds may be used to defray costs for in person or online conferences or training registration fees, travel (e.g. car rental, flight expenses, or mileage reimbursement), lodging, and meals. PMA funds cannot be used for membership dues.

PMA funds should be applied to the fiscal year in which the event happens, regardless of when the expense is incurred (e.g., registration fees charged in May 2022 for a conference happening in July 2022 should be charged to 2022-23 FY PMA funds). 

Funds not expended by the end of the fiscal year (June 30) will automatically be returned to the college. Tenured faculty who elect not to participate in the post-tenure review process are ineligible for PMA funding.

There is also a small pool of money available for adjuncts' PMA. Any adjunct faculty can apply for up to $750 in PMA funds. Funds will be awarded on a "first come, first serve" basis, and only one award per faculty member will be granted.  All applications for adjuncts' PMA should include a brief description of the conference, paper, and panel, a proposed budget, and a brief CV. The proposal should be submitted to Michelle Heinrichs in the Academic Affairs Office.

 

Supplemental PMA 

Eligibility: All tenure-track and tenured faculty
Deadline for applications: Ongoing until funding exhausted
Notification of awards: Ongoing until funding exhausted

Those eligible for PMA may submit requests to the Dean's office for supplemental funds if a) all PMA and PDF funds have been used (or will be used), and b) there are further costs associated with attendance (including virtual attendance) at a conference at which they are presenting research. 

Like PMA funding, SPMA funds should be applied to the fiscal year in which the travel happens regardless of when the expense is incurred. 

Supplemental PMA funding does not accumulate from year to year and must be spent by June 30.  Supplemental PMA normally is limited to $1,000 per fiscal year for domestic conferences and $1,250 for international conferences.

To request a faculty supplementary professional meeting allowance award, complete the SPMA Request form and submit it in Word format for approval.

Professional Development Funds

Employees of the college may be granted Professional Development Funds. The purpose of these funds is to provide funding for experiences, equipment, and materials that are important in the professional development of the person as an employee of the college. 

PDFs are accrued for service to the college or other special circumstances. PDFs may be used to reimburse costs associated with research interests (e.g. travel, equipment used in research, books, publication and indexing costs, etc.) or improvement of pedagogy (e.g. costs associated with conferences with the aim of improved/expanded methods of teaching, etc.).

Equipment and other items whose use is primarily for personal purposes (e.g. cell phone, DVR, etc.) are not covered by PDF funding. The purpose of specific funding will be stated in the grant letter, but all PDF expenditures must be academic in nature (not furniture, for example).

PDFs do not expire: these funds carry over until you use them up. However, receipts must be submitted within the same fiscal year as when expenses were made. Any equipment purchased with PDF funds is considered property of the college.

Faculty who are uncertain if an expense meets the PDF guidelines should contact Michelle Heinrichs before making a purchase to ensure Academic Affairs approval.