Professional Development Fund
NEW INFORMATION |
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North Idaho College values the professional development of its employees. Our ability to deliver on our mission and vision is enhanced with the ongoing professional development of our employees. In addition to the assistance provided through the separate Faculty and Staff Professional Improvement Plan (PIP) Funds processes, NIC offers further supplementary assistance for professional development through the Professional Development (PD) Fund.Who is eligible to apply for PD funds?
Who is eligible to apply for PD funds?
Employees in benefit-eligible positions who have been employed continuously for one year or more are able to apply for PD funds.
How are PD funds allocated?
An approval committee that includes the four vice presidents will review the applications and prioritize fund distribution according to applicability to NIC’s mission/goals and the overall good of the college. Requests that demonstrate or show expectation of significant return of value to the college will have priority. The committee's decisions are final.
PD funding from this program may vary from year to year depending upon the budget. No expectation should be held by employees for ongoing funding or guaranteed approval of their PD funding requests.
PROCESS REQUIREMENTS AND GUIDELINES
PD funds may be requested for any professional development activity.
Such activities may include, but are not limited to:
- for-credit courses
- non-credit courses
- conferences/seminars
- learning materials
PD funds are only paid out as substantiated reimbursements for costs incurred
for the professioanl development activities indicated in the application
(see Reimbursement Program section below).
Sections below include:
Application Deadline
Employees must complete the PD Funds application (linked at bottom of this page) and submit it to NIC Human Resources for processing by the deadlines for each semester (see table below). Applications that miss the deadlines will not be considered in that approval cycle.
FALL SEMESTER APPROVAL CYCLE
PD Fund applications are due by July 31 to be reviewed for funding consideration for fall semester, with approval notice to applicants by August 17.SPRING SEMESTER APPROVAL CYCLE
PD Fund applications are due by November 15 to be reviewed for funding consideration for spring semester, with approval notice to applicants by December 10.NEW INFORMATION: SUMMER SEMESTER APPROVAL CYCLE ADDED
PD Fund applications are due by May 15 to be reviewed for funding consideration for summer semester, with approval notice to applicants by May 25.
NOTE: Should the PD Fund be exhausted before the May 15 deadline, there will be no review period for summer semester requests.
Reimbursement Program
- The PD Fund program is a reimbursement program.
- Reimbursement can be made to the individual or their NIC department, if the department has covered the expenses.
- Actual reimbursement will not be made until proof of completion (as outlined below) and substantiation of payment is received by the Human Resources Employment and Training Coordinator.
Acceptable documentation for proof of completion:
- For academic courses: Transcripts showing completion of the specified course(s) with a C- or better.
- For conference expenses covered by the department: Copy of NIC After Travel Recap form
- For conference expenses covered by the individual: Itemized list of all expenses being submitted for reimbursement, including the original receipts for each expense.
- For certification courses (other than through academic coursework): Copy of certificate from certifying authority.
Approval Priority The approval committee will review requests and determine approval based on the extent to which the requests meet the following criteria:
- the relevance of the PD activities to the college’s strategic plan;
- the need North Idaho College has for employee to engage in these PD activities;
- the applicability of these PD activities to the employee’s current position, and
- the applicability of these PD activities to the employee’s professional development goals (including preparation for future positions).
NEW INFORMATION: Monetary Limit
- There is a maximum of $1500 that can be awarded per applicant per approval cycle.
- Employees are expected to be prudent in their requests for professional development opportunities.
- The approval committee may only fund a portion of the requested amount, leaving the remainder of the expenses to be borne by the employee or his/her department budget
NEW INFORMATION: Approval Notification Following the committee review of applications, each applicant will receive a letter from the HR Employment and Training Coordinator indicating if their application was approved or not approved.
- Letters will reach the employee either in hard copy or electronically (via e-mail) by the date listed in the Approval Cycle Deadline table above.
- Letters will provide necessary information, including the amount of the funding award and pertinent deadlines. The applicant is responsible for ensuring that they read and understand the information in the letter.
NEW INFORMATION: Conditions on Approved Funding If approved, the award letter will specify the amount of the award and the deadline by which the activity must be completed and by which the reimbursement documentation must be received.
- If reimbursement documentation is not received by the deadline, funds will be considered forfeit.
- If approved development activities do not take place by the deadline indicated in the letter, the applicant must notify the HR Employment and Training Coordinator as soon as possible. The awarded funds will not “roll-over” into the next semester/another timeframe. They will be forfeit and the applicant must reapply to secure funding in another approval cycle.
For example:
If an applicant is awarded PD funds for taking a 3-credit course in the Fall semester but he decides that he will actually take the course in the Spring semester, the applicant cannot use the funds that were awarded for Fall toward the Spring course. The applicant must reapply for the Spring semester approval cycle.
NEW INFORMATION: Applicant Commitment to NIC PD Funds program is an investment by NIC in the development of its employees for the betterment of the institution.
- By accepting any PD Funds program reimbursement from NIC the applicant is committing to stay at NIC as an employee for at least one full year following the reimbursement.
- Should the applicant leave the employment of NIC through voluntary resignation, the applicant will be responsible to repay the amount of the PD Funds reimbursement back to NIC.
| NEW INFORMATION: Application Forms |
Changes have been made to the application forms for fiscal year 13-14, includingthe addition of an employee acknowledgement. Please be sure to read and complete all sections of the application form. |
PD FUND APPLICATION [Word document] This version is to be filled out electronically, printed, signed and routed for signatures. |
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The Professional Development Fund is managed by the NIC Human Resources Office.
For questions, contact Erin Norvell at ennorvell@nic.edu or 208-676-7211.
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