Unit 18 Faculty Professional Development Fund

Any Unit 18 faculty member who has or had an appointment during the grant period during which the professional development activity takes place is eligible. Part-time and full-time Unit 18 employees are encouraged to apply. Lecturers covered by the Unit 18 contract with teaching appointments in Fall 2024, Winter 2025, or Spring 2025 are eligible during this cycle. The application deadline is Friday, April 4, 2025.

 Awards will cover professional development activities that take place between July 1, 2024 and December 31, 2025. Applicants do not necessarily have to have a contract during the quarter in which the professional development activity takes place as long as they have a contract that will extend or resume beyond the period of the grant (either a continuing appointment, a multi-year contract that extends beyond the grant period, or an offer letter of appointment for the following quarter or year). Pre-six lecturers requesting money for professional development activities that will take place after the appointment covered by their current contract should include written confirmation from a department chair or program director of a Unit 18 appointment for the period during which the activity will take place. Retroactive grant requests are acceptable provided they are submitted by the application deadline.

Any activity or project is potentially fundable if its relationship to specific teaching responsibilities can be established and if it contributes to the professional development of the lecturer. Examples include academic training (coursework related to teaching responsibilities at UC San Diego); attendance fees for conferences, seminars or workshops; research expenses; travel expenses related to teaching or other scholarly endeavors; and software, equipment, books or films for use in the preparation of pedagogical research. Course releases or paid leave for up to one quarter can be requested only by lecturers with continuing appointments.              

 The professional development fund is not intended to support the following: instructional improvement or course development that should be funded by departments, programs, or other administrative units (for example, materials used directly by students in the lab or classroom); projects aimed primarily at supporting student work; projects that cannot demonstrate an ultimate beneficial impact on pedagogy or the educational mission of UC San Diego; projects that seek funding for the production or promotion of publications; projects that mainly benefit or involve institutions or entities other than UC San Diego; compensation to students; and technical support that should be funded by other university resources.

 The most common grants cover conference costs (travel, hotel, fees) for participants of record (organizers, panelists, presenters); however, funds have also been granted for equipment, material, and travel related to academic research. Conference presenters are far more likely to be funded than those only attending.

UC travel policies and budgetary stipulations must be followed when requesting funds for travel reimbursement (https://blink.ucsd.edu/travel/travel-policy/index.html). Please review the policies for domestic and foreign travel, ground transportation, per diem, lodging, meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) when creating a budget (use the currency converter to calculate foreign amounts). Because there is a limited amount of funding, the committee appreciates attempts to travel inexpensively.

 In the interest of assuring an equitable distribution of available funds, preference will be given to applicants who have not received a grant in the previous two years. While applicants who have received $5000 in funds in the last two years usually must wait at least two years after their most recent grant to apply again, exceptions may be made if there are enough funds available. The suggested range for requests is $500 to $3000. Funds approved may be less than or more than amounts requested, depending on the availability of money and the applicant’s supporting information. Therefore, the application should include the most detailed and comprehensive budget possible. Late and/or incomplete applications will not be considered.

The Unit 18 Professional Development Committee, made up of five Unit 18 faculty volunteers approved by the UC-AFT, must follow university procedures for making faculty awards. Applicants must notify their department chair/program director and obtain their signature. Recommendations by the committee will be submitted to the Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs for review and subsequent action. Award notifications will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application. Approved funds will be disbursed through the applicant’s department, program or academic unit. To receive funds, original receipts and other proof of expenditures will be required by your department, program or academic unit. Submit copies or price quotations of all budgeted expenditures with this application.

 Your application must include all relevant documentation:

 ☐  A 1-2 page explanation of the proposed project, including a description of its contribution to your professional development and its academic value to the pedagogical endeavors of UC San Diego;

 ☐ Supporting materials such as conference announcements, price quotations and/or copies of receipts, currency conversion, if applicable, and letters of acceptance or endorsement;

 ☐ A budget and timetable for the conference or project, including a list of any other available sources for which the applicant has applied or will apply (in the budget, provide a breakdown of exactly how all the funds being requested will be spent/ have been spent; see sample below);

 ☐ A current curriculum vitae with current contact information (address, phone number, email);

 ☐ Written confirmation of a Unit 18 appointment (if applicable);

 ☐ Complete application form, including legible name of department chair or program director and signature (see below)

Example Sample Budget:

Attendance at MLA conference in New York City, Dec. 26-29

Attendance fee for MLA                        $150

Hilton Hotel, 3 nights @ $165              $495

Roundtrip air travel                                $329

3 days M&IE at $92 a day maximum  $276 (trips prior to 11/1/24 claim up to maximum of $79/day)

Transportation to/from hotel in NYC  $  50

Total                                                          $1,300

 To apply, please scan and bundle of all your documents into one PDF; the first page of the PDF should be the application form, and the PDF title should begin with your LAST NAME (Ex. STEINBERG, Stacy – (Dept) - PDF Application 2025). Email the PDF as an attachment to Stacy Steinberg at ststeinberg@ucsd.edu by Friday, April 4, 2025 at 4 p.m. Stacy will respond to your email to confirm receipt. NO LATE APPLICATIONS.

The committee membership for the 2024-25 AY Unit 18 Non-Senate Faculty Professional Development Fund is as follows:

The committee membership for the 2023-24 AY Unit 18 Non-Senate Faculty Professional Development Fund is as follows:

The committee membership for the 2022-23 AY Unit 18 Non-Senate Faculty Professional Development Fund is as follows:

The committee membership for the 2021-22 AY Unit 18 Non-Senate Faculty Professional Development Fund is as follows: