Please note that the Professional Development Program concluded on June 30, 2007 and applications are no longer being accepted.  New York State and CWA/GSEU are currently negotiating a successor Agreement.

 

2003 - 2007 Professional Development Program

 

Program overview

 

In the 2003/2007collective bargaining Agreement between the State of New York and CWA1104/GSEU (The “Graduate Student Employees Union”) funds were established to support professional development activities for GSEU members.  In 2005, $59,800 was allocated to the University at Albany for the period of July 2003 through June 2006. Additional funds were later received to support professional development activities which occur during the 2006-2007 academic year.

 

Guidelines/Application for Funds/Reimbursement

Who is qualified to apply?

In order to qualify for funding in this program, the applicant must be or must have been a member of the bargaining unit (“a union member”) of CWA1104/GSEU at Albany for the applicable time period (see Rounds and Deadlines, below). If you are not sure of your membership status, please contact Arindam Mandal at mandalarindam@hotmail.com. The applications of current GSEU members will have priority over those applicants who have already left the bargaining unit.

Application Process

A completed application (with attachments) must be submitted to the Joint SUNY Albany-GSEU Campus Professional Development Committee. It may be submitted to the attention of Jim Mancuso in the Office of Human Resources, UAB 300.  You will be notified within 90 days (of the application deadline) if the application is approved or disapproved.
 

The entire application should not exceed two pages and must include the following information:

Ø       an overview of the request (includes a description of the project or activity including: type of event, event site, and sponsor).

Ø       Whether the employee is presenting a paper or formally participating. If presenting a paper, the title of the paper and nature of the presentation must be provided.

Ø       Letter of acceptance of the paper, poster, or other proposal. If acceptance is pending, the Campus Professional Development Committee should be notified of receipt as soon as possible.

Ø       How this project or activity will further the employee's professional development or otherwise assist in preparing for advancement.

Ø       A brochure, announcement, or other relevant material describing the project, activity, or research expense. If material is not yet available, information should be sent as soon as possible (may be appended).

Ø       A list of other grant or departmental support for the project, activity, materials or travel.

Ø       If the request is for travel reimbursement or materials purchased for use in your academic endeavor, original receipts must be provided. Receipts may be supplemented by supporting documents.

Please append to your application:

Ø       An updated brief curriculum vita.

Ø       Budget Summary. Provide expenditures to be incurred (or already incurred) to complete the project or activity.
 

Additional information may be requested by the Committee.
 

Rounds and Deadlines

Students may apply for up to $600 per academic year (requests may exceed this amount, although they may not be fully awarded; discretion to award monies in excess of $600 rests solely with the awards committee). Students may apply for the reimbursement of expenses incurred in the following time periods:

 

July 1, 2003-June 30, 2004                                   applications accepted until November 30, 2006

July 1, 2004-June 30, 2005                                   applications accepted until November 30, 2006

July 1, 2005-June 30, 2006                                   applications accepted until November 30, 2006

July 1, 2006-June 30, 2006                                   applications accepted until April 30, 2007*

 

*All submissions for reimbursement must be received in University Accounting by June 1, 2007.

 

Applications are accepted at any time before the deadlines above. The awards committee will meet approximately three times a year to review requests for reimbursement; funds will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, until all funds for a given academic year have been exhausted, or the closing deadline occurs. Unused funds not disbursed in any year will be equally rolled over into the remaining academic award periods.

 

How to apply

 

There is no “application form” but rather instructions that detail the types of documentation required to qualify for cost reimbursement. All awards are retro-active, i.e. funds will not be awarded in advance of incurring any expense. However, if you are anticipating expenses, you may submit a prospective application, recognizing that to do so does not guarantee any award, absent adequate documentation. It is recommended that you also closely review the State’s requirements for reimbursement as outlined in the following links:

 

http://www.albany.edu/accounting/manual/1.shtml

http://www.albany.edu/accounting/s_travel_general.shtml

FAQs

Q.  I have an opportunity to attend a professionally related conference next semester.  How should I go about making the necessary travel arrangements?

A. Ask for assistance booking the travel, accommodations and related costs from the individual in your office who is typically responsible for such activity.  They can also assist with the purchase of professional development items such as software, books, etc.

Q. My travel/project was so long ago that I no longer have original receipts. What should I do?

A. Constructing a case for reimbursement can be a challenge, but we urge you to contact your airline, credit card company, bank and other sources that may be able to provide you with copies or duplicate receipts. Conference programs, letters of acceptance, or other corroborating materials may support your application. If you have received partial financial assistance from other sources, you may be able to recover receipts from those entities. Most importantly, a strongly documented case for reimbursement will be reviewed more favorably than a case without appropriate documentation.

Q. What kinds of expenses are covered under this professional development program?

A. Typically, funding may be used to reimburse applicants for expenses related to professional travel, research costs, supplies, software and books, conference registrations, costs associated with publication, editing, duplication, transcription, and other professional costs.

Q. How much money can I request for each application period?
 

A. In general, awards will not exceed $600 (although requests in excess of this amount will be considered) for any academic year. You may, however, apply for more than one year.
 

Q. What criteria will be used to make decisions about the award of funds?
 

A. Funds will be awarded to those members of CWA1104/GSEU in good standing, with appropriate documentation, with timely applications, and in light of the award’s potential impact on the applicant’s professional development. Applications will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by a Joint Review Committee, composed of UA and GSEU personnel.

Send your completed application to
 

Jim Mancuso                                                                                                                                                    
Office of Human Resources, UAB 300                                                                                                             
SUNY Albany                                                                                                                                                     
Albany, NY 12222

 

Questions? Contact Arindam Mandal, Business Agent, CWA1104/GSEU Albany mandalarindam@hotmail.com