Professional Development

Purpose:

To provide guidance and opportunities for professional development for faculty and staff and to support a work environment that encourages professional growth.

Definitions:

Academic Year: the year beginning with fall, then spring semester, followed by summer

Essential training/certification: academic credential(s) and/or professional-level certification(s) required to maintain position or employment; information must be documented on the faculty employment contract (annual contract) or Employee Work Profile (EWP).

Professional Certification: designation earned by employee to show they are qualified to perform a job or task. Also known as trade certification and earned from a professional society, technical or educational institution.

Professional Development (PD) Plan: the college form used to plan annual professional development goals.

Reasonable tuition and fees: the rate at which coursework successfully completed at other institutions of higher learning or proprietary schools will be reimbursed, not to exceed the cost of in-state, part-time tuition and mandatory fees at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Tuition and mandatory fees may be granted for a single course or as part of a degree program.

Tuition assistance: applies to credit courses taken outside Reynolds (see Reynolds Policy No. 3-38, Continuous Learning, for guidance to take a Reynolds course).

Policy:

1. The goal of professional development at Reynolds is to create a thriving and inclusive environment that supports student success. College-wide professional development programs are created to meet the organizational learning and development needs of faculty and staff. Learning is the essence of the college’s purpose and must be a continuous lifelong commitment of both individual employees and the organization. In support of this vision, the college’s professional development program shall:

   1. introduce new faculty and staff to Reynolds commitment to equity;
   2. support employees in developing and maintaining the skills and knowledge necessary to do their jobs effectively;
   3. renew individual capacity and improve professional competency for significant contribution to the college and community;
   4. use technology and other resources to work more effectively and efficiently; and
   5. discover new ideas and solve problems imaginatively to help the college advance its world-class vision.

2. Eligibility

   1. Current full-time administrative, professional, and teaching faculty; full-time classified employees; and adjunct faculty may participate in professional development activities. Part-time, wage/hourly employees scheduled to work an average of 20 hours per week are also eligible for this benefit. Students employed via the college work-study program are not eligible for this benefit.
   2. Newly hired faculty and staff are eligible to request professional development funds for tuition assistance and/or certifications after working at the college for a calendar year. The Executive Cabinet has the authority to make exceptions.

3. Key components of the Professional Development Program

   1. Professional Development Planning

      1. All administrative and professional faculty, full-time teaching faculty, and classified staff are required to complete a plan that informs the college of their professional development activities for each annual performance evaluation cycle.

   2. Professional development hours requirement

      1. Reynolds requires all administrative and professional faculty; full-time teaching faculty, and classified staff to participate in a minimum of twenty (20) clock hours of professional development each evaluation cycle.

      2. Professional development clock hours shall be maintained on the employee transcript in the Commonwealth of Virginia Learning Center (COVLC or VLC).

      3. Clock hours may consist of any combination of the following activities agreed upon by the faculty/staff member and dean/supervisor. These activities include, but are not limited to: formal education (classroom or online courses), continuing education, seminars, workshops, conferences, technical training programs, or informal training approved by the supervisor (that could include mentoring, shadowing, or observational experiences).

      4. Formal education: For each instructional credit hour successfully completed, fifteen (15) clock hours shall be granted.

   3. Tuition Assistance Program

      1. All tuition and associated fees are subject to the availability of college funds.

      2. When funding allows, tuition and required fees shall be covered for academic courses taken at accredited institutions.

      3. Tuition and required fees shall be covered for courses related to the employee’s current job/position at the college. For classes not part of a degree program, the course must be job related.

      4. The college may provide prepayment of tuition or reimbursement of tuition.

      5. The planned course of study must be approved by the dean/supervisor and documented in the employee’s annual PD Plan.

      6. When funding allows, tuition and fees shall be covered for up to six (6) credit hours per academic year for full-time faculty and classified employees and for up to three (3) credit hours per academic year for adjunct faculty and wage/hourly employees.

      7. Tuition assistance funds are allocated based on a priority system as follows:

         1. full-time faculty/staff in need of job-related course work
         2. full-time faculty/staff enrolled in a degree program and need to complete course to fulfill requirement for job-related degree
         3. adjunct faculty/wage employee in need of job-related course work
         4. adjunct faculty/wage employee enrolled in a degree program and need to complete course to fulfill requirement for job-related degree

      8. Studying must be done on the employee’s own time. Online courses must be pursued during non-work hours.

      9. Obligation: In return for payment of coursework through tuition assistance, the employee must agree to remain in employment with the college at the completion of the coursework as follows:

         Tuition Assistance Employment Commitment

         Credits per Semester/	Continued College Employment Requirement
         1-2	Six months
         3 or more	One year
         Professional Certifications	One year

         By signing the Tuition Assistance request form the employee agrees to meet the obligation or repay the college the full or pro-rata cost of the course.

      10. The college shall cover reasonable tuition and fees for a course title once at the same institution; however, the college shall cover up to nine (9) credit hours of dissertation work regardless of the course title.

   4. Essential training and certification requirements

      1. Administrative, Professional, full-time teaching faculty and classified staff may be required to participate in academic or professional-level certifications required to maintain their position or employment. The need for “essential training” must be documented on the faculty employment contract (annual contract) or Employee Work Profile (EWP).

      2. Funding: The professional development budget item for “essential training” shall provide payment for reasonable tuition and fees as defined in Section II.

   5. Tuition assistance that includes educational leave of absence with full pay, partial pay, or without pay

      1. Administrative, professional, full-time teaching faculty and classified staff may request tuition assistance and a paid or unpaid leave of absence from the college to pursue a degree program related to their current job or position.

      2. Eligibility: Reynolds will follow guidance from the VCCS and DHRM to determine and process requests for Educational leave, which may be granted for up to one year.

   6. Other opportunities for professional development at Reynolds

      1. Non-credit class offerings: Full-time and part-time college employees may participate in non-credit classes, workshops, and seminars offered by the Community College Workforce Alliance (CCWA) or the Department of Human Resource Management (DHRM) in order to meet the goals established in their individual PD Plan. Non-credit classes, workshops, and seminars must be pre-approved by the supervisor. Funding for participation may be fully covered by the employee’s department or offset by professional development funds, pending availability.

         1. CCWA class offerings located on: https://ccwatraining.org
         2. DHRM class offering located on: https://www.dhrm.virginia.gov/learning-and-development

      2. Individual participation in non-college conferences, workshops, and seminars: Full-time and part-time college employees may participate in noncollege conferences, workshops, and seminars offered by professional and private organizations in order to meet the goals established in their individual PD Plan. Funding for participation may be fully covered by the employee’s department or offset by professional development funds, pending availability.

Procedures:

Procedures for Professional Development, 3-18

Other Information:

The college’s Office of Human Resources is responsible for the official interpretation of this policy. Questions regarding the application of this policy should be directed to the associate vice president of human resources.

Commonwealth of Virginia Learning Center (COVLC or VLC)

Department of Human Resource Management, Policy 4.15, Educational Leave

Department of Human Resource Management, Policy 5.05, Employee Training and Development

Department of Human Resource Management, Policy 5.10, Educational Assistance

Virginia Community College System, Policy 3.10, Educational Assistance Guidelines

Virginia Community College System, Policy 5.0, Educational Programs

JSRCC Form No. 36-1000, Faculty/Dean Agreement Form

JSRCC Form No. 59-0001, Professional Development and Renewal Plan

JSRCC Form No. 59-0002, Tuition Assistance Request Form

JSRCC Form No. 59-0004, Tuition Reimbursement Request or Tuition Assistance Grade Report