Purpose

The objectives of the Professional Development program are based on the principle of merging the needs and goals of the individual with those of the college. They include encouraging and assisting the individual in professional growth, encouraging faculty/staff achievement that will be meaningful and satisfying to the individual, and advancing the broad goals and objectives of the institution.

Professional Development Hours Required

All employees are encouraged to develop and improve their skills and knowledge through approved professional development activities. Employees must complete the minimum hours shown in Table 1. Professional development hours must be completed annually between May 1 and April 30 each year, and a log of activities is included in each employee’s annual performance review. Supervisors are responsible for evaluating the completion of professional development requirements during the annual performance evaluation process. Employees who do not meet the required hours will be placed on an action plan for the following year to ensure completion of professional development. Employees who fail to meet the required hours in two out of three fiscal years may be subject to disciplinary action. 

Table 1

Annual Professional Development Requirements

Professional Development Opportunities

The Professional Development Committee will establish an annual calendar before the beginning of each year. 

The College schedules periodic on-campus workshops and seminars and online offerings to provide training and professional growth opportunities for faculty and staff. Internal professional development topics will be advertised through the professional development portal on the Intranet and via email announcements.  Third-party professional development opportunities will be emailed to the academic distribution groups.

While most offerings are optional, state and federal laws, regulations, and policies mandate that employees must complete professional development on an annual basis in key topic areas. All employees – full-time, part-time, and adjunct – must complete this training by the deadline established.  Continued employment for all employees is contingent in part upon the successful completion of appropriate professional development activities. The Human Resources Office usually announces these required classes and will be communicated by email.

Suggested Professional Development

Any activity that improves the job-related skills, knowledge, and performance of an employee and will be beneficial to the College can be considered professional development. Always check with your supervisor to ensure the activity will count toward the minimum required hours before participation. 

Organized and structured activities that could count toward professional development include: 

• College-wide, division, department, program, peer group, and committee meetings 
• Required Human Resources training
• College offered professional development sessions 
• State, local, or industry workshops, seminars, conferences, and conventions
• Independent professional readings and research 
• Credit or non-credit courses (online, in-person, or blended)
• Professional organization participation 
• Other activities as approved or assigned by your supervisor 

Individuals who wish to enroll in credit-bearing courses offered by Athens Technical College may apply for a waiver of tuition and fees if the activities clearly relate to the employee’s job or career at the college. (See Tuition Waiver Policy.) The president is the only individual authorized to waive tuition and fees. 

Registration for Professional Development

Program chairs and supervisors will identify program or department-appropriate professional development needs, such as remaining current with program-related technology and theory, and determine how to best meet those needs (attending conferences, receiving training, reading articles, etc.). Unless specific activities are prescribed by their supervisor/evaluator for remediation of a defined deficiency, employees may choose from activities listed on the site or other activities from which they would benefit. (See the above list for suggested activities.) 

In addition, participation in professional organizations enables employees to stay informed of trends and developments in their field of expertise. Employees are, therefore, encouraged to participate in professional organizations. 

College Offered Events

The Professional Development site on the Intranet (Faculty/Staff Development) includes the faculty development policy and a list of scheduled on-campus workshops and seminars. Employees are encouraged to register through the intranet for each session they plan to attend so that attendance will appear in their faculty development history.  Facilitators will log and submit attendance to apply credit.

Third-party Sessions

Third-party events are those where registration isn’t available through the College’s intranet.   To receive credit for attendance of third-party events, the employee must complete the add your own log in the Faculty/Staff Development section of the Intranet.

Approval of Off-Campus Professional Development

An individual must obtain prior approval to attend professional development activities off campus. Furthermore, an individual must also obtain prior approval if he/she plans to submit a proposal to become a conference presenter at an off-campus event. To obtain prior approval, the individual must complete a permission to travel form and a professional development approval form and submit the request to his/her supervisor and supervising vice president before the activity takes place. The vice president has the authority to approve requests for attendance at events within the State of Georgia, provided the total expenditure indicated on the permission to travel form is less than $500. All out-of-state requests for travel, as well as in-state requests that exceed $500, must be approved in advance by the president.

No annual leave or personal leave will be charged for such an approved absence. Upon completion of the approved travel, employees must submit a travel expense statement to their supervisor to be reimbursed for any travel-related expenses that received prior approval. Travel expenses must be claimed in accordance with the published Statewide Travel Regulations.

Credit for Professional Development

Attendance of professional development activities offered by the College will be updated automatically to the Intranet. Off-campus, third-party, and individual professional development activities must be manually entered into the professional development Intranet portal through the add your own link. When using this feature, all information must be entered so that details of the activity will appear in the faculty/staff development history.

The Faculty/Staff Development log can be printed to include in the annual performance evaluation.

All employees are required to complete annual trainings announced quarterly by Human Resources and will count as approximately ten hours of professional development each year.  These trainings are delivered by third-party sources and should be logged using the add your own link of the intranet.  Additional training will be required to meet the minimum hours listed in table 1 above.  

Presenting a Professional Development

All employees are encouraged to share their knowledge and expertise by presenting professional development sessions that other college employees can attend.  Topics presented should encourage and assist individuals in professional growth, encourage faculty/staff achievement that will be meaningful and satisfying to the individual, and advance the broad goals and objectives of the institution.  To present a professional development session, please contact the Center for Teaching and Learning.

Last Update: 09/27/2022

Approved by leadership: 10/11/2022 

Published: 10/19/2022