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Professional Development Opportuntities

Release Time/Reassignment

The opportunity will include four one-course for one-semester reassignments per academic year. The Professional Development Committee has established the following criteria that a faculty member must meet to be eligible for one of these awards.

(1) Purpose
Priority for approval should be given to proposals that provide and advance value in the applicant's field and will have a tangible outcome, e.g., a manuscript, a performance, or exhibition, etc.

(2) Eligibility
Any person holding faculty rank of Professor, Associate Professor, or Assistant Professor is eligible to apply for a Faculty Professional Development Reassignment after completion of at least four years of full-time employment at Shepherd University. After completion of a Faculty Professional Development Reassignment, the faculty member shall not again be eligible until the third subsequent year.

(3) Condition Governing the Granting of a Faculty Professional Development Reassignment
Prior to the end of the first semester of each year, a faculty member must request, and both the Department Chair and School Dean must affirm in writing to the Committee, that the faculty member who is requesting release time is eligible. The candidate must submit a proposal by the first class day of the spring semester. The candidate will specify the academic semester for which this award shall apply in the 2012-2013 academic year.

If the proposal involves human subjects or otherwise needs clearance through the Research Ethics Committee, the faculty member must obtain this clearance prior to submitting the proposal for consideration.

(4) Procedures and Selection Process
Each School will be allocated one 3-hour release time per year. If a School has no qualified candidates, that School's allocation shall be awarded to the next most qualified candidate from a School that has already been awarded a position.

All proposals (9 copies) shall be submitted to the Chairperson of the Faculty Development Committee.

Acceptable proposals will be those that provide and advance value in the applicant's field and will have a tangible outcome. Evidence for value in the applicant's field must be included within the supporting letters from both the candidate's Department and School Dean. Both letters must affirm the value of the project to be undertaken. Proposals must include a detailed statement of purpose, objectives or goals, and rationale. A detailed explanation of how this release time will assist the candidate professionally must also be included.

Upon completion of a Faculty Professional Development Reassignment, the faculty member shall file a brief written report of scholarly activities while on Reassignment to the: Department Chair, School Dean, Professional Development Committee, and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The Committee will forward all final recommendations to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

All proposals for this award that are sent to the Chair of the Faculty Development Committee must include one (1) paper copy and one Word document file to dhorner@shepherd.edu

Douglas C. Horner
Chair, Professional Development Committee
315 White Hall
dhorner@shepherd.edu