LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

The College of Architecture, Arts, and Design supports professional development for all faculty and staff and recognizes the importance of leadership development in that overall commitment.

While the tuition benefit (VT policy 4800 and the college tuition reimbursement process) addresses the costs associated of courses or programs at accredited institutions, the college recognizes the leadership development needs of its faculty and staff may extend beyond. With the aim of growing leadership competencies in AAD, the college will annually offer reimbursements to ease the financial burden of such targeted—often personalized--activities. These opportunities can include but are not limited to participation in a formalized 360 feedback process and/or engagement of an executive coach.

Support will be subject to available budget and delivered via cost sharing. It is the responsibility of the recipient to contribute to the overall expense of the program/resource through the use of an allocated professional development fund, school/functional area operating dollars, or personal funds.

Process and Timeline for Funding Requests

The requesting faculty or staff member is expected to thoroughly research and identify the specific program or resource that best addresses their individual leadership development needs. Once a program has been selected, the faculty or staff member will need to submit a Leadership Development Reimbursement Request form along with materials (brochure, individualized assessment, or webpage link) that detail the program--including mode, objectives, and costs. Additionally, a letter of endorsement from the applicable school director or area leader must accompany the request.

When completing the form, the requestor should be very descriptive and specific about how the leadership development opportunity would be beneficial to both the requestor, the college and/or the school. The justifications should be compelling and framed relative to the college’s strategic priorities and the requestor’s leadership goals and aspirations.

All requests are to be reviewed and approved by the HR Director (HRDD) and the Assistant Dean for Finance and Administration (ADF) before being reviewed by the Dean. Requests will be collected and reviewed annually. Completed requests should be received by the HRDD and ADF by October 15th each year, and all submitted requests will be reviewed at that time.

Based on a preliminary projection of the funding available for professional development, the ADF determines the amount of reimbursement that will be provided and, consideration will be given to the availability of additional funding, budget availability, and the number of requests received. Support will supplement and be intended to match contributions made by the requestor through use of aforementioned sources. Support will be capped at $5,000. Please note there may be cases where requests are not approved or the amount awarded is significantly less than that requested.

Some possible scenarios include:

  • A request is received for enrollment in a leadership certificate program with the total cost $10,000. The requesting faculty or staff will be approved for support of up to $5,000 from the college and may utilize their personal funds or allocated professional development budget for the remaining amount.
  • A request is received for an executive coaching session with a quoted rate of $2,500. The college will provide up to $1,250 in reimbursement with the requestor covering the difference.

Requestors will be notified of the approval decision by November 1st. For reimbursement, the requestor will submit their approved funding request and proof of program completion. Additionally, they will be invited to a Dean’s direct reports meeting to report out on their experience highlighting the vision for leveraging their enhanced leadership capabilities to contribute to their school or the college.

Any remaining budget in Q3 of the fiscal year will be communicated to all faculty and staff and an additional call for requests will be opened. It is the expectation that all programs and reimbursements be completed within the fiscal year.