Staff Professional Development Procedure (Non-Faculty)

Purpose

To further M State’s mission, vision and values, the College is committed to providing staff with professional development opportunities to enhance their knowledge, skills and abilities. This procedure lists the steps an employee needs to follow in order to request approval to participate in professional development and secure funding.

Definitions

Eligible employee

To be eligible for staff development funds, the employee must be permanent/non probationary in one of the staff bargaining units/plans.

Procedure

To access staff development funds, an eligible employee will complete the following procedure:

1. Employee completes the Staff Professional Development Request Form found in: Employee Portal > Files & Forms > Human Resources > Staff Development. If feasible, the request form should be submitted at least two weeks prior to the event. If out-of-state travel is required, a Travel Authorization Form will also need to be completed and approved.

2. Employee submits the completed form to the supervisor for review.

3. The supervisor reviews the submitted Staff Professional Development Request Form and determines whether to approve or deny the request. The supervisor will collaborate with the divisional manager for approval on professional development requests that exceed $500.

4. The supervisor emails the completed Professional Development Form back to the employee with the decision, cc: Human Resources Department, and saves a copy of the form for the supervisor’s records.

5. If approved, the employee registers for the professional development opportunity.

• If a course is offered through the state of Minnesota, the employee registers on the Enterprise Learning Management (ELM) site in Employee Self-Service.
• If the course requires payment, ELM will send an email to the supervisor for approval. If approved the employee will be notified by e-mail.
• If possible, the course/workshop/conference can be paid for directly by staff development funds.
• If applicable, upon completion of college class or conference, the employee will be required to fill out SEMA4 Employee Expense Report Form with evidence of completion (e.g. grade sheet, certificate, etc.) and evidence of payment (e.g. receipt) to their supervisor who will verify completeness and forward to Business Services for payment.

Financial Guideline

Maximum funding is $500 per person, per fiscal year. Additional funding for travel, over and above staff professional development funds may be available. Requests exceeding $500 require divisional manager approval.

Responsibility

Employee

An employee is responsible for submitting the Staff Professional Development Request Form, securing reimbursement and providing verification of completion to their supervisor.

Supervisor

A supervisor is responsible for supporting staff professional development opportunities that may be included in an employee’s approved professional development plan and those opportunities that support the mission and strategic direction of the College. Additionally, the supervisor is authorized to make decisions on requests not exceeding $500; for requests in excess of $500, it is the supervisor’s responsibility to forward the request to the divisional manager for approval. The supervisor notifies the employee whether the request is approved or denied and to provide the completed professional development form as a cc: to Human Resources.

Divisional manager

The divisional manager is responsible for approving or denying requests exceeding $500.

Supporting References

Minnesota Management and Budget, Administrative Procedure 21

AFSCME, Supplemental Agreement, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities

Minnesota Association of Professional Employees, Article 6, Section 6, Employee Rights

Middle Management Association, Article 22, Section 3, Supervisor Rights

Commissioner’s Plan, Chapter 8 Employee Development and Career Advancement

Associated Policies and Procedures

Minnesota State Community and Technical College Policy Staff Development Policy