Professional Development Committee

The main areas of responsibility for the Committee are

1. Sabbatical Leaves: The committee shall oversee the sabbatical leave process (see  Article 26)
2. Retraining Leaves: The committee shall oversee the retraining leave process
3. Flex (Professional Day) Activities:  The committee shall plan, develop, coordinate, review, and evaluate all of the Professional Development activities that take place at the College.
4. Issue twice-yearly reports to the College Community and the District Officer of Staff Development.
5. Establish priorities and procedures and make advisory recommendations for faculty in each of the following areas:
   1. Use of professional development funds for faculty
   2. Collaborative/Special projects
   3. Institutional subscriptions and memberships
   4. Individual travel and conferences
   5. Tuition reimbursement

The term of services shall be for two (2) years, and no one shall serve for more than four (4) years. Term of services shall commence on the first day of school of each academic year (PFT Contract Article 25.B.2)

Current committee members:

Co-Chairs: Heather Sisneros & Amy Bohorquez

Daniel DeVere

YiPIng Wang

Alyssa Arnold

David Lee

Gary Albury

Conference funds provide opportunities for faculty and staff to attend seminars, workshops, and conferences. Funds are related to teaching and learning, job enhancement, and professional development.

Professional development monies could be used for:

· attendance at off-campus professional conferences, workshops, and seminars.

· department/discipline on-campus workshops and seminars–including honorarium payments for guest speakers.

· visiting other colleges or industry settings to review exemplary programs.

· tuition reimbursement for a course(s) related to discipline or work area.

· subscription to scholarly journals and/or academic associations.

The Professional Development Committee can accept funding requests (Funding Request Form) from faculty members (full or part-time) currently employed at Laney College up to a total of $1300 per academic year per person. No funding requests shall be approved retroactively.

Please note that funding is not guaranteed, but contingent upon majority vote by the Professional Development Committee (at its regularly schedule committee meetings), based on the availability of funds and the committee’s determination of whether the item will further the individual’s professional development and contribute to the department or subject area.

It is imperative to allow for proper processing time to have your funding request reviewed. Funding for out-of-state travel should be requested at least 50-60 days prior to the desired date of travel.

Classified Professionals and other Staff: PD Committee funding is currently restricted to faculty by the PFT union contract, but there may be other sources of funding available on campus for your professional development needs. Please contact your supervisor for possible funding sources.

Steps to Apply for Professional Development Funding:

All requests must be submitted to the committee via this:

Policies

1. Awards for full-time and part-time faculty are limited to a maximum of $1300 per person in any academic year. All faculty are eligible. Classified professionals are encouraged to contact your Classified Senate President for information regarding possible funding.

2. Funds are allocated to defray in part costs associated with tuition, conference fees, travel, local mileage or public transportation, meals and lodging incurred by Laney College personnel.

3. Funds are divided among fall and spring semesters. If funding is still available, requests for summer activities will be considered at the last two spring semester meetings.

4. Multiple applications to the same conference will be considered as a group and whenever possible should be submitted together.

5. With limited resources, in our approval process we may consider the following factors:

· the amount of money in the PD budget;

· whether the person requesting funding has been funded before — and if so, how often and how recently;

· whether the requester has been funded for the same, or similar, events in the recent past;

· whether similar events or opportunities exist ‘closer to home’ or at less expense;

· the nature of the event being related to the PD Committee’s goals and/or the PD priorities expressed in the department’s or program’s annual review;

· the nature of the event being ‘distributive’ to students and/or colleagues vs. ‘personally rewarding’;

· the number of department or program colleagues requesting funding for the same event — and whether there is a specific purpose for attending an event as a group.

Funds will not be allocated for:

· Faculty on leave without pay

· Part-time faculty who are not currently teaching at Laney for the semester

· Travel or lodging expenses for invited guest

Up to TWO sabbaticals may be awarded during the fall 2025 semester, with leave to be taken during the 2026-2027 academic year.

If you have served as a full-time faculty member for the past 6 years, you are eligible to apply.

· Information Session — recommended, but not required, will be offered

· Applications due by November 15th, 2025.

· Awardees will be notified during the following Spring semester

How to Apply:

1) If you’re interested in applying, please read the three-page Sabbaticals section from the PFT Contract, which begins at Article 26, Paragraph R — on page 107 of the PDF.

2) Then use the Sabbatical Cover Sheet and Application and attach a written proposal describing what project(s) and/or activity/ies you plan to accomplish with Sabbatical support. –The proposal, as well as any accompanying documents, such as letters of support from Laney or other institutions, does not need to ascribe to any fixed form. You decide the scope of the description.

Slide deck from our workshop --->>>

You can also find the rubrics we will be using to evaluate your application below:

Sabbatical Ranking Form 1

Sabbatical Ranking Form 2

Every October, the PD committee will host an information session about sabbaticals. Please be on the look-out for emails with details. 

More questions? Please contact the Professional Development Committee Co-Chairs, Heather Sisneros hsisneros@peralta.edu and Amy Bohorquez abohorquez@peralta.edu

August 15th, 2025 Fall Start to Semester
August 15, 2025 Flex Day Schedule
August 15, 2025 Flex Day Slides

August 16, 2024 – Fall Start of Semester Flex Day
August 16, 2024 Laney Flex Day Schedule

August 16, 2024 Flex Day Slides and Recordings

March 12, 2024 – Spring Mid-Semester Flex Day
March 12, 2024 Laney Flex Day Schedule

January 19, 2024 – Spring Start of Semester Flex Day
January 19, 2024 Laney Flex Day Schedule

October 18, 2024 – Fall Mid-Semester Flex Day
October 18,2024 Laney Flex Day Schedule