Staff Development

Staff Development Guidelines

Definition

Staff development is defined as any activity that encourages staff (University Support Staff and Unclassified Professional Staff) to acquire knowledge, skills, techniques, and attitudes that enhance individual professional development in providing effective service at Fort Hays State University.

Criteria

1. Applications must be submitted online using the Workday Staff Development Application Form and will be initially screened based on the following criteria:

   • clear delineation of benefits to the department/area, division or university goals and objectives;

   • clear delineation of benefits to the individual and the job area.

2. Upon completion of the initial screening, the committee will identify topics/proposals of special interest which go beyond simple travel requests, including:

   • exploration of ideas, initiatives, or other activities;

   • activities which add to a staff member’s existing skills.

3. Final evaluation will focus on ranking the remaining proposals by employing the following criteria in no specific order of importance with the exception of letter a:

   • soundness and internal coherence of the applicant’s written statement;

   • presentation of work-related subjects or other creative projects;

   • staff is developing or renewing technical skills or management/leadership capabilities;

   • monies provided by the department and/or college as an indication of Chair/Dean Director/VP support and other efforts to seek external funding;

   • extenuating need linked to travel, scarcity of the development activity and membership in departments/units with small OOE budgets;

   • priority will be given to services and training not available on campus.

Procedures

1. Complete the Staff Development Application Form in Workday and include all required fields. To access the form type in the Workday search bar Staff Development Application Form. Select the Create New Application Start button. 
   1. Complete all required fields of the application, including dates and location, in the Proposed Activity(ies) tab;
   2. Next complete all required fields in the Projected Expenses (detailed budget) tab:
      • complete all expenses associated with the activity. The expenses must comply with state guidelines;
      • if more than one individual is requesting support for the same activity, clearly indicate how costs will be shared in the Project Expense Comments field;
      • complete Support from Department, Support from College, and/or Other Support;
      • totals automatically calculate in Remaining Unfunded Expenses (USD). If you wish to request less than the $800/$1,000 allowed amount, you may indicate this in the Additional Explanation field.
2. Applications must be approved by the Applicant, Chair/Supervisor and Dean/Vice President prior to travel or before the deadline date of September 1st, November 1st, February 1st or May 1st, whichever occurs first. Be sure to regularly check the approval status of your application to ensure all parties have approved the application before the deadline date. If you have questions about the application form, please contact the Administration and Finance Office.  
3. Awards are capped at $800.00 per person per fiscal year if you are an attendee or $1,000.00 per person per fiscal year if you are a presenter. If you are attending one event and then presenting at another during the same fiscal year the award for the entire fiscal year will be capped at $1,000.00. Events/training should be completed within the fiscal year of application and cannot be rolled over to another fiscal year. Please note awards cannot be higher than the amounts listed above and all sources of funding should be noted on the application in the comments section. Please note in the Comments section if registration or attending an event is dependent on the award of Staff Development funds.
4. Staff Development funds cannot be used to pay for memberships. 
5. Applications from employees on leave from the University will not be considered.
6. If the applicant is applying for Staff Development funding, they are not eligible for Faculty Development funding or Student Government Association allocations or appropriations. All sources of funding should be noted on the application in the comments section. 
7. If you have questions about Staff Development, please contact the Administration and Finance office at extension 4251.

Funding

The Staff Development Committee will review applications four times per fiscal year: September 1st, November 1st, February 1st, and May 1st.

Staff Development Committee

FHSU Goals

Staff Development Application Form Instructions (Workday)

Staff Development Guidelines