Adjunct Faculty Professional Development Fund

As part of the collective bargaining agreement, all schools are provided a budget from the university to support the professional development of adjunct faculty. Each academic year (September 1 – August 31) eligible adjunct faculty members may request up to $1,250 to support their professional development as it pertains to their appointment(s) at SPS. 

All union eligible adjunct faculty members may receive only one grant from the fund per academic year.  Per the collective bargaining agreement, adjunct faculty members who provide at least a total of forty contact hours of instruction in one or more courses in an academic year, or at least a total of 75 contact hours of individual instruction or tutoring during a semester are union eligible. Adjunct faculty members can check their contact hours by accessing the Faculty Appointment System (FAS).

Starting in the 2023-2024 academic year, the funds allocated to the school will be divided equally; the first half shall be made available upon the first day of the fall semester, and the second half shall be made available upon the first day of the spring semester. Applications for spring and/or summer professional development activities will not be accepted until the first day of the spring semester. Any funds not approved during the fall semester shall be made available upon the first day of the spring semester of the same academic year. Funds are awarded on a first come, first serve basis within each of the two yearly funding periods, and are disbursed as reimbursements, not as advances or payments for anticipated expenses. No exceptions to this policy can be made; faculty members should plan accordingly. 

The Adjunct Faculty Professional Development Fund may be used to support attendance at an academic conference, meeting or other relevant professional development activity.  Other relevant professional development activities, may include but not be limited to:

• professional certification, recertification, or teaching advancement relating to their University appointment(s);
• fees and travel expenses for professional conferences, conventions, courses supporting professional development, non-athletic co-curricular competitions, professional meetings, residencies, seminars, training or workshops relating to their University appointment(s);
• fees, materials and services for exhibitions, projects, portfolio review, publication, or professional projects including but not limited to creative, technical, scientific, or engineering works relating to their University appointment(s);
• professional organization membership relating to their University appointment(s);
• research (library and archival visits, ethnographic research and field trips) relating to their University appointment(s);
• purchase of software and/or professional training in software and other technology relating to their University appointment(s);
• subscriptions to professional publications or services relating to their University appointment(s);
• webinars relating to their University appointment(s); and/or organizing or co-organizing a conference relating to their University appointment(s).

See the University’s Adjunct Faculty Professional Development website for more details on use of the fund as well as the application form.

1. The Office of Faculty Affairs (OFA) announces the availability of the application on the first day of the fall semester and the first day of the spring semester. Once the application period is announced, Adjunct Faculty may complete the Adjunct Faculty Professional Development Fund application and submit the request and supporting documentation. Any supporting documentation must be appended to the application form as a single digital file. 

2. The OFA will log the applications with the date and time received and complete an initial review to ensure all required information has been submitted. Completed applications are forwarded to the faculty member’s associate dean or academic director for review. The associate dean or the academic director must verify that the request is relevant to the courses the faculty member teaches at SPS and that the activity will contribute to the requestor's professional development as it pertains to their teaching.

3. The OFA will verify union eligibility and review the availability of funds. Faculty members will be notified of the status of their request via their NYU-issued email.

4. Faculty members who receive an approval letter must submit all original itemized receipts with a copy of the approval letter to the Office of Budget and Accounting (sps.budget@nyu.edu; 7 East 12th Street, Room 1225) within forty-five (45) days from the date of the activity. 
   

Only expenses that were approved during the application process will be reimbursed. Funds are reimbursed based on actual expenses which may be less than the approved total and may not exceed the amount approved.

For questions regarding processing reimbursements, faculty members may contact the Office of Budget and Accounting (sps.budget@nyu.edu).

For questions regarding the overall process, please contact the SPS Office of Faculty Affairs by email (sps.facultyaffairs@nyu.edu) or by phone (212-992-9030).

Last Updated: August 31, 2023