Faculty Development Funds Managed by the Provost's Office

Funding Source Information

UAS faculty may have access to professional development funding through the following sources. Eligibility, application procedures, and reporting requirements vary by funding source.

1) Evelyn Rhodes Wilson Endowment Fund

 The Evelyn Rhodes Wilson Endowment Fund supports

"faculty travel to meetings of international, national, and major regional professional academic associations for the purpose of participation in a conference program as a panel chair or paper presenter... or for those in the arts for the purpose of having their creations or techniques critiqued and reviewed by peers." 

For complete information regarding the Wilson Endowment Fund, please see Appendix A of the faculty handbook. 

The maximum Wilson Fund award available to an individual faculty member in a fiscal year is $1500, subject to change by Faculty Senate. Applications are reviewed by the Provost on a first-come, first-served basis, with decisions generally issued within ten working days.

2) UNAC CBA Article 5.2 & Article 15.9 Funds

Articles 5.2 and 15.9 of the United Academics CBA provide funding to support faculty professional development.

UAS  uses a Request for Proposals (RFP) process to award these funds. Proposals are reviewed and ranked by the Joint-Labor Management Committee rather than awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

Faculty interested in applying should carefully review the Request for Proposals (RFP) document before submitting an application. The RFP includes eligibility information, application requirements, review procedures, deadlines, and other important conditions of the award. 

Information about each year's RFP process and application is emailed to full time faculty.

Additional information is available in the following resources:

• Summary of Professional Development Funds Available to UAS Faculty: Updated annually with an overview of available funding sources.
• May 2023 Memorandum - Articles 5 and 15: describes the Provost's Office process for administering these two CBA funding sources. 

Application Information and Instructions

Applications must be submitted through the appropriate online application form.

 Wilson Endowment Fund Applications

Please review the Wilson Fund requirements before applying. Supporting materials may include:

• Permission from the dean or director to travel or participate
• UA Travel Authorization, when travel is involved
• Invitation or confirmation letter
• Event or conference brochure
• Title of the paper or presentation, when applicable
• Breakdown of requested funding
• Other relevant supporting materials

After submitting the online application, the request will be forwarded to the Provost's Office for review. The faculty member will be notified by email of the Provost's decision. If approved, the notification will include the amount of the award.

Faculty should provide the award information to any administrative support staff assisting with travel, purchasing, or reimbursement arrangements. 

UNAC CBA Articles 5.2 and 15.9 Applications

Faculty applying for CBA professional development funds should carefully review the current RFP before submitting a proposal. The RFP identifies all required application materials, eligibility requirements, deadlines, and award conditions.

Please coordinate your application with your dean or director as required by the RFP.

Post-Travel or Participation Requirements

Within 15 calendar days of completion, faculty receiving awards must:

• Travel/participation paperwork and supporting documentation to their administrative support staff. [Complete expense documentation is required for Wilson Funds.]
• Narrative Activity Report to the Provost's Office (uas.provost@alaska.edu) including the following:
  • Description and evaluation of the activity and the faculty's participation (e.g., benefit gained; critical assessment of activity; insights gained; etc.)
  • Evidence that the activity took place (e.g., a letter of thanks; the final program; etc.)

Failure to submit required reports in a timely manner may jeopardize eligibility for future funding.

Administrative Support Information

Reimbursements cannot exceed the amount of the approved award.

Faculty members are responsible for communicating award requirements to administrative staff assisting with travel, purchasing, or reimbursement.

Unit administrative staff should:

• Coordinate Wilson Fund and UNAC CBA funded travel and purchases, using departmental funds.
• After travel or participation is complete and all required expense and narrative reporting has been submitted, prepare a journal voucher (JV) requesting reimbursement from the Provost's Office to the department (Please see this sample JV).
  • Include the following support documentation with the JV:
    • Notice of award/memo from the provost's office
    • Banner expense screen shot (FGITRND)
    • Final Conference agenda (Wilson Funds only)
    • Relevant materials (brochures, etc.) (Wilson Funds only)
    • Detailed expense documentation (Wilson Funds only)