Premier Travel (Peel, Rosenthal & Perkins)

Policy: West Kentucky Community & Technical College encourages and supports faculty professional development intended to improve and enhance the quality of the learning environment at the College. Funding is awarded based on faculty eligibility, event criteria, and completion of a reinvestment activity as described below.

Because of limited resources, eligibility is limited to full-time faculty who hold the rank of assistant professor or above. Priority consideration will be given to applicants who did not receive Premier funding for the same event the previous year. Professional membership fees/dues will not be funded.

Funding is distributed by department as described below.

Professional development activities must meet one or more of the criteria listed below.

Event Criteria

1. Activity will benefit instructional performance.
2. Activity is national/international in scope.
3. Activity is directly related to the WKCTC strategic goals.
4. Activity will provide faculty member with direct involvement (event presenter, event organizer, organization board member, etc.).

Examples

1. Conferences in which faculty member has an active (not passive) role.
2. Training opportunities.
3. Teaching exchange.

To receive Peel or Rosenthal funding, faculty members are required to conduct a reinvestment activity during the next regular semester. The reinvestment activity must provide learning benefits to other WKCTC faculty members. A description of the reinvestment activity must be included with the application. Following completion of the reinvestment activity, the faculty member must submit a written summary of conference benefits to the attendee and documentation of the reinvestment activity. Examples of typical reinvestment activities and accompanying documentation are presented below. The Development Office will withhold 15% of the total approved funding until documentation of the Reinvestment Activity has been received and approved by the POD Co-Chair.

Procedure

1. Complete the WKCTC Premier Professional Development Application. Faculty must obtain signatures from their respective Deans (or supervisors for non-teaching faculty) and Vice President. Signatures of the supervising dean/supervisor and Vice President denote approval of the proposed activity but do not guarantee funding of the proposed activity.
2. Complete the KCTCS Out-of-State Travel Authorization form and attach to the WKCTC Premier Professional Development Application form. The Out-of-State Travel Authorization form must be signed by the submitting employee and the supervisor. The POD Co-Chair will forward the Out-of-State Travel Authorization form to the President if the request for funding is approved by the POD Committee. The signature of the supervisor denotes approval of the proposed activity but does not guarantee funding of the proposed activity.
3. Forward the completed WKCTC Premier Professional Development Application and Out-of-State Travel Authorization forms to WKCTC POD Co-Chair, Renea Akin.
4. The WKCTC POD Committee scores the application anonymously according to the guidelines described below, then approves or rejects the application.
5. The WKCTC POD Co-Chair notifies the applicant of the committee’s decision and forwards Out-of-State Travel Authorization forms to the President’s Office for signing.
6. Within 30 days of the conclusion of the event, submit a completed KCTCS Travel Expense Voucher to the WKCTC POD Co-Chair, Renea Akin.
7. The Development Office will reimburse up to 85% of expenses. The remaining 15% will be reimbursed following receipt of documentation of the reinvestment activity.

Peel & Rosenthal Airfare/Registration Reimbursement Procedures:

If the application is approved, the faculty member may request reimbursement for airfare and registration expenses prior to the event by submitting a KCTCS Travel Expense Voucher and receipts to the WKCTC POD Co-Chair, Renea Akin.

Perkins Airfare Reimbursement Procedures:

Travel expenses for faculty members awarded funding from the Perkins Account are subject to KCTCS Business Services, Employee Travel Procedures. As a result, airline reservations must be made by the WKCTC Business Office. The Business Office must have the original, signed Out-of-State Travel Authorization form to make airline reservations.

Perkins Registration Reimbursement Procedures:

Travel expenses for faculty members awarded funding from the Perkins Premier Travel Account are subject to KCTCS Business Services, Employee Travel Procedures. As a result, conference registration fees must be made with either a WKCTC Procard or Purchase Order.

Completed applications are due on the dates listed below. In the event one of the dates falls on a weekend, the due date will be the first working day following the set date.

Priority: Priority consideration will be given to applications that demonstrate the following characteristics:

• Applicant is actively involved in the activity
• Activity directly relates to the WKCTC Strategic Goals
• Activity positively impacts and enhances the learning environment at WKCTC
• Activity positively impacts the applicant's personal professional development goals
• Reinvestment activity reaches a large audience

Additional detail is provided in the Premier Professional Development Scoring Rubric.

Related Forms

• WKCTC Premier Professional Development Form
• KCTCS Travel Expense Voucher
• KCTCS Out-of-State Travel Authorization Form

H I G H E R   E D U C A T I ON   B E G I N S   H E R E

© 2008 West Kentucky Community & Technical College
Professional & Organizational Development
4810 Alben Barkley Drive
PO Box 7380
Paducah, KY 42002-7380
(270) 554-9200
Comments to WebAdmin@pod.westkentucky.kctcs.edu

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