Professional Development Fund

Tarleton State University is committed to fostering the continuous growth and development of our employees to ensure they remain well-equipped and enhance their knowledge, skills, and abilities. We believe investing in professional development enhances individual performance and contributes to the overall success and productivity of our organization.

Professional Development Request Form

Eligibility Criteria

  • Employed with Tarleton in a full-time, benefits eligible and budgeted position for six continuous months.
  • Performance Evaluation Criteria:
    • Must have a recently completed evaluation on file.
  • This fund can only be used towards one professional development event at a time.

Allowable Programs

  • The Professional Development Fund is allocated towards professional and research-related development such as workshops, training sessions, conferences, and certifications/recertifications that directly contribute to enhancing an employee’s skills and knowledge.
  • Memberships are not covered. Funds will not be utilized to pay for memberships, as the intention is to keep the grant operational and direct resources toward skill-building opportunities.

Travel Recommendation

  • Employees seeking funding for travel-related expenses must adhere to the organization’s travel policy and provide a detailed justification for the proposed travel.
  • A pre-approval must also be submitted in Emburse for upcoming travel and the appropriate expense report submitted after the professional development event.

Usage of Funds

  • Each employee can receive up to $3,000 to be used within the respective September 1st – August 31st fiscal year. Funds not used within the requested fiscal year will be forfeited.
  • Funds are available on a first come first served basis upon meeting eligibility criteria.
  • Funds cannot be used retroactively.
  • Employees are required to use allocated departmental funds prior to requesting the Professional Development funds.
  • Employees requesting funding regarding research presentations should use allocated funds from their grant or the Division of Research, Innovation, and Economic Development prior to requesting the Professional Development funds.
  • Employees have 30 days from the approval date of the Professional Development Fund to request a pre-approval in Emburse. Employees also have 30 days after the professional development event to encumber the funds in Emburse.
  • If the employee does not utilize the full amount of requested funds, the employee is unable to use the remaining balance of funds towards another opportunity. The employee will be required to submit a separate form and will be considered as a separate request.

For tuition assistance, employees should submit their request via the Tarleton Family Education Benefit Program.