Professional Meeting Allowance, Supplemental Meeting Allowance, and Professional Development Funds
Professional Meeting Allowance (PMA)
All full-time faculty are eligible for $1,000 in Professional Meeting Allowance (PMA) funds during each year of their employment. The purpose of PMA funds is to encourage faculty participation in off-campus professional meetings on the regional and national levels and assist with direct costs for attending off-campus or virtual professional meetings or for registration for an on-line webinar. Funds may be used to defray costs for in person or online conferences or training registration fees, travel (e.g. car rental, flight expenses, or mileage reimbursement), lodging, and meals. PMA funds cannot be used for membership dues or alcohol.
PMA funds should be applied to the fiscal year in which the event happens, regardless of when the expense is incurred (e.g., registration fees charged in May 2022 for a conference happening in July 2022 should be charged to 2022-23 FY PMA funds).
Funds not expended by the end of the fiscal year (June 30) will automatically be returned to the college. Tenured faculty who elect not to participate in the post-tenure review process are ineligible for PMA funding.
Adjunct faculty (generally those teaching 14 - 23 or more credits per year) may apply for up to $750 in PMA annually; these funds are available on a first come, first served basis until all funds are expended; only one award per faculty member will be granted. All applications for adjuncts' PMA should include a brief description of the conference, paper, and panel, a proposed budget, and a brief CV. The proposal should be submitted to academicaffairs@augustana.edu.
Supplemental PMA
Eligibility: All tenure-track and tenured faculty
Deadline for applications: Ongoing until funding exhausted
Notification of awards: Ongoing until funding exhausted
Those eligible for PMA may submit requests to the Provost's office for supplemental funds if a) all PMA and PDF funds have been used (or will be used), and b) there are further costs associated with attendance (including virtual attendance) at a conference at which they are presenting research. Alcohol will not be reimbursed.
Like PMA funding, SPMA funds should be applied to the fiscal year in which the travel happens regardless of when the expense is incurred.
Supplemental PMA funding does not accumulate from year to year and must be spent by June 30. Supplemental PMA normally is limited to $1,000 per fiscal year for domestic conferences and $1,250 for international conferences.
To request a faculty supplementary professional meeting allowance award, complete the SPMA Request form and submit it in Word format for approval.
Professional Development Funds
College employees may be eligible for Professional Development Funds (PDFs) to support their professional growth. These funds are intended to cover costs associated with experiences, equipment, and materials essential for the employee's development within the college.
PDFs are awarded based on service to the college or other exceptional circumstances. Eligible expenses include:
- Research-related costs such as travel, equipment, technology (including laptops), books, publication fees, professional memberships, and indexing costs.
- Pedagogical improvements, including conference fees aimed at enhancing teaching methods.
Please note that alcohol and equipment primarily for personal use (e.g., cell phones) are not eligible for reimbursement. The purpose of specific funding will be detailed in the grant letter. All expenditures must be academically related (furniture, for instance, is not covered).
PDFs do not expire and will carry over until fully utilized, or until the person exits the College. However, receipts must be submitted within the same fiscal year in which the expenses were incurred. Equipment purchased with PDF funds becomes the property of the college.
For clarification on whether an expense qualifies for PDF funding, faculty should contact Michelle Heinrichs for Academic Affairs approval before making any purchases.