Academic Affairs Invited to Apply for Grants

Recipients of the Staff Professional Development Grant were recognized in the program at the Academic Affairs Division Staff Appreciation Breakfast in October 2015.

Recipients of the Staff Professional Development Grant were recognized in the program at the Academic Affairs Division Staff Appreciation Breakfast in October 2015.

The Office of the Provost will be offering the Staff Professional Development Program again this year with $100,000 allocated for grants to staff members within the Academic Affairs Division. Last year’s program successfully awarded funding to more than 70 individuals or groups who used it for a variety of activities such as attendance at conferences, coordinating on-campus training workshops and subscriptions to online professional development tools.

The below call for proposals and the FAQ includes instructions on how to apply for a grant, including evaluation criteria. Proposals are due Friday, Nov. 4, at noon and awards will be announced by Nov. 23. Academic Affairs staff members are eligible to submit proposals for grants, as individuals or as part of groups.  A review committee comprised of staff members will review the applications and make recommendations to Provost Feinstein.

October newsletter: Provost update – Powering professional growth

One of the best things about being involved in a university is that I continually have the opportunity to engage with people and learn new things. Just this month, I attended the Homecoming football game, a celebration of the CIES’ International Gateway’s 40th anniversary, the Academic Affairs Staff Appreciation Breakfast, and the Faculty Diversity Committee’s Fall Fling, among many other events. This busy month has been a reminder for me that one of my important roles as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs is fostering a culture of engagement and continual learning for all of you.I am proud that the Academic Affairs Leadership Team has come together to develop new opportunities for professional growth. Two new programs have been developed to help members of our community acclimate to the culture at San Jose State. With University 101 and an administrator on-boarding program, faculty and administrators are learning about how each division on campus works together to support student success. These programs are about showing people what it is like to be a Spartan while also providing opportunities for growth.

We are also focused on providing resources to our staff. I am pleased to share the news that 48 groups and individuals received a staff professional development grant to use by May 30, 2016 A second call for applications is open now, with applications due Nov. 13. For faculty, a new slate of research, scholarship, and creative activity support services launched this fall, including the University Grants Academy. See a full list of upcoming events online.

We continue to support the Academic Affairs Leadership Discovery Group.  In its third year, Social Work Professor Peter Allen Lee is now facilitating the program. It provides faculty and staff members a chance to evaluate their readiness to take on new responsibilities while also creating an action plan to attain their career goals. Dean Lisa Vollendorf, from the College of Humanities and the Arts, is also leading the Dean’s Leadership Academy. The program focuses on faculty who want to take on more responsibilities and learn about pathways to leadership positions in the Academy. The program is sponsored and paid for by the deans and is currently supporting 17 faculty members.

I look forward to hearing suggestions from you on ways we can continue to support your professional growth.


Andy Feinstein
Provost and VP for Academic Affairs

October newsletter: Professional development grants awarded to staff

Amy D’Anna, a marketing coordinator with the College of International and Extended Studies, was excited to learn about the Staff Professional Grant program via an email sent out early this semester from the Provost Office.

She is one of 48 individuals and groups of staff members who successfully applied for a grant offered this fall through the Academic Affairs Division priority group on RSCA and professional development. Individuals were allowed to apply for up to $1,500, with groups eligible to apply for $5,000. A second call for Academic Affairs Staff Professional Development Grant proposals has been announced. Staff members will have until Nov. 13 to submit an application and will be notified in December if their application was successful. See the full list of awardees from the first round of funding.

“This will help by adding formal education to my applied experience in the field of marketing and PR,” D’Anna said.

She said the courses she takes have allowed her to keep current and gain exposure to crucial developments in cultural communications, social media, technological advances and more.

D’Anna said she appreciates that the provost understands staff members are an integral part of SJSU and deserve professional growth.

Recipients of the Staff Professional Development Grant were recognized in the program at the Academic Affairs Division Staff Appreciation Breakfast in October.

Recipients of the Staff Professional Development Grant were recognized in the program at the Academic Affairs Division Staff Appreciation Breakfast in October.

“Most times we are the first line of contact and often support students throughout their entire academic career with SJSU,” she said. “This relationship is crucial to our student body and improving it through staff development will only make SJSU a better place.”

Mark Adams, the project director for the Pakistan Distance Education Enhancement Program (PDEEP) and an instructional developer with the eCampus group in Academic Technology, is planning to use his grant to take a course called “Managing without Authority” at Stanford University.

“The course focus is on how to influence and persuade others, build and maintain effective working relationships and get things done in a diverse, global environment,” he said.

The course will support his work on the PDEEP grant as he helps to develop an eCampus infrastructure for Allama Iqbal Open University in Pakistan as well as in working with faculty members at SJSU to share the benefits of online tools.

Lauren Andersen, a financial analyst in the University Library, will use her grant to attend the CSU Academic Resource Conference.

“I changed positions from human resources to finance this last January,” she said, via email. “This conference will help me to continue to learn more about the world of finance from a CSU perspective.”