Professional Development Ad-Hoc Committee
The purpose of the Professional Development Ad-Hoc Committee is to review applications submitted for professional development opportunities from non-probationary full-time faculty and non-probationary full-time classified staff. The review of these applications will occur at two times in the fiscal year, with two application windows provided to applicants.
Virginia Western Professional Development Requests
Virginia Western supports all VCCS opportunities and encourages faculty and staff to enjoy these offerings by submitting an application detailing the events. When funding is available, the professional development application will be accepted during two application windows:
- For professional development that occurs between 7/1 and 12/31, the application window will be from 2/1 to 3/15.
- For professional development that occurs between 1/1 and 6/30, the application window will be from 9/1 to 10/15.
Applications must be reviewed and signed by your dean or supervisor and will then be reviewed by the Professional Development Ad-Hoc Committee following the application deadline. Late applications will not be considered.
The application will be available here. (VWConnect – VWCC login required)
A notice will also be placed in the Weekly Bulletin prior to the application window.
Categories in the application include the following:
- Licenses/Certifications
- Conferences
- Coursework
Please submit forms to Lindsey Weston at lweston@virginiawestern.edu.
Educational Assistance & Continuous Learning
Educational Assistance is financial support for approved educational courses or the acquisition of job-related degrees, professional certifications or licenses. It may be granted for a single course or combined with approved educational leave. Education assistance includes help towards the cost of tuition and mandatory fees. Educational Assistance will be for those courses taken at other institutions of higher education, including other community colleges.
The Continuous Learning Program provides a waiver of tuition and mandatory fees for up to six (6) credit hours per semester for courses offered at Virginia Western Community College provided the employee meets the terms of the promissory note. The courses must be offered and taught by Virginia Western Community College, and may be job related or non-job related, part of a degree program, or for professional development; and should have application to the college’s mission. Courses shall not be taken as a class audit and enrollment must be as a normal, graded student.
- Educational Assistance Policy (III-21)
- Continuous Learning Program Policy (III-22)
- Educational Assistance and Continuous Learning Request Form (PDF – Requires VWConnect Login)
- Educational Assistance and Continuous Learning Promissory Note (PDF)
Procedures associated with Educational Assistance and the Continuous Learning Program policies are located on VWConnect.
Professional Development Grants
Special projects that include internal (VCCS and Educational Foundation) and external funding are considered professional development opportunities, and are open to staff and faculty for a variety of opportunities.
The Grants & Special Projects Office at VWCC contains information and procedures for grant proposals.
The Commonwealth of Virginia Learning Center
The Commonwealth of Virginia Learning Center (COVLC) was established to meet the educational, training, and learning needs of our employees and our community. The COVLC is a resource for training, learning, and career development for our college. It provides a clear path to learning and professional development through Online Learning, Managing Virginia Program (MVP), Performance Management and Professional Development.
As an employee of VWCC, you will find a wide variety of training and developmental opportunities designed to promote your professional and personal growth.
New employee COVLC accounts are automatically established by the Department of Human Resources Management (DHRM) via an upload from the Commonwealth of Virginia HR system (i.e., Cardinal). Since employee data is loaded directly from Cardinal, the e-mail address associated with your COVLC account will be your email.vccs.edu email address. You may establish forwarding of your email.vccs.edu emails to your virginiawestern.edu e-mail address if that is the primary account you use.
Your COVLC account should be established within 2-3 business days from the date your information is entered into the Cardinal HR System by the VCCS Shared Services Center (SSC). Once your account has been created, you will receive a confirmation email with your login and temporary password. It is recommended that you change your password the first time you login to the COVLC.
If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Human Resources at hrapps@virginiawestern.edu.
Required Training
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