The university underscores the importance of staff's continuous professional development because highly skilled individuals bring innovation and creativity to problem-solving in support of the university's commitment to personalized education and teaching quality. Specifically, development activities include:
- challenging on-the-job experiences such as special projects or assignments, team participation, and cross-training,
- requesting feedback from supervisors, colleagues, and clients that identifies strengths as well as improvement needs,
- reading and self-study,
- learning and practicing new skills and techniques, and
- enhancing applicable knowledge of a particular subject or concept through group activities.
Training and professional development are ongoing processes that introduce staff to new ideas, views, and methodologies and provide staff with opportunities to enhance current skills for improved performance and productivity and advancement potential. It is recommended that all university staff members participate in some professional development opportunities on an annual basis. Supervisors and department heads are urged to encourage all staff members to take advantage of training opportunities and to assist staff members in selecting activities that will enhance their knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Training opportunities are available to university staff in various ways, including on-the-job training, education benefits, Human Resources on-site programs, computing support services, National Coalition Building Institute Campus Chapter programs, professional association offerings, and the offerings of seminar vendors. The Human Resources Department is available to consult with individuals and departments regarding training needs.
Origination Date: 1996.