Eligibility

Eligibility

Program Objectives

The Individual Development Awards Program is designed to support a variety of professional development projects or activities by assisting eligible employees to develop their full professional potential and to prepare for advancement. Employees who accrue annual leave are not required to charge those credits for any project or activity funded by an Individual Development Awards Program.

The types of support available include:

• Registration fees for conferences or workshops.
• Professional organization membership fees which are bundled with a free or reduced members-only rate for conference or workshop attendance expenses.
• Travel and related expenses (including lodging and meals).
• Tuition at the maximum allowable SUNY rate at the time of application, excluding associated fees. • Fees for licensing or certification exam prep courses (e.g., USMLE Step 3 exam, medical board exam, or bar exam prep course, etc.). For reimbursement of exam fees, go to https://oer.ny.gov/nysuupclefr
• Fees for continuing education courses (e.g., CME or CLE courses).
• Entrance or access fees to institutions or archives that house materials which are related to, and the review or use of which is necessary, to complete the research or artistic endeavor. 

The Individual Development Awards Program has the following eligibility requirements:

• Full-time or part-time employees.
• Full-time employees must be in the bargaining unit at the time of the award and during the dates of the project or activity.
• Part-time employees who meet the eligibility tests for 26 weeks' coverage for health benefits, and who are eligible for health benefits during the summer, will also be eligible for funding for a project or activity that occurs during the summer whether or not they are on the payroll.
• The proposed project or activity must:
  • Enable the employee to meet one or more of the criteria specified in the following SUNY Policies of Board of Trustees: Title A. Evaluation of Academic Employees, §4. Criteria (a) - (e); Title B. Promotion of Academic Employees, §2. Criteria (a) - (e); or Title C. Evaluation and Promotion of Professional Employees, §5. Criteria (a) - (e), of Article XII Evaluation and Promotion of Academic and Professional Employees, of the Policies of the Board of Trustees.
• Meet particular areas of interest or activities within the categories eligible for support as identified by the Campus Professional Development Committee.
• Projects or activities must fall within the following categories:
  • Basic, applied, or historical research;
  • Curriculum or instructional material development;
  • Workshop, seminar, internship, or course work not covered by Article 46, Program for Tuition Assistance or SUNY tuition waiver;
  • Conference participation or attendance;
  • Preparation of material for publication;
  • Grant proposal development;
  • Artistic or creative endeavors;
  • Other work-related professional development projects or activities.

A complete listing of program guidelines are available on the GOER website.