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Professional Development Funds

Through a hard fought contract campaign in 2003, UC-AFT won access to university funding to support professional development activities that contribute to our expertise. The funding is provided by the UC and administered through local campuses by committees that include fellow members of UC-AFT.  In total, our union has awarded more than $5 million in Professional Development Funds. 

The procedures and review processes for Unit 18 teaching faculty and Unit 17 librarians are administered separately on each individual campus. All K-12 instructors at UC campuses also have access to funding for continuing education, professional development, and public engagement, but the process works slightly differently. Contact your local chapter for more information. 

Article 3 of the Unit 17 Librarian Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) covers professional development funding opportunities. Per our CBA, each campus is allocated an annual minimum amount of funding that represented librarians may use for research, creative activities, conferences, membership fees, etc. The campus fund (dollar amounts are specified in the contract) is divided equally amongst the U17 librarians employed at each respective campus, determined by headcount at the start of each fiscal year. The University may allocate—at its discretion—additional funds above this minimum. A special UC-wide research fund of $24,300 is allocated by the Office of the President. These funds have typically been used for small competitive research grants and administered by the Librarians Association of the University of California (LAUC). 

 

Article 9 of the Unit 18 Teaching Faculty CBA provides that each UC campus shall contribute $250 annually for every full-time Unit 18 Teaching Faculty member to a Professional Development Fund Pool. Each campus administers its portion of these funds through a UC-AFT Council composed of your fellow Unit 18 faculty members. The members of the Council review applications under procedures determined by their campus admin and award funds to be used for professional development activities that enhance scholarly and pedagogical endeavors. Reaching out to your colleagues serving on the PDF Council can be a great way to learn more about the program on your campus. And serving on your campus PDF Council can be a great way to get involved in your union. Contact your local chapter to learn more. 

UC-AFT Professional Development Funds have been used for: 

  • Research expenses
  • professional meetings, conferences, workshops
  • Academic training (e.g., taking courses related to teaching responsibilities at UC)
  • Seminar, workshop, conference or studio attendance fees
  • Software, hardware, and technical support equipment for use in research and/or teaching (including in special cases the purchase of books, films, or software in preparation for teaching assignments) that will remain University property
  • Travel expenses related to teaching, research, or other scholarly endeavors

Application requirements vary slightly on each of the 9 campuses. In most cases, there are two types of grant opportunities available: Small Grants (requests for less than $900.00) and Large Grants (requests for $900.00 or more, up to $10,000). Most campuses require an application form, CV, and often some kind of budget. Application deadlines and review timelines, however, vary from campus to campus. Find your campus below to learn more about specific policies and procedures.

How Do I Apply?

Application requirements vary slightly on each of the ten UC campuses. In most cases, there are two types of grant opportunities available: Small Grants (requests for less than $900.00) and Large Grants (requests for $900.00 or more, up to $10,000). Most campuses require an application form, CV, and often some kind of budget. Application deadlines and review timelines, however, vary from campus to campus. 

Application procedures are also significantly different for Unit 17 Librarians. While grants are available to librarian members for conference travel, training, and other forms of Professional Development, these funds are dispersed through the university library. Each campus receives a contract-specified annual professional development funding allocation, which is then divided equally amongst represented librarians based on headcount at the respective campus at the beginning of the fiscal year. 

Find your campus below to learn more about specific policies and procedures or contact your local chapter. 

UC Berkeley Unit 18 Professional Development Funds 2023-2024

Unit 18 Council on PDF Members:

  1. Khalid Kadir (Chair) – Department of Engineering
  2. Ivy Mills – Department of the History of Art
  3. Fang Xu – Interdisciplinary Social Science
  4. Peter Bartu – Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
  5. Negar Beheshti Pour – Department of Chemistry

UC Irvine Unit 18 Professional Development Funds 2023-2024 

Unit 18 Council on PDF members:

      1. Alexander Dunn, Department of Music
      2. Julie Chiaverini, Department of Education
      3. Lingwen Huang, Paul Merage School of Business
      4. Mark Baldwin, Department of Informatics
      5. Robin Stewart, Humanities Core, Chair

UC Los Angeles Unit 18 Professional Development Funds 2023-2024

Unit 18 Council on PDF members:

      1. Leryn Gorlitsky – Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
      2. Asako Hayashi-Takakura – Asian Languages and Cultures
      3. Mia McIver – Writing Programs
      4. Tyson Roberts – Political Science
      5. Camilla Taylor – Art

UC Merced Unit 18 Professional Development Funds 2023-2024

Unit 18 Council on PDF Members:

      1. Kamal Dulai, Ph.D. (School of Natural Sciences), UC-AFT Council Chair
      2. Jason Emory, Ph.D. (School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts)
      3. Yogita Maharaj (School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts/Merritt Writing Program)
      4. Daniel Mello, Ph.D. (School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts)
      5. Chai Moua, Ph.D. (School of Natural Sciences)
      6. Jane Wilson (School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts/Merritt Writing Program)

UC Riverside Unit 18 Professional Development Funds 2023-2024

Unit 18 Council on PDF Members:

      1. Ruth Charloff, Music (ruth.charloff@ucr.edu)
      2. Kathleen Gurnett, University Writing Program (kathleen.gurnett@ucr.edu)
      3. Ryan Rusich, Computer Science and Engineering (ryan.rusich@ucr.edu)
      4. Christine Smedley, University Writing Program (christine.smedley@ucr.edu)
      5. Joshua Welchez, Music (joshua.welchez@ucr.edu) 

UC Santa Barbara Unit 18 Professional Development Funds 2023-2024

Unit 18 Council on PDF Members:

    1. Eric Beltz, Chair, Department of Art (ebeltz@arts.ucsb.edu)
    2. Rebbecca Brown, College of Creative Studies (rebbeccabrown@ucsb.edu)
    3. Robert Lewis, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (rblewis@chem.ucsb.edu)
    4. Briana Westmacott, English for Multilingual Speakers Program, (bwestmacott@ucsb.edu)
    5. Ellen Whittet, Writing Program (whittet@writing.ucsb.edu)

UC Santa Cruz Unit 18 Professional Development Funds 2023-2024 

Unit 18 Council on PDF Members:

      1. Derede Arthur, Council Chair (Writing Program)
      2. Byron Barahona (Languages and Applied Linguistics)
      3. Candace Calsoyas (Rachel Carson College)
      4. Carine Rohmer (Languages and Applied Linguistics)

UC San Diego Unit 18 Professional Development Funds 2023-2024

Unit 18 Council on PDF Members:

      1. Holly Bauer (Analytical Writing Program)
      2. Country O’Neill (Analytical Writing Program)
      3. Jana Fortier (Anthropology)
      4. Heather Henter (Biology)
      5. Michael Calderon-Saks (Sociology)