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Comprehensive Standard 3.7.3

The institution provides evidence of ongoing professional development of faculty as teachers, scholars, and practitioners. (Faculty development)

aCompliance ___Partial Compliance ___Non-Compliance

Narrative:

The institution provides evidence of ongoing professional development of faculty as teachers, scholars, and practitioners. (Faculty development)

Lawson State Community College is strongly committed to the advancement of its faculty by providing them ongoing, internally and externally, professional development as teachers, scholars, and practitioners. Lawson State adheres to requirements outlined in State Board Policies 612.01 (Policy 612.01) which grants (upon approval) 10 days of paid professional and/or vocational leave. The college, as part of its institutional goals, has outlined professional development of faculty and staff as an important focus for the college (Institutional Goals) and as such, supports the professional development of each faculty member on a consistent and ongoing basis.

Professional development opportunities are provided and supported by the college and the Alabama College Association (ACCA). Typically, professional development activities hosted by LSCC or the Alabama College Association (2006-2008 ACCA Conference Announcements & Programs) are pre-set and outlined in the Academic Calendar (2007-2009 Academic Calendar ). The ACA Conference is well attended by faculty and supported financially by the college (2007-2008 ACCA Documentation of Faculty Attendance & ACCA Registration Documents). Lawson State also hosts two mandatory professional development training workshops, (2007 & 2008 Professional Development Sign-in Sheets) one during the fall term and one during the spring term (2007-2009 Professional Development Agendas); (2007-2009 Professional Development Meeting Minutes & PowerPoint)

The professional development committee has the primary responsibility for planning local professional development for faculty (Professional Development Committee Minutes); however, departments and instructional units throughout the college can and do offer additional training for faculty throughout the school year. (Internal Professional Development Sign-in Sheets) and also provide professional development training support via various training step-by-step guides.

Additionally, external professional development for faculty include conferences, workshops, summer institutes, etc. are supported and routinely funded by the college, if deemed an appropriate and relevant activity and has been approved by the direct supervisor, dean, Vice President for Instruction and the President (2007-2008 Title III: Faculty and Staff Development Report); (External Professional Development, Travel). Indeed, the college does budget for professional development and is commitment to that support. Because Lawson State Community College understands and values the importance of professional development, in 2005, it modified its annual evaluation instruments and added a 100 point professional development requirement for all faculty and staff (2007-2009 Faculty & Staff Handbook, Faculty Evaluation Instrument, Template). Points are accrued and tracked based on the type, duration and quality of activity (Professional Development Tracking Guide Form).Faculty use the “Documentation of Employee Professional Development” form to assess the point value given for each professional development activity they participate in during the year. Progress towards professional development is then assessed by direct supervisors at mid-year (via the Mid-year) conference and during the annual evaluation (Completed Faculty Evaluations & Mid-year Evaluations).

Lawson State Community College adheres to State Board Policy 605.02 and it guidelines outlining criteria for a Professional Growth Plan (for faculty) and Tuition Assistance (Policy 605.02) Each faculty member seeking an advanced degree or additional certification(s) should have an approved Professional Growth Plan (PGP) on file (Professional Growth Plan, Template). A Professional Growth Plan is a written plan that is focused on either degree level progression and/or certification level progression for the purpose of advancement on the Salary Schedule in pay and/or step (if applicable). The plan is discussed and approved by the faculty member’s direct supervisor, the Instructional Dean (academic or career technical), the Vice President for Instruction and the President (Completed Professional Growth Plan Sample). Upon completion of the plan, the employee must provide a letter requesting a rank change with a statement of justification. A transcript, certificate, or other documentation showing completion of the program must also be attached.

Faculty members seeking tuition assistance have to fill-out an application in the Title III office under Lawson’s Tuition Reimbursement Assistance Program (Tuition Reimbursement Assistance Application Sample) All coursework taken must be from institutions accredited by nationally recognized accrediting bodies. The college annually budgets professional development expenditures in its college-wide budget (2007-2009 Professional Development Budget) and prides itself on the excellent support of professional development it offers and supports both internally and externally.

Documentation:

Documentation	Location
State Board Policy 612.01	Policy 612.01
2007-2009 Faculty & Staff Handbook, Evaluation and Planning Section, Institutional Goals	2007-2009 Faculty & Staff Handbook, Evaluation and Planning Section, Institutional Goals
ACA Conference Announcements & Programs	2006-2008 ACCA Conference Announcements & Programs
2007-2009 Faculty & Staff Handbook, Academic Calendar Section	2007-2009 Academic Calendar, 2007-2009 Faculty & Staff Handbook
Fall 2007 & Fall 2008 ACA Documentation of Faculty Attendance & ACA Registration Documentation	2007-2008 ACCA Documentation of Faculty Attendance & ACCA Registration Documents
2007-2009 Internal Faculty Development Sign-in Sheets	2007 & 2008 Professional Development Sign-in Sheets
2007-2009 Professional Development Agendas & Power Point Sample	2007-2009 Professional Development Meeting Minutes & PowerPoint
Professional Development Committee Minutes	Professional Development Committee Minutes
Title III Faculty and Staff Development Report, 2007-2008	2007-2008 Title III: Faculty and Staff Development Report
Documentation of External Professional Development (Travel)	External Professional Development, Travel
Professional Development Tracking Guide Form	Professional Development Tracking Guide Form
Completed Faculty Evaluation & Mid-Year Evaluation Samples	Completed Faculty Evaluations & Mid-year Evaluations
State Board of Education Policy 605.02	Policy 605.02
Professional Growth Plan Template	Professional Growth Plan, Template
Professional Growth Plan Completed Sample	Professional Growth Plan Sample
Tuition Reimbursement Assistance Application Sample	Tuition Reimbursement Assistance Application Sample
LSCC Professional Development Expenditures	2007-2009 Professional Development Budget
2007-2009 Faculty & Staff Handbook, Faculty Evaluation Template	2007-2009 Faculty & Staff Handbook; Faculty Evaluation Template