Professional Development Policy & Application

All staff are encouraged to pursue professional development activities to increase their job skills and knowledge for their current and long-term careers. In addition to granting release time when appropriate and possible, the Office of Human Resources provides a limited budget to help cover the costs of professional development activities, including:

• Conferences
• Seminars
• Research trips
• Career and job-related courses at the Center for Workplace Development

Since funds are limited, completed application forms must be submitted to the HR Office no later than the 1st of the month preceding the conference. If a conference is held in January, the application should be submitted before December 1. If you have any questions, please contact Kim Harris, Assistant Dean for Human Resources at (617) 495-4586.

Please use the Professional Development Support Application to submit your request to HR. Please do not incur any expenses prior to approval of your professional development. 

SEAS will make every effort to cover travel-related costs for job-related training and conferences in accordance with the University’s travel policy. In general, reimbursement for out of town conferences will cover reasonable transportation, housing, and conference registration fees (at the member rate) and funding will be approved for the most reasonable transportation rates available. In accordance with the University’s reimbursement policy, receipts will be required to document all approved expenses. Staff members are encouraged to take advantage of lower early registration fees whenever possible.