Florida Gulf Coast University
EN-9: Staff Professional Development and Training

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH & SAFETY CANVAS TRAINING FOR EMPLOYEES
Our online training covers sustainability, storm water flooding & pollution prevention, and employee safety topics are provided on the university's Canvas learning management system. 1234 employees completed the virtual training or refresher course in FY 18-19.

NEW FACULTY ACADEMY
One session of the New Faculty Academy is dedicated to introducing faculty new to FGCU to University Colloquium: A Sustainable Future. The session models in-class group discussion and field experiences that are part of the course and provides a historical context for the course’s creation. From the beginning of their career at FGCU, new faculty are immersed in the sustainability that is an integral part of the University.

COLLOQUIUM COLLOQUIUM (C2) TRAINING
As part of ongoing team-building, professional development opportunities for Colloquium faculty take place every semester. These gatherings are open to those currently teaching Colloquium as well as others interested in teaching or simply interested in learning more about the course. Termed Colloquium Colloquium, these informal gatherings allow creative brainstorming about every aspect of the course including community sustainability issues, service-learning opportunities, and ideas for classroom activities.

INTEGRATING SUSTAINABILITY ACROSS THE CURRICULUM (ISAC) ACADEMY
Faculty interested in adding or revising course content to include sustainability are encouraged to apply to the annual Integrating Sustainability Across the Curriculum (ISAC) Academy. Following the Piedmont/Ponderosa Project professional development model, the ISAC Academy provides time, space, and resources for faculty at all career stages across the university to engage in inter- and cross-disciplinary discussions for sustainability curriculum development. 13 faculty and 1 staff member attended the 2019 Academy. https://www.fgcu.edu/ehs/sustainability/

STAFF ADVISORY COUNCIL (SAC) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (PDP):
SAC is committed to providing a forum that will directly address the issues and concerns of the Staff at Florida Gulf Coast University, and strive to ensure a campus climate that reflects a strong, enthusiastic, and positive quality work life. The SAC PDP was established to help provide Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) staff opportunities for professional development. The goal of the program is to assist staff with covering the cost of professional development opportunities that would not be possible without financial assistance. These opportunities must be directly related to career goals and current work responsibilities at FGCU. Awards will be determined based on a combination of demonstrated financial need, responses to the questions on the application, a one-page letter, and a letter from the applicant’s supervisor acknowledging support for the applicant to attend the specified professional development opportunity. Staff categorized as Support Personnel (SP) and Administrative & Professional (A&P) are eligible to apply. (http://www.fgcu.edu/SAC/pdp.html)

Employees could use the SAC PDP program to get support for sustainability training/professional development. No one did during the past fiscal year, but employees have taken advantage of this in the past to increase their skills in sustainability topics and it continues to be resources.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION CERTIFICATE PROGRAM
The Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance launched the Diversity and Inclusion Certificate Program in an effort to make Florida Gulf Coast University a more diverse and inclusive community. Diversity is a critical dimension of sustainability implementation; this certificate program assists with developing the internal assets needed to advance sustainability across campus.

The program is managed by the Diversity and Inclusion Manager from the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance. The presenters are volunteers and are not compensated for their presentations. The program does not have an allocated budget, but the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance sponsors some of the initiatives and covers the costs of certain events. The Diversity and Inclusion Manager also collaborates with other offices and departments on campus to organize events and presentations for the Certificate Program.

In order to receive the certificate, Faculty and Staff must attend 5 presentations, trainings, or events throughout the academic year.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion is a life-long learning endeavor. One academic year is not enough to cover all areas and approaches. Thus, Faculty and Staff are expected to keep their certificate current by attending a determined number of events every year. This will give participants the opportunity to develop a more rounded and complete understanding of the richness of our diverse society.

Employees seek appropriate professional development opportunities based on their department needs and goals and can travel as budgets allow, or as they are able to secure funding. There are no means of tracking if and how people use their travel money to attend external professional development and training opportunities in sustainability.

A tuition voucher is available to full-time FGCU employees. Employees may take up to six credit hours of course work per term at no cost to the employee for tuition and fees (https://www.fgcu.edu/hr/benefits/perks). It is possible that some employees took courses that covered sustainability as a part of this opportunity for professional development, but they are not accounted for here.