The Adjunct Faculty Professional Growth Program is administered by the Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction in the Academic and Student Affairs Division.  The program provides funding assistance on a reimbursement basis to adjunct faculty employees to attend conferences, seminars, workshops, and professional meetings that are directly related to, and will enhance/update the applicant's teaching skills and will enhance the learning of students for the class taught by the applicant for the Maricopa Community Colleges. 

The AFPG Review Committee includes members of the Adjunct Faculty Association Executive Committee and a representative from the Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction. 

Applicants are responsible for reviewing, understanding, and following program guidelines; providing a complete, signed application; and printing off and providing all copies of required back-up with the application to the respective AFPG College Representive by the submission due date.  Contact your AFPG College Representative regarding questions you may have and the travel request process followed at your college.  

APPLICATION SUBMISSION AND APPROVAL DECISION DUE DATES: 

1. Due Date for AFPG College Representatives to be in receipt of fully completed applications from adjunct faculty applicants:  at least 28 days prior to the start date of the professional growth activity.   
2. Due Date for AFPG Review Committee to be in receipt of reviewed, signed applications from AFPG College Representatives:  at least 14 days prior to the start date of the professional growth activity.
3. Under normal circumstances, approval status will be provided to the AFPG College Representative at least 7 days prior to the activity start date.
4. It is the applicant's responsibility to follow-up and check with the AFPG College Representative if approval status is not provided to the applicant prior to the activity start date.
5. Approved, but find you cannot attend your activity?   Advise your  AFPG College Representative in writing no later than (10) days prior to the start date of the activity.  To not do so will affect your eligibility status for future AFPG funding for the fiscal year. 

Checklist

The following checklist of items is provided to assist you in the preparation/submission of your application package. It is important that you contact your AFPG College Representative who will provide you procedures followed at your college.

1. Submit the Travel Policy Acknowlegement Form prior to submitting your request. This form may be found at:  http://www.maricopa.edu/disclosure/
2. Fill in all requested information on the AFPG application, including
   • course information (course name and prefix/number, section number), and number of credits assigned for each course.   The level of eligible funding is dependent on the number of credits taught (see funding levels under Program Funding below).  If you teach at more than one college, you may only submit through one. 
   • a brief, detailed rationale explaining how the activity is directly-related to your course(s) indicated on the application, and how attending the activity will enhance, benefit your teaching role and student learning in the course.  
3. Attach activity back-up materials to the application.  References to web-sites are not accepted for activity back-up.  Back-up material attachments to submit with your application, include:
   • Activity sponsor-published activity brochure information that includes activity description, activity name, location, dates, target audience, detailed agenda/schedule; breakdown of registration fees and what the fees cover/include (indicating what fees apply to you); conference hotel information. Be sure to include the schedule of activity events/learning sessions.
   • If traveling by personal automobile to an out-of-state activity, research economical cost of roundtrip airfare.  Attach this printed back-up information to your application. 
4. Re-check your application to ensure that all information and backup materials are provided, and sign your application.  Submit your application to your AFPG College Representative, who must receive your application no later than 28 days prior to your activity date.  
5. Submit your expense claim within timeline prescribed by the Maricopa Community Colleges Travel Policy guidelines.

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• Rose is teaching a 1 credit class in fall semester, and Rose teaches a 1 credit class in spring semester. Rose is eligible for $250 in AFPG funding for the fiscal year.
• Rose is teaching a 1 credit class in fall semester, and Rose teaches a 2 credit class in spring semeter.  Rose is eligible for $500 in AFPG funding for the fiscal year.
• Rose is teaching a 3 credit class in fall semester and two 3 credit classes in spring semester.  Rose is eligible for $750.00 in AFPG funding for the fiscal year. 

**Funding level eligibility based upon credit hours assumes that the applicant is assigned equivalent load hours. If load hours assigned to the applicant are less than the credit hours assigned to the class, the applicant will be eligible for the AFPG funding level based on the assigned load hours.  If the number of load hours assigned to the applicant exceed the number of credits assigned to the class, the level of funding eligibility will be based on the number of credits assigned to the class.   Funding level eligibility cannot exceed the number of credits assigned to the class.  For example: 

• Rose is teaching a class that is assigned 2 credits, but Rose is only assigned 1.85 load hours to teach the class.  Should this be the only class assigned to Rose during the semester, she would be eligible for $250.00 in AFPG funding, not $500.00 for the fiscal year.  If Rose is not assigned 6 load hours to teach the same 2 credit class, her eligibility would then be based back to the number of credits assigned to the class. 

3.     The amount of maximum funding provided for individual applicants on a fiscal year basis will be determined through the recommendation of the Adjunct Faculty Association and approval of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost of Academic and Student Affairs.

5.     Professional growth funds are available on a reimbursement basis only.

6.    Applications are processed on a first-come, first-served bases according to availability of funds.

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Eligibility

1.    Only applications submitted by the due date will be reviewed by the AFPG Review Committee.

2.    The applicant must be employed as an adjunct faculty employee for a credit course (at least one credit), or as a Librarian or Counselor adjunct faculty employee, by one or more of the Maricopa Community Colleges. 

3.     Eligible activities (including all associated travel to and from the activity) must occur totally within the time period of one calendar week prior to the class start date and one calendar week after the class end date (the deadline for completion of all examinations and submission of the final grade roster). 

        If an application is approved, but the employee does not teach the course as indicated on the  application for any reason, including the course being cancelled or the course not making, the activity will not be  eligible and will not be funded. 

The following items are not eligible for program funding: