Professional Development (PD) Fund

Overview

Each faculty member is eligible for up to $1,000 per academic year (July 1 – June 30) to support professional learning activities that enhance teaching, scholarship, service, or administrative effectiveness.

Allowable Uses

The PD Fund may be used for:

• • Registration fees for professional conferences, seminars, or workshops
  • Travel expenses (lodging, meals, and transportation) related to professional development events
  • Continuing education courses or certifications related to faculty role or discipline
  • Memberships in professional associations
  • Books, materials, or other resources directly tied to faculty growth

Unallowable Uses

The PD Fund cannot be used for:

• • Purchase of technology or equipment (e.g., laptops, tablets, microphones)
  • Software or subscriptions (including AI tools or data analysis platforms)
  • Conference attendance not associated with active professional learning (e.g., attending without participating in sessions)
  • Personal development unrelated to academic or professional responsibilities

Approval Process

1. Faculty initiate requests through their Academic Unit or designated system (as defined by the college).
2. Approval is granted by the Dean or Academic Unit Leader.
3. Faculty must provide documentation (e.g., conference registration, receipts) in accordance with university reimbursement policies.

Thought Leadership Supplemental Fund (TLF)

Overview

The Thought Leadership Supplemental Fund provides up to $2,000 per full-time faculty member per academic year to support the dissemination of original scholarly or creative works through activity, including:

• • Presenting papers or leading sessions
  • Participating on panels
  • Delivering keynote or invited talks
  • Presenting posters

All full-time faculty presenting at academic or professional conferences are eligible to be considered for support.

Faculty may use the $2,000 maximum to support either a single dissemination activity or across multiple dissemination activities throughout the academic year. 

Allowable Uses

The TLF may be used for:

• • Travel, lodging, and registration to present original research or creative works at academic or professional conferences
  • Page or publication fees for peer-reviewed journals or edited volumes
  • Costs associated with disseminating creative or scholarly projects (e.g., exhibition shipping, media documentation)
  • Poster printing or presentation materials

Unallowable Uses

The TLF cannot be used for:

• • Conference attendance without an accepted presentation or equivalent dissemination activity
  • General professional development (e.g., attending workshops, training, or certification courses)
  • Technology, software, or AI tools
  • Expenses already covered by other institutional funds

Single Presentation Funding Cap

This cap applies when two or more NLU faculty members are collaboratively presenting the same presentation.

To help ensure that supplemental funding is available to support a broad range of faculty dissemination activities, requests associated with a single presentation are limited to a maximum of $5,000 in total supplemental funding across all National Louis University presenters.

Approval Process

1. Faculty submit a Thought Leadership Fund Request to their Dean or Academic Unit Leader, using this form (Link Coming Soon). The form asks for:

• • Title, Date and Location of Conference or Event
  • Event Fees (Registration, etc.)
  • Estimated Travel Costs (Airfare, ground transportation, etc.)
  • Estimated Lodging Costs (hotel, per diem, etc.)
  • Other funding sources being used (PD funds, etc.)
  • Topic and Title of your presentation
  • Brief description of significance to your college/NLU
  • Amount of Supplemental Funds being requested

2. The Dean or Dean’s representative reviews the request. If approved, the dean forwards it to the provost office. If the dean does not approve, they send an email directly to faculty with the rationale.
3. Final approval and funding allocation are made by the Provost Office, and an email notification is sent to the faculty member.