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Professional Development Award

The Professional Development Award for Graduate Students is supported by the Office of the Provost to help University of Delaware graduate students participate in significant professional conferences pertaining to their field of study. Conference travel is essential to the academic growth and development of graduate students. It affords opportunities for presentation of student work in a professional setting, as well as opportunities for networking and exposure to the latest academic research.

 

The Office of Graduate and Professional Education is charged with the responsibility of administering competitive funds for this purpose. The deadline for application for a travel award is one month prior to the time of travel. Awards are limited to one per academic year and, generally-speaking, to two awards during the course of graduate study. The student will be reimbursed upon the submission of appropriate receipts to their department and must conform to University policy on allowable travel reimbursements.

 

Please note: Due to funding constraints and recent guideline reviews, the Professional Development Award has become more competitive. Applicants should submit well-crafted proposals that highlight the significance of their conference presentation to their professional career development, as well as the primacy of the conference to their field.  Applicants who fail to meet these standards will not be considered.

 

The policies and procedures for these competitive awards are as follows:

 

  1. A student must have a paper or poster accepted for presentation.  A copy of the acceptance letter should be provided, as well as a tentative title.  In the case of multiple authors, the student listed as first author takes precedence over others.
  2. The student should provide a clear and detailed written statement as to the value of the conference and presentation for his/her training and professional career growth, as well as the primacy of the conference to their field. The student should summarize the research to be presented and its relevance to the stated conference.
  3. The student's dissertation or thesis advisor must submit a letter of nomination and explanation of the significance of the student's participation.
  4. The amount of support will be based on the quality of the application and the level of conference participation up to a maximum of $500.  These grants are competitive and full funding is not guaranteed. The applicant's department or college must match the award offered by the Office of Graduate and Professional Education up to $300. The departmental match must not be from research grant travel monies but must be from other departmental resources. Please Note: It is fully anticipated that those students receiving external grant that support conference costs will utilize these funds first towards their conference participation.
  5. The student must submit a detailed budget for the proposed travel and include information outlining projected costs and all sources of funding being provided for the travel.  Applicants should budget for the least costly mode of travel and lodging. Students should also pool resources whenever possible; for example if a number of students within a department are attending the same conference, then carpooling should be considered. Effective January 1, 2009 (for travel after that date) the funds may not be used for meal expenses unless meals are included in registration fee.
  6. The student is required to fill out a "Professional Development Award" application form in a printed format and submit it and the required enclosures to the Office of Graduate and Professional Education. Please ensure that your proposal is titled, and that this information appears on every page of the application package. This title and your name should appear on every piece of your application package.
  7. As of July 1, 2009 the student should submit a Finalized Expense Report along with a brief summary detailing the benefits of the conference to their professional career growth to the Office of Graduate and Professional Education. The Proposed Budget Form now has a second column titled Finalized Expense Report that the student should complete upon their return. After we have received the Finalized Expense Report and summary then the department will be notified by the Office of Graduate and Professional education of the speedtype and amount to enter on the JV.

 


  • Office of Graduate & Professional Education  •   234 Hullihen Hall  •   Newark, DE 19716-1501  •   USA
    General email: gradoffice@udel.edu  •   Admissions contact: gradadmissions@udel.edu
    General: (302) 831-8697  •   Admissions: (302) 831-2129  •   Fax: (302) 831-8745  •   © 2009