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Professional Development

Faculty Professional Development Resources

Welcome to the Professional Development Program (PDP) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (UH Hilo). We are committed to providing life-long learning opportunities for faculty who work at UH Hilo. Whether you are a newly-hired faculty member, just embarking on your career, or you have been "among the ranks" for many, many years, the PDP is committed to helping you keep your job skills current and achieve your professional goals.

The Professional Development Program offers the following services and programs:

On this page:

Professional Development Grants

The Professional Development Committee provides grants for faculty and staff development at UH Hilo. Calls for grant proposals are typically announced twice each year. Check out the Professional Development Committee website for more information about grant eligibility, guidelines, activities, awards, and more.

Conference Attendance

The UH Hilo Research Council provides travel award money to faculty members who wish to present their research at professional conferences. This travel opportunity also allows faculty members to network with other professionals in their field, as well as attend presentations and workshops that will contribute to their professional development.

Distance Education

UH Hilo employs both a Media Specialist and an Academic Support Specialist to provide group and/or individual professional development for faculty members who teach distance learning courses. These specialists are dedicated to helping you develop and implement multimedia instructional methods and a variety of educational technologies into your content-specific online curriculum to increase instructional quality and student engagement.

Contact: Cindy Yamaguchi Online Learning and Teaching Specialist

Faculty Sabbaticals

Sabbatical leave is considered a form of professional development per the 2015-2017 Agreement between the University of Hawaiʻi Professional Assembly (UHPA) and the University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents (UH-BOR). The Agreement states, "The purpose of the sabbatical leave is to provide Faculty Members with an opportunity for further professional growth and development so that they may serve more effectively on their campuses and in their field of specialization."

Only tenured Faculty Members at Rank 2 or above may be eligible for a sabbatical leave after six (6) years or twelve (12) semesters of full-time creditable service with the University. Specifics on application timetable and process can be found in the UHPA-UH BOR Contract

If you wish to learn more about the sabbatical projects undertaken by your colleagues during their sabbatical leaves, visit the Faculty Sabbatical Reports website. There you will find the names of faculty members who have recently completed their sabbatical leaves, as well as links to their completed reports.

Faculty Teaching Observations and Evaluations

Are you a faculty member who would like someone to observe you teach a class (or two or more), evaluate your teaching performance, and provide constructive feedback (and, possibly, assistance with your teaching skills)? Or maybe you would simply like documentation of your teaching abilities, including a report that you can share in your contract renew, promotion, and/or tenure dossier?

Contact your Dean, Division, or Department Chair to arrange for a meeting to discuss your teaching observation and evaluation options.

Promotion, Tenure, Contract Renewal Dossier Creation Support

Whether you are submitting your dossier for contract renewal, promotion, and/or tenure, the PDP is committed to supporting your efforts in several ways.

Contract Renewal, Tenure, and Promotion Workshops

Contract Renewal, Promotion, and Tenure Workshops are offered in both the spring and fall terms. The workshops are designed to familiarize you with the UH Hilo Contract Renewal, Promotion, and Tenure Guidelines, as well as those developed by your College, School, or other type of unit. Typically the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs conducts these workshops, which include an overview of expectations and support, followed by a question and answer period.

Sample Contract Renewal, Promotion, and Tenure Dossiers

Copies of select Contract Renewal, Promotion, and Tenure Dossiers created by your colleagues have been placed in the Mookini Library for your access and review. Check with the Information Desk about signing in to examine the documents.

Dossier Readers

If your dossier is ready for review two weeks prior to the required submission date, you may request the assistance of a Dossier Reader. Upon your request, you will be provided with the name of a colleague (outside of your department, school, college, or unit) who is willing to read over your dossier and provide you with constructive feedback. This review is entirely confidential—just between you and the assigned reader. Requests for a Dossier Reader may be made by contacting your Dean, Division, or Department Chair.