I. General Provisions

The AFT and the District agree to follow the procedures as established by Articles VIII A4.4 through VIII A4.9 of the AFT and District contract with regards to professional advancement and salary class advancement. However, if any conflict arises between these procedures and the district AFT agreement, the agreement shall take precedence.

II. Purpose

Professional advancement is encouraged by all faculty (tenured, probationary, and adjunct) seeking salary class advancement. Professional advancement is designed to enhance the development of faculty members through a variety of activities that are relevant to the faculty members' specific assignment.

III. Professional ADVANCEMENT Proposal

Each faculty member desiring to take college/university coursework, participate in work experience or internships, attend a conference/seminar/workshop, or develop scholarly/creative works, for salary class advancement purposes, shall submit a Professional Advancement Proposal to the college's Professional Advancement Committee for approval. The proposal shall include the types of course work, degrees, or credentials sought, and the institution from which the work will be taken or in which work experience will be gained. The proposal shall also include a discussion of the proposal's objectives and goals; relevancy to faculty's assignment; and the benefit to the faculty member, the students, and college.

IV. Proposal Process

Professional advancement proposals are to be reviewed and approved by the college's Professional Advancement Committee. It is recommended that the proposals be approved prior to any undertaking of coursework, scholarly/creative works, or work experience. Note: Coursework taken outside the faculty member's area of teaching (except for language and computer classes) must have prior approval by the vice-president.

1. The professional advancement proposal (PAP) application can be obtained from the Professional Advancement Committee's website or the college's website.
2. There is one form for the proposal and an additional form for work experience or internship.
3. Special rules and regulations exist for vocational faculty. See Article VIII A 4.9
4. The proposal shall include the types of coursework, degrees, or credentials sought, and the institution from which the work will be taken. Official course descriptions of all potential courses undertaken shall be included. (course descriptions should be photocopied from the college catalog or downloaded from the college's online catalog). See Article VIII A4.6, in the faculty contract, for acceptable courses.
5. If work experience or internship is part of the proposal then an additional Work Experience or Internship form shall be completed and signed. See Article VIII A4.7, in the faculty contract, for a description of work experience.
6. If scholarly or creative works are involved then a description of the work shall be included. See Article VIII A4.8, in the faculty contract, for a description of the types of scholarly/creative works that can be undertaken.
7. The proposal shall also include a discussion of the objectives and goals; relevancy to faculty's assignment; and the benefits to the faculty member, the students and the college.
8. The completed form(s) must be signed by the appropriate chairperson and appropriate dean / manager before review by the Professional Advancement Committee.
9. The Professional Advancement Committee will review the proposal and either approve or reject the proposal or seek further clarification or documentation before approval or rejection.
10. Any change to the professional advancement proposal requires a Revision to Professional Advancement Proposal form. This form also requires the appropriate signatures before review by the Professional Advancement Committee.

V. Completion of the Professional ADVANCEMENT Proposal

1. The Report of Completion of Professional Advancement Proposal form can be obtained from the Professional Advancement Committee website or the college's website.
2. If coursework was undertaken as part of the proposal then unopened official transcripts need to be sent along with the PAP completion form. Offical transcripts can also be emailed directly to the committee chairperson.
3. If work experience was involved then the additional work experience form needs to be filled out and signed by the work experience supervisor and turned in with the PAP completion form.
4. If scholarly/creative work, conference attendance, and or seminar/workshops were part of the proposal then a log of hours needs to accompany the PAP completion form along with the final product or proof of the final product.
5. The completed form must be signed by the appropriate chairperson and appropriate dean / manager before review by the Professional Advancement Committee.
6. The Professional Advancement Committee will review the completion of the PAP and either approve or seek further clarification or documentation before approval or rejection.
7. When a faculty member has qualified for advancement to a higher class and the required forms and verification have been submitted to Human Resources and approved by Human Resources, the faculty member shall be transferred to the corresponding step of the new class. Class advancement is done only twice a year, in November and March.
8. Units previously approved by the Professional Advancement Committee under the rules in effect prior to July 1, 1989, and units earned prior to the contract date of hire (for faculty employed as of June 30, 1989) will be accepted for salary advancement. For all faculty, units obtained July 1, 1989 and after must be approved by the appropriate College Professional Advancement Committee.