Is This a Valuable Professional Development Opportunity?

Yes! This process can create and increase confidence in your ability to write grants and to develop projects.

Expand and Enhance Professional Skills

You gain substantial knowledge about the grant application process and about implementing a federally funded project. You also learn the value of collaboration and the effectiveness of combining cross-departmental and cross-institutional resources. This experience can also help keep you updated on research skills and knowledge of areas of expertise (e.g. interactive video, the needs of low-income students, study abroad internships, and Web-based learning).

Directing a CTG project is also a valuable opportunity to reinforce and to hone current skills such as time management, organizational skills, and delegation and to acquire new skills such as event planning, public relations, and how to implement different types of conferences. You are also afforded the occasion to apply what you learn to other areas of your work, which can improve the overall functioning of your performance and your department.

Increase Networking Opportunities

While implementing a project, you have substantial collaborative and networking opportunities with colleagues across your campus (e.g., Office of Research, Chancellor’s Office, Study Abroad Office), state, and country. It brings you into contact with administrators and practitioners outside your immediate professional network while establishing a template for a valuable project that can be replicated elsewhere.

Present at Professional Conferences

You can develop the results and products of your project into conference workshops or sessions to be presented at professional conferences in the United States and overseas. Finally, you have the very rare occasion to highlight your passion and area of expertise and share them with those who may not otherwise be exposed to this information or experience.