Educational Development Initiative Team
Established during the 1991-92 academic year, the Educational Development Initiative Team (EDIT) is a subcommittee of the College Senate’s Committee on Professional Development and administers LaGuardia’s Professional Development Grant Program. Full-time faculty, and part-time LaGuardia faculty in continuous service for the past two academic years, are eligible to submit proposals.
The Spring 2025 application for funding of professional development projects is now available online.
- In addition to submitting your application, you also must submit your budget worksheet and all documentation, including your receipts, in one file with your name on it to Dropbox.
- The deadline for submitting the application and all supporting documents to Dropbox is Monday, April 21, 2025 by 11:59 p.m.
- Proposed projects can commence after July 1st of the fiscal year but must be completed, before June 30th of the fiscal year.
- Applicants can only submit one application per semester. Important: If your application is incomplete, you will not receive funding.
Professional Development Grant Program
Grants awarded by EDIT cover costs incurred by LaGuardia faculty in designing and implementing professional development projects. These costs may include the following:
- Travel expenses to conduct and/or present research and scholarship (e.g., archives, museums, special collections, conference presentations, and invited lectures).
- Travel expenses for attending (not presenting at) conferences, workshops, or seminars that directly support a specific scholarship or research project.
- Travel costs specifically associated with faculty development research (e.g., to enhance an academic department/program’s pedagogy or professional development).
- Expenses personally incurred by faculty to conduct research and scholarship (e.g., entrance fees for research sites, photocopying from archives or special collections, publication costs).
- Expenses personally incurred by faculty for projects that enhance their professional growth and development (e.g., in areas such as scholarship, academic effectiveness, and/or research skills and competencies; or artistic skills and competencies). Important: “Workshops” are eligible for funding, but not tuition for courses.
EDIT does not fund:
- conference registration fees
- reassigned time
- organization membership fees
- tuition for courses
- purchase of equipment or other items such as (but not limited to) photocopying materials that can be submitted to our Print Shop
- postage/shipping costs
- stipends or services rendered by someone other than the applicant
Award amounts are dependent on the funding received from Academic Affairs and on the number of applications received. EDIT strives to award as many notable projects as possible. Priority will be given to projects in the following order:
- Applicants who have not been awarded an EDIT grant within the last two years.
- Applicants who are presenting at or organizing a conference, or who are seeking reimbursement of publication fees or expenses incurred for research or creative projects.
- Applicants attending, as opposed to presenting at or organizing, a conference, workshop, or seminar.
The maximum awards possible are:
- Domestic Conferences: $500
- International Conferences: $1,000
- Publication expenses: $1,000
- Creative project expenses: $1,000
For a publication fee with multiple authors of an article, only ONE application should be submitted. The co-authors’ names and contact information must be included on the application. The designated applicant must include proof of payment with the application. If awarded an EDIT grant, the EDIT committee will provide instructions for the applicant to receive their reimbursement. The EDIT Committee will consider requests for reimbursement of publication costs on a case-by-case basis.
Expenses for Creative Projects: This includes things such as production and post-production, exhibition/screening/recording expenses, editing, and/or research for the projects.
This includes things such as production and post-production, exhibition/screening/recording expenses, editing, and/or research for the projects.
Conferences: Academic Affairs will cover 100% of the registration fee and 40% of travel expenses for full-time faculty presenting at a conference (only one conference per Fiscal Year). Therefore, applicants must calculate 60% of their expenses on the EDIT application budget worksheet.
Note: for international conferences, faculty must first email the Provost (bgasticrosado@lagcc.cuny.edu) to request funding). If approved by the provost, applicants presenting at an international conference will receive approximately 40% of their conference fee as well as travel expenses in one lump sum from Academic Affairs.
Research and/or Creative Projects: Academic Affairs will cover 40% of travel expenses for full-time faculty.
EDIT Committee
If you have any questions regarding EDIT please contact your department’s committee member.
| Department | Name | Contact Information |
|---|---|---|
| Business & Technology | Nicole Lytle | (718) 482-5403 nilytle@lagcc.cuny.edu |
| Community Health and Wellness | Maureen Doyle | (718) 482-5227 mdoyle@lagcc.cuny.edu |
| Education and Language Acquisition | Bede McCormack | (718) 730-7528 bmccormack@lagcc.cuny.edu |
| English | Bijoyeta Das | (718) 482-5615 bdas@lagcc.cuny.edu |
| Humanities | Fern Luskin, Co-Chair | (718) 482-5708 luskinfe@lagcc.cuny.edu |
| Library | Thomas Cleary | (718) 482-5434 tcleary@lagcc.cuny.edu |
| Mathematics, Engineering, & Computer Science | Hendrick Delcham | (718) 482-5731 hdelcham@lagcc.cuny.edu |
| Natural Sciences | Boris Zakharov | (718) 482-6074 bzakharov@lagcc.cuny.edu |
| Social Science | Rebecca Tally, Co-Chair | (718) 349-4032 rtally@lagcc.cuny.edu |
For completing the Budget (item #17 of the application):
- Download the budget worksheet (https://bit.ly/EDITBudgetForm) This can be saved and submitted as either an Excel document or a PDF.
- All applications must include a complete budget that specifies all items for which the EDIT grant funds will be used.
- For international travel, all costs provided on the budget worksheet must be converted to USD $.
- For smaller-scale items such as taxi rides, approximate costs can be submitted.
- The use of public transportation is encouraged where possible.
- For each travel-related expense, applicants must list 60% of its cost and indicate whether the amounts provided are ACTUAL (for events that have already occurred) or ESTIMATED (for those events occurring after the application deadline).
- The EDIT Committee only considers the expenses of each applicant. When traveling with other colleagues, shared expenses (hotel, taxis, etc.) should be adjusted in the budget accordingly. Make reference to all shared expenses in the budget comments area.
Use Per Diem Rates for Meals and Hotels Incurred During Travel for Conferences, Research, Scholarship, or Creative Projects: Meal and hotel expenses incurred at conference presentations or during travel for research, scholarship, or creative projects are reimbursed at per diem rates.
Documentation
For completing Item #15 on the application: Applications must clearly demonstrate how the professional development project supports faculty tenure and promotion, and/or LaGuardia’s Strategic Plan. For any project except for conference travel (e.g., research trips, publications and creative projects), you should indicate how the project will benefit the college and how it will contribute to the work and growth in your position as a faculty member, as this justification, plus a copy of the abstract (if applicable), must be submitted on CUNYFirst if you are awarded an EDIT grant.
Submit your completed EDIT application with all supporting documents included. Supporting documents include, but are not limited to:
- Receipts for all expenses included in the application
- Conference Acceptance Letters
- Conference catalog pages (i.e., the program) that mention the presentation and indicate LaGuardia Community College as the affiliation (the college name must be printed correctly)
- Transportation and accommodation receipts/estimates; transportation boarding passes
Please note that for projects taking place after the application deadline, applicants must submit documentation of the estimated prices for airfare, lodging, etc. that are indicated on the webpages of reputable websites; proof of purchase can be provided after the conference has taken place.
All applications must be accompanied by evidence of activities undertaken for your project.
Examples of evidence of activities include, but are not limited to the lists below (by activity):
Evidence of Activity for Conferences and Invited Lectures (Domestic & International)
- Conference acceptance letter, conference program (copy of the page with your panel’s listing and LaGuardia affiliation; a formal invitation for invited lectures)
Evidence of Activity for Research or Scholarship, or Creative Endeavor
- An invitation/letter requesting and confirming access to the archive or library at which you are conducting the research, or to rare materials housed at the archive or library, in which the nature of your project is indicated
- An invitation from an artistic or cultural institution
- Receipts that provide proof of purchase and date: Entrance fees for museums, institutions, or research sites, or for photocopying materials at archives or special collections; art materials or processes not available at the college
For creative projects: In addition to the evidence of activity listed above, the applicant should provide a justification of the creative project. It should include a project description, excerpts or samples of the work and demonstrate how the project will benefit the college as well as the applicant in their tenure and promotion and professional careers. It should include invoices as well as proof of payment.
Evidence of Activity for: Attending Workshops, Seminars, and Conferences
- Confirmation of registration
- Program of activities, and, if applicable, invitation to attend
- Receipt of registration fees
Please ensure that the hosting conference or organization is reputable. Your affiliation on conference programs or project documents must indicate that you are representing LaGuardia Community College (not simply CUNY). Highlight your name and the title of your presentation/project on all supporting documents.
If the project involves human subjects, check with IRB about obtaining a statement of clearance/permission from the IRB. If such clearance is deemed necessary, this statement should be included in the application. Visit https://www.laguardia.edu/research/ for more information.
Adjunct faculty members should submit an email from your Department Chair in lieu of the Chair’s signature indicating that you have been in continuous service for the past two academic years – September through June.
- Did you remember to fill out #15 on the application: Briefly State How Project Supports Tenure, Promotion, and /or the College’s Strategic Plan and explain how your project will benefit the college and how it will contribute to the work and growth in your position as a faculty member.
- Did you include evidence of your EDIT project activities such as your conference acceptance letter, the conference program (a copy of the page with your panel’s listing, formal invitation for invited lectures), exhibition pamphlet or webpage, etc. with your name and the title of presentation/project highlighted, and your LaGuardia affiliation listed?
- Did you include receipts for expenses and/or estimates of airfare, hotel, non-local train or bus costs from a travel website such as Expedia or Travelocity, or from the airline’s or company’s website (only if your project has not yet taken place)? Did you indicate the per diem rates for your hotel room and meals for domestic and International trips?
- If you are sharing expenses (hotel room, etc.), or traveling with others, did you adjust your budget accordingly and make specific references to this in the notes section of the application (see budget worksheet)?
- If you are applying for funding for a research project, did you include evidence of activities such as letters requesting access to the archive or library at which you are conducting the research, or to rare materials housed at the archive or library, in which the nature of your project is indicated?
- Did you indicate that you have requested funds for your project from Academic Affairs (#13 of the application) and did you remember to indicate 60% of each of your travel expenses in your budget worksheet?
Sample Applications
- Edit Sample Application # 1
- Edit Sample Application # 2
- Edit Sample Application # 3
- Edit Sample Application # 4
- Edit Sample Application # 5
If, after reading through the instructions and reviewing the sample applications, you have any questions, please feel free to contact the EDIT co-chairs.
Fall cycle awards are for projects undertaken between July 1st and June 30th of the fiscal year. EDIT committee members will review all proposals that are submitted on or before the deadline. Applicants can expect to receive notification concerning their application in December for the Fall Cycle and June for the Spring Cycle.
Travel Forms Required on CUNYFirst for EDIT Awardees
Awardees who have traveled for their project must complete CUNYFirst travel procedures to receive funding. Applicants must first submit a Travel Authorization through CUNYFirst (ideally 30 days before travel). Then, no later than 5 days after returning from the trip, applicants must submit a Travel Expense Report on CUNYfirst for reimbursement of the amount awarded.
Contact your department’s Travel Liaison (listed below) for assistance with submitting the Travel expense report.
Department Travel Liaisons
| Department | Name | Contact Information |
|---|---|---|
| Business & Technology | Deijy Sherpa | (718) 730-7504 B-327 |
| Education and Language Acquisition | Elijah Edmonds | (718) 482-5640 B-234 |
| English | Sylwia Prendable | (718) 482-5909 E-103J |
| Health Sciences | Jazmine Freire | (718) 482-6104 E-300Y |
| Humanities | Seurette Bazelais | (718) 482-5203 C-745 |
| Library | Kaywan Chan | (718) 482-5429 E-101H |
| Mathematics, Engineering, & Computer Science | Luis Gonzalez | (718) 482-5730 MB-39 |
| Natural Sciences | Indira Persaud | (718) 482-5406 M-202A |
| Social Science | Aileen Solima | (718) 482-5785 C-459EE |
Petition to Travel
CUNYs Petition to Travel is required for international travel if the Travel Advisory is at a level 3 or higher or if the CDC COVID-19 Travel Health Notice is at a level 4 (https://www1.cuny.edu/sites/global/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/media-assets/Petition-to-Travel-Form.pdf). (Domestic travel no longer requires this form). Send your travel petition form to Keisha King (keking@lagcc.cuny.edu).