The GPSC supports Professional Development initiatives from graduate and professional students through the funding of events, such as academic seminars, conferences, meetings with industry representatives, etc. Any group of graduate and/or professional students can apply to the GPSC for funding support for an event they are planning. Please refer to the following guidelines for details about this funding opportunity.

Guidelines:

1. The event or project being funded must take place within six months of the date of application.

2. There is a maximum award of $1,500 allowed for any given event or project.

3. At least three UA graduate and/or professional students must be directly involved in the event for which funding in sought.

4. Any given student can only be involved in one funded project or event per year. (Students may apply as many times as they wish, however.)

5. Depending on the number of applications, some priority may be given to students in programs with fewer resources.

6. Awardees must acknowledge GPSC funding in their event announcements and promotional materials.  

7. A follow up report will be required of all grant recipients. An example of follow up report can be found below:

Sample Follow up Report

The application deadlines are:

August 15th
September 15th
October 15th
November 15th
January 15th
February 15th
March 15th
April 15th
June 15th

Applications must be received by 5:00pm on the deadline date.

Application

The GPSC supports the sustainability initiative at the University of Arizona to eliminate paper applications. Applications must be submitted electronically through following form. The applicant must send the completed form and other relevant documents including a proposed budget by e-mail to gpscgrant@email.arizona.edu. All subsequent communication with applicants will be through e-mail.

Do not send anything in campus mail unless requested! 

POD Funding Form

Here is an example of completed application packet for POD funding. Please make the application as detailed as possible for review by the GPSC Appropriations Committee.

Sample POD Funding Application

In addition to filling out the above application form please provide the following documents:

• Proposed budget for the event.

• A synopsis (maximum 2 pages) of the activity and a description of the purpose of your event or project, a description of how it will encourage professional development for the students involved and the benefit to the university community.

• A letter of recommendation from a UA faculty member (Scanned soft copy is acceptable).

• A list of at least three graduate and/or professional students directly involved in the planning of the event and the number of semester hours they have completed at the University of Arizona, signed by all the students listed (Scanned soft copy is acceptable).

• A statement signed by all students mentioned above stating that they are in good academic standing, and

• A brief biography of any invited speakers.

Evaluation Process:

Following each deadline, all applications are reviewed by the internal GPSC Appropriations Committee, chaired by the GPSC Treasurer. As the GPSC currently represents a broad spectrum of academic areas; members of the Committee do not vote on applications from people that they know or anyone from their own department. The GPSC Treasurer conveys the recommendations from the Appropriations Committee to the GPSC Council for the Council's approval. Decisions of the Council are duly notified to the applicants. Depending on the date of receipt of the application and total number of applications submitted for that period, it might take 2-3 weeks for this process to be completed. Also please note that, upon approval, it may take several weeks to transfer funds to your FRS account.

The potential positive impact of the event on the professional development of the students involved, the benefit to the university community, and the originality of the event/project are key factors in evaluating all applications for funding. The Appropriations Committee will pay particular attention to the degree to which graduate/professional students are involved in the planning and implementation of the event. Applicants are advised to specifically address this issue in the synopsis of the event.

Requests that accurately reflect the resources needed to hold the event or carry out the project for which funding is requested will be viewed positively by the GPSC Appropriations Committee.

Evidence of efforts on behalf of a group to seek funding from other sources will be viewed positively. Similarly, groups should not expect the GPSC to fund the entire cost of events or projects.

How to Appeal Rejected Submissions:

• All appeals shall be submitted in writing to the GPSC Assembly Chairperson within 10 working days of notification regarding a funding decision.

• An appeals committee shall be formed by the GPSC President consisting of the GPSC Appropriations Board Chairperson and two other GPSC members.

• The appeals committee shall review the appeal and forward their decision to the GPSC Council for a final decision.

• All appeals must be initiated by the original POD Grant applicants, and a representative of the applicants must be notified of the GPSC meeting where the appeal shall be heard.