The application for the Professional Development Grant (PDG) for the Fort Lauderdale campus is now open.
The PDG is a program that awards successful applicants up to $1,000 for use towards an academic professional development opportunity. These funded opportunities include conferences, seminars or any other professional occasion.
The purpose of the grant is to assist students in the travel expenses that come with attending these professional opportunities, such as the costs of registration, boarding and transportation.
“At NSU, [we] take a lot of pride and understand the importance of attending conferences and professional opportunities for students. Something that a lot of higher-ups support is helping students get to their conferences,” explained Giancarlo Onorati, graduate assistant for the Student Government Association.
“These are the types of opportunities that can really supplement someone’s degree. Going to [a conference or professional event] for the weekend, learning something about the field and meeting people from all over the world is something that a lot of employers of the future are looking for,” he said.
The PDG is another way for students at the university to get their NSU edge.
“It was pretty major, I definitely was depending on it,” explained Marissa Brooks, a third year student in the College of Pharmacy, who received the grant.
“As a pharmacy student, I don’t have a job right now so I was depending on personal funds to take me to this conference. Without the funding from the grant, I don’t think I would have been able to fund it all on my own,” Brooks said.
To apply for the grant, there are a few exceptions and particular requirements. The grant works exclusively through a reimbursement process so students are required to front all costs for the events they go to and the expenses. Then, they would have to submit a request for funds to ensure they are reimbursed. As Onorati explained, if you’re wanting an opportunity to help fulfill an NSU-based requirement for your degree, then the grant cannot be applied. PDG also does not cover any mission or service trips and only exclusively funds supplementary opportunities. If a student fills out the PDG application correctly with all the required and necessary information, then they are more likely to be accepted. With that said, the amount of money granted depends entirely on the situation and the event in question for the individual student.
Onorati and Brooks particularly stressed the importance of filling out the application correctly. “I would say to read it very carefully. A lot of the information is already right there in front of you… Read through it thoroughly and check your answers. Once you’ve submitted it, let your SGA president know. You don’t want to mess up one little thing somewhere and then be ineligible to get the grant,” said Brooks.
Additionally, the Regional Campus Professional Development Grant Application is now open as well. This grant has all the same terms as the Fort Lauderdale grant but is solely open to students at NSU’s regional campuses.
Micheal Deneus, assistant director of student affairs in the Office of Regional Campuses explained, “The grant that we have at the regional campuses assist all seven of the regional campuses, so that’s Jacksonville, Orlando, Palm Beach, Puerto Rico, Fort Myers, Miami and Tampa.”
The application deadline for the Fort Lauderdale campus closes on Jan. 23 at 11:59 p.m. and for the regional campuses, the application closes on Jan. 31. Both applications can be found online on Sharkhub.
