Professional Development

Introduction

A wide range of resources are available to assist the UCEDD network in supporting ongoing professional development and personnel changes. In addition to the resources noted elsewhere throughout this website, this page highlights resources and activities designed to support the continuum of learning in order to better prepare all center staff, faculty, and partners to meet the evolving needs of their communities.

In-Person Meetings
  • The AUCD Annual Conference is one of the nation’s premiere events to highlight work in the disability field. All staff/faculty/trainees/partners are encouraged to attend.
  • Data Coordinators Quarterly Calls and Annual Meeting: Network members managing their center’s data in NIRS are encouraged to join and learn from other data coordinators.
  • Business Managers workgroup meets annually in-person at the AUCD Annual conference
  • UCEDD 5-year Planning meeting at the AUCD annual conference provides an overview of how to prepare the UCEDD 5-year core grant application
  • The TA Institute serves as the annual project directors meeting, providing an opportunity for UCEDD Directors to network and share knowledge and skills, meet with their federal project officers, and learn of new initiatives and national trends. Dates are announced annually.
  • The AUCD Leadership Academy enhances the skills of current and emerging leaders from the disability network in building coalitions that will improve systems of supports and services.
  • The AUCD Policy Forum at the Disability Policy Seminar: Networking opportunity for emerging leaders, offering exclusive access to Hill staffers and former trainees now working
UCEDD Personnel Development Strategies

The following meeting notes feature innovative personnel development strategies shared from the UCEDD network:

Leadership Opportunities
  • AUCD Network Engagement: Learn how AUCD network members can actively participate and interact with the AUCD national office and other network memebers.
  • Emerging Leaders Leadership Opportunities: A summary of opportunities for trainees and training alumni to gain leadership experience.
  • Employment Opportunities: Offers an up-to-date listing of employment opportunities within the AUCD Network, at the AUCD National Office, and within AUCD’s broader network of partners. Submit your center’s job announcements here for national dissemination.

Additional Resources

  • Leadership Development Map for the UCEDD Network: A report detailing strategies for recruitment and retention, priorities for career development, and essential skills for advancement within the UCEDD network.  Includes a library of position description templates for common UCEDD roles.  
  • UCEDD Messaging Tools: Tools that support efforts to promote the work of the UCEDD within the university environment, educate new university administrators about the UCEDD, and align priorities of the UCEDD and university. 
  • UCEDD Organizational Charts Library: Organizational charts for UCEDD showing their institutional contexts and organizational structures. 
  • UCEDD staff/faculty position descriptions: a library of UCEDD network position descriptions is maintained by the URC team at AUCD. Contact [email protected] to request samples for review.
  • College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) – your university HR office may be members of CUPA-HR and have access to their online learning resources (including a Boot Camp offering a higher ed perspective on essential HR topics)
  • UCEDD Tip Sheets are intended to provide guidance and share peer practices of specific aspects of UCEDD operations, grant management, and core grant application development.
  • AUCD Emerging Leaders Community – a virtual platform for trainees to learn, connect, get involved and grow. 
  • Emerging Leaders Orientation Modules: Geared for trainees but useful for many, these three modules orient emerging leaders to the AUCD network.
  • AUCD’s Webinar Library: In this library you'll find only webinars which have been hosted by AUCD, and a convenient search function makes it easy to find the specific webinar(s) of interest.