COGS Professional Development Award App
**APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER 3/27/19 -
for events after July 1, 2019 will be reviewed in the Fall. You may apply now, but they will be held until the 2019-2020 council convenes in the fall.
  • Note:

    Professional Development Awards cannot fund attendance at a conference if you are presenting research. To receive funding to present at a conference, please apply for a Conference Award.
  • Applicant Details

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  • ANR = Agriculture and Natural Resources
    BUS = Eli Broad College of Business
    CAL = Arts and Letters
    CAS = Communication Arts and Sciences
    CHM = Human Medicine
    CNS = Natural Science
    COM = Osteopathic Medicine
    CVM = Veterinary Medicine
    EDU = Education
    EGR = Engineering
    LAW = Law
    MUS = Music
    NRS = Nursing
    SOS = Social Science
  • (Applicants are only eligible for the COGS Professional Development Award once during their academic careers.)
  • (Applicants applying to both funding programs for a single event will be rejected.)
  • Section B

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  • Justification of Attendance and Letter of Recommendation

    Justification of Attendance: Please explain how you believe the skills, learning, or experience the event offers will be useful to you during your graduate degree or your career thereafter (see guidelines section 3 for more details). Technical details should be made intelligible to a broad audience. If the event is administered by another institute of higher education, please explain how the event differs from similar events at Michigan State University.

    Letter of Recommendation: Please attach a letter of recommendation from your major professor or advisor. The letter should detail how the experience will enhance the applicant's development as a scholar.
  • If you are unable to submit a letter of recommendation at this time, please send the letter to Office@COGS.msu.edu. Applications without a letter of recommendation will not be considered for funding. Must be received on or before the application deadline to be considered.
  • Failure to comply will jeopardize future award opportunities.
  • Acceptance of Conditions for Funding:

  • 1. It is understood that the Applicant will, at his/her own expense, protect and hold harmless COGS, its officers, representatives, members, boards, employees, and agents from all claims, damages, costs, lawsuits and expenses, including but not limited to, all costs arising from administrative proceedings, court costs and attorney fees, that COGS may incur as a result of any act, omission, or negligence of the Applicant or any of its officers, members, employees, agents, subcontractors, or independent contractors which may arise out of this funding request.

  • 2. The liability of COGS, its officers, representatives, members, boards, employees and agents with regards to the funding of the Applicant for any claims, costs, damages, losses, and expenses for which COGS is or may be legally liable, whether arising in negligence or tort, contract, or otherwise, shall not exceed the amount of funding provided by COGS to the Applicant. In no event shall COGS, its officers, representatives, members, boards, employees, and agents be liable for any indirect, special, or consequential damages.

  • 3. The Applicant shall not transfer any right or interest in this Application without the prior written consent of COGS.

  • 4. The Applicant agrees to abide by all federal, state, and local laws and ordinances, as well as their student rights and regulations set forth by Michigan State University.

  • I further understand that any falsification, misrepresentation, or omission of any information contained herein or failure to comply with any of the guidelines or conditions may result in the denial of this request or the forfeiture of part or all funding approved by COGS.
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  • COGS Professional Development Award Guidelines and Conditions

    Revised September 2016
  • 1 Award amounts

    The amount awarded for a Professional Development Award will be $500.
  • 2 Eligibility

    All graduate and professional students are limited to ONE Professional Development Award during their ENTIRE MSU academic career. Students must be registered for classes the semester the award is to be used. Students may not apply for both a COGS Conference Award and a COGS Professional Development Award for the same event; doing so will result in rejection of both applications. Eligible expenses include but are not limited to: event registration, travel, lodging, and materials. Items such as food, banquets, field trips, and souvenirs are not eligible.
  • 3 Qualifications for a professional development event

    “Professional development” refers to the acquisition of skills and knowledge needed for career advancement. The acquisition of such skills and their applicability to one’s field will be the fundamental criterion by which an event is judged. A qualified event includes but is not limited to a local, regional, national or international workshop, academic competition, convention, or association meeting in which the primary goal of event participation is to obtain knowledge or hone a skill set useful to their profession both creative and scholarly. Internships, degree coursework, summer school, and other such events also do not qualify. The Professional Development award is not intended for conference presentation. If you are presenting at a conference please apply for the Conference Award.
  • 4 Application Deadlines

    For fall and spring semesters, applications must be submitted BY 5 PM OF THE DEADLINE DATE POSTED ON THE COGS WEBSITE during the semester for which the event occurs. For the summer semester, applications must be submitted [TEN BUSINESS DAYS] prior to the final spring COGS full council meeting. The COGS office will accept early applications. If an insufficient number of students apply for the COGS Professional Development Awards, the COGS Finance Committee will review applications submitted after the deadline. If the event starts between semesters, the student must apply during the semester immediately prior to the event start date. Both summer sessions are considered as one summer semester.


    Applicants may not find out whether they were awarded a Professional Development Award until after the applicant has attended the event. Applicants should not base the decision to attend an event on the ability to receive COGS funding. [PLEASE ENSURE YOU HAVE A LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION FROM YOUR ADVISOR]
  • 5 Selection Criteria

    A lottery system is used to determine the recipients of the COGS Professional Development Awards, provided the applicant has submitted a COMPLETED application form with all required information. Failure to provide all information as specified will result in NO funding.
  • 6 Availability of Funds

    Funds for the Professional Development Award Program derive from the Graduate School. Administration of the funds is provided by COGS. If funds remain after that semester’s lottery, the distribution will follow a first-come, first-serve basis for the rest of the semester. Of the budgeted funds, 40% will be available to be awarded during the fall semester, 40% during the spring semester, and 20% during the summer semester. Any funds not awarded will be rolled over to the next semester with the exception of summer semester, which is the end of the fiscal year. Unused funds will be returned to the Graduate School after the fiscal year end.
  • 7 Decision Authority

    The application should be submitted [online] to the COGS office where it will be dated, assigned a numerical identifier, and forwarded to the COGS Finance Committee. The COGS Finance Committee will randomize and review the applications at the first COGS Finance Committee meeting of each semester. The COGS Finance Committee will meet regularly throughout each semester (as per COGS By-Laws Section 8.2.1.1.1) to review requests and make award recommendations. All recommendations will be forwarded to the COGS Full Council for approval. The COGS office will notify applicants of their award status via email after final approval has been obtained.
  • 8 Distribution of Funds

    As this funding is derived from the Graduate School, it will be awarded in the form of a fellowship. Once your fellowship has been processed, you should be able to see it in your StuInfo account. A fellowship is taxable. You will receive a tax form from the University at the end of the year. If you owe MSU any money, MSU will take what you owe directly from this award prior to deposition. If you have federal financial aid, you will want to check to see how this award affects any funding that you receive.

    The applicant must submit a MINIMUM 500 WORD REPORT on what they learned, including a description of the event and the top 3 takeaways from attending. Your report must be submitted to the COGS Office WITHIN 30 CALENDAR DAYS OF THE LAST DAY OF THE EVENT. Failure to comply will jeopardize future award opportunities. Your report may be published by the Graduate School or COGS.