Professional Development Corner: January 2026

Make a plan!

Why Is Professional Development Important?

Professional development offers a valuable opportunity to stay engaged and navigate the constantly changing landscape of higher education—and beyond. Whether you’re looking to learn new skills, sharpen existing ones, strengthen your leadership abilities, explore new interests, stay on top of emerging trends, or simply connect with colleagues, there’s something for everyone.

Worth a read: Check out this article from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School: How Professional Development Can Boost Employee Engagement on how participating in learning activities benefits all.

Making Space to Recharge: Rest as Part of Professional Growth

Starting the Year Right: Planning for Professional Development

Last month, we encouraged stepping back from professional development to rest and recharge. Now, as the new year begins, it’s a good moment to start again and think intentionally about professional development for the year ahead.

Professional development isn’t about doing more; it’s about focusing on what matters most. Taking a few minutes to reflect on what you want to learn, how you might share that learning with others, and where you can apply it in your daily work helps turn development into real impact.

Quick reflection

• What is one skill, mindset, or area of knowledge you want to learn this year?
• How could you share that learning with your team or colleagues?
• Where might you apply it to make a difference in your work?

A little planning now creates space for learning, sharing, and applying—professional growth that makes a difference every day.

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Professional Development Opportunities

As you begin thinking about and planning for the year ahead, below is a collection of workshops, courses, events, and resources to support your ongoing growth. Some opportunities are free, others have a cost, and many are offered virtually or locally with no travel required.

Have something to add?

Please feel free to share other opportunities you come across, and I’ll include them in future communications.

Coursera

Remember that UVA has a university-wide subscription for Coursera—an online learning platform that offers a wide range of courses, specializations, certifications, and degree programs from universities and institutions around the world.

Explore Coursera

Upcoming Offerings

Reminder about funding:

If you are requesting departmental funds, make sure you have approval before you register for or enroll in any offering.

• University of South Florida (free through February 2026): AI Whisperer: A Microcourse in Crafting Prompts
  Note: The enrollment page indicates the course will not be available after 2/28/26.
  View AI Whisperer Course

EDUCAUSE Events

What is EDUCAUSE?

“EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association whose mission is to lead the way, advancing the strategic use of technology and data to further the promise of higher education.”

Explore EDUCAUSE Opportunities

NACUBO

• Award nominations open (deadline for accounting award: 2/20/26)
• Washington Updates and recordings
  • Next live Washington Update: February 3, 12:00–1:00 p.m.
• Other live online events (many free to NACUBO members; some offer CPE credits)
• Conferences and forums
  • NACUBO 2026 Annual Meeting – July 18–21 (Anaheim, CA)
  • 2026 Higher Education Accounting Forum – April 13–15 (Boston, MA)
  • New: 2026 Actionable Insights for AI Series – May 12–28 (online)
• Self-paced courses and microlearning
  • Strategic Higher Education Finance and Planning ($595)
  • F&A Short Form ($150)
  • Essentials of College and University Accounting ($125)
  • Facilities Management ($49)
  • New to Higher Education ($49)
• Podcasts
  • Career Conversations
  • NACUBO in Brief

NACUBO membership note:

Individual NACUBO membership is free through UVA’s institutional membership. To join, go to nacubo.org and click “Login or Join.” From the Login box, click “Don’t have an account” and complete the form. In the “Primary Affiliate” field, enter “University of Virginia” and select the appropriate affiliate.

SACUBO

• 2026 Leadership Forum – February 25–27 (Destin, FL) – $500; online registration ends 2/16/26
• 2026 Annual Convention – April 19–21 (Dallas, TX) – $895; early bird registration ends 2/23/26
• 2026 Fall Conference – November 11–13 (Myrtle Beach, SC) – Save the date

EACUBO

• EACUBO Leadership Forum – March 23–24 (Newport, RI)
• Higher Education Leadership Program – August 10–13, 2026 (Cornell University, Ithaca, NY) – $2,999

The Chronicle of Higher Education

• Professional Development Programs
  • Leadership Transformation Collaborative – starts late January 2026 (registration still available)
  • Women Leading Change Program – 2026 dates coming soon
  • Administrative Leadership Institute – 2026 dates coming soon
  • Higher Education Mental Health Forum – 2026 dates coming soon
• Virtual Events (many are on-demand)

Additional Organizations

• AGA – Professional association for people who support government (financial management, IT, HR, cybersecurity, and more). (Requires membership.)
• LearnBFSI – Fee-based courses (Australia-based).

UVA Organizations

• UVA Organizational Excellence (learning opportunities, resources, and articles)
  • Plan to Pivot: Applying Agile Principles in HE Planning and Strategy
    February 26, 2026 | 11:00–12:15 | In person: Newcomb Hall, Commonwealth Room
  • Strategic Doing for Collaborative Change: Accelerating Department-Level Innovation at UVA
    March 19, 2026 | 1:00–2:15 | In person: Newcomb Hall, South Meeting Room
• UVA Miller Center – ongoing programs and events
• UVA Human Resources – many free programs and courses
• Learning Tracks (UVA HR) – Aspiring Managers, New Managers, and Personal Growth (for individual contributors).
  About a year-long commitment; requires an online form. (A track for Experienced Managers is in development.)
• LinkedIn Learning – microlearning courses (often no Professional Development Request Form required)
• UVA Darden Executive Education – many programs under $2,000 with 50% UVA staff discount (use code UVA50).
• UVA School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) – certificate programs

Other Institutions

• Harvard Business School Online – multi-course credentials and certificate programs (many under $2,000)
• University of Pennsylvania Wharton School – online programs (many $1,000 or less)
• Stanford University Executive Education – self-paced programs ($1,500)

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Education Benefit

Each year you have $2,000 of centrally funded education benefit for professional development or $5,250 to use for tuition toward a degree-seeking program. To be eligible, you must have had six months of service in a benefits-eligible position at UVA by the start date of the class (and intend to remain on active payroll during the term).

View UVA Education Benefit Details

Professional Development Request Form (UVAFinance)

UVAFinance team members: please discuss with your manager and use the Professional Development Request Form before you register for any program. Not all opportunities require the form.

When you don’t need the form

If an opportunity is less than ½ day and there is no cost, do not submit a form. Many LinkedIn Learning courses and some UVA HR/UVA department offerings meet these criteria.

If you’re unsure, feel free to ask before registering.

Open Professional Development Request Form View UVA HR Learning Tracks

Article on Leadership

The Top 20 Leadership Challenges (Center for Creative Leadership) – an informative article with links to other articles and resources.

Read: Top 20 Leadership Challenges

Final note: Please feel free to share other opportunities you come across, and I’ll include them in future communications!