Faculty Development

Committee’s Charge Summarize literature Identify existing campus resources Identify successful practices Indicate elements located in college or centrally Address career stages Suggest structure for implementing and evaluating Describe resources

The Scope of Our Work Map the universe of faculty development (what exists at UMB and what’s possible) Develop a plan with priorities and stages of implementation or with several models, from less ideal to more Propose structure, evaluation and resources

Big Questions: What most enhances or inhibits the productivity and effectiveness of faculty in their role as teachers, researchers, and contributors to UMB and the larger community? What can UMB do to further enhance, not inhibit?

Defining Faculty Development An institutional process [that] seeks to modify the attitudes, skill, and behavior of faculty members toward greater competence in meeting students’ needs, their own needs, and the needs of the institution” (Francis, 1975)

Context: Strategic Plan Goals and Trustee Priorities Attract, develop, and sustain highly effective faculty Renew the faculty. Strengthen the university’s research and development expertise. Enhance the student learning experience. Position the university effectively in the higher education marketplace.

University Priorities Maintaining a strong graduate presence Strengthening research status (including collaboration, technology, grants Fostering excellent teaching Engaging in effective outreach

Ongoing Institutional Concerns Global literacy Urban mission (exploring complexity of diversity)

Generating a Research Program for Faculty A clear, coherent program for individuals (vs. #’s of publications) Collaboration with other research universities More grant development, especially in research ($20 million for Carnegie status)

Teaching Challenges Focus on student learning outcomes Integrating new technologies Responding to differently prepared students

Service, Outreach, and Public Scholarship Preparing effective institutional leaders Supporting the university’s commitment to engagement in the larger world

Integration

Faculty Career Trajectory: Critical Points? –Brand new –Pre-tenured –Tenured 1—New associates –Tenured 2—Long term –Pre-retirement –Post-retirement –Adjuncts at different stages

At all stages: What contributes to overall faculty satisfaction and productivity at each career stage? (Including intangibles: personal satisfaction, collegiality community) How can faculty work at each stage best contribute to UMB? How can this be fostered?

Using the Wiki spaces.com/

Surveying the scene Exploring the full range of possible “best practices” in faculty development Developing a coherent picture of current UMB practices Discovering gaps and possibilities, likely effective responses in our context