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Faculty Development Programs

The College of Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce an expanded Faculty Development Program (FDP) to support the development and promotion of tenure-track, tenured and professional track faculty.

This year, the FDP program will have four distinct programming tracks:  Orientation, Junior Faculty, Mid-Career Faculty and Faculty of Color.   Although the individual sessions are designed for a target audience, college faculty are welcome to attend any session that might be of interest.

Participants who complete at least five FDP sessions throughout the year will be given priority for a small number of fellowships to be awarded by the College for the NCFDD Faculty Success Program (FSP).  Associate professors will also be given priority for either a fellowship to the NCFDD Post-tenure Pathfinders Program or a “service sabbatical” (i.e., one academic year with no service commitments) plus a $5000 research fund.   More details on these incentives will be announced later in the year.


ORIENTATION TRACK (NEW) 

The Orientation program track targets faculty who are new to the university or would like a refresher on the range of college resources available to support faculty. 

Dean's Welcome: Senior Associate Dean Claudia Benitez-Nelson
Introductions: CAS Academic Leadership
Faculty Panel: "Everything I Wish I'd Known in My First Year"
Panelists:
Monica Barra (Assistant Professor, School of Earth, Ocean and Environment and Department of Anthropology)
Besim Dragovic (Assistant Professor, School of Earth, Ocean and Environment)
Sayward Harrison (Assistant Professor, Psychology)
Hannah Rule (Associate Professor, English Language and Literature)
Kelly Wolf (Professional Faculty, Film and Media Studies)
Moderator: Claudia Benitez-Nelson (Senior Associate Dean for College Initiatives and Interdisciplinary Programs)

As a new faculty member, do you have questions about what resources are available to support your teaching in the College?  Do you wish you knew more about academic advising, experiential learning, and other opportunities available to your undergraduate students?  We’re here to help!  Join us for a panel discussion featuring experts from the CAS Office of Undergraduate Studies, University Libraries, and Center for Integrative and Experiential Learning.  You’ll hear a brief overview of what each of these services has to offer, followed by informal discussion and Q&A.

Panelists:

Christy Friend (Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, College of Arts and Sciences)

Nora Dragovic (Advising Liaison and Director of Students, College of Arts and Sciences)

Sharon Verba (Head of Research and Instruction, University Libraries)

Charlie Pierce (Faculty Executive Director, Center for Integrative and Experiential Learning)

Questions or Suggestions? Please contact Senior Associate Dean Claudia Benitez-Nelson

 


JUNIOR FACULTY TRACK

The Junior Faculty program track will introduce participants to the resources of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD), as well as other practical tips and information needed to be successful in their research, teaching, and service endeavors. Participants will cover a range of topics focused on strategic planning, productivity, work-life balance, and building healthy and supportive relationships.

While all junior faculty in the College are welcome to participate, CAS tenure-track faculty in their second year or after are strongly encouraged to attend.   

All sessions will be held in person in either Gambrell 429 or Petigru 321.

Spring 2023 Junior Faculty Sessions

The T&P process can feel like a daunting, obscure specter in the distance. You know you’re on a “track” to get there, but what are the specific steps you can be taking? How can you break this process down? In this session, we’ll focus on what you can do now: read and understand your department/unit guidelines, approach Annual Reviews and Tenure Progress Review as practice for tenure review, and hone strategies for keeping organized record of your research, teaching, and service accomplishments. We’ll hear from Joshua Tebbs, professor and chair of Statistics and former UCTP chair, and from Nina Levine, CAS Associate Dean for Arts, Humanities and Academic Initiatives, who will each be on hand to answer your questions. To the session, we recommend you bring access to and/or review in advance your unit’s T&P guidelines.  

Applying for grants is a baseline necessity for research in many A&S disciplines, and grant opportunities can support research and creative endeavors in virtually any field. This session focuses on the pragmatics of finding and successfully applying for grants, within and beyond the university. Participants will hear from an interdisciplinary panel – Holly Crocker, professor of English and director of the Humanities Collaborative; Alysia Bridgman, CAS Director of Grant Operations, andClaudia Benitez-Nelson, CAS Senior Associate Dean for College Initiatives and Interdisciplinary Programs – who will share tips for finding grant opportunities and for writing successful grants, along with CAS resources for helping you get the grant out the door. The session concludes with ample time for Q&A with the panelists.

Does it feel like your life is a juggling act? It feels like you are constantly rushing around trying to keep all the balls in the air, and you cannot find any time for yourself.  Many of us talk about wanting work-life balance, but we don’t know how to implement the balance in our own life.  Research shows that taking time for sleep and self-care has proven to reduce stress and increase productivity, yet we still don’t do it.  This workshop will talk about how to include some positive habits into your life. Dr. April Scott, the Associate Director of Mental Health Initiatives, will join us to talk about work life balance and resources for relaxation and stress reduction.  In advance of this workshop and in the spirit of valuing balance and time, we encourage you to record all your activities for one workday (or more), in 15 minute increments. If you engage this invitation, bring your record(s) to the session for reflection and conversation.

Questions or Suggestions? Please contact Dr. Hannah Rule (ruleh@mailbox.sc.edu) or Dr. Sheryl Wiskur (wiskur@mailbox.sc.edu). 

 


MID-CAREER FACULTY TRACK

To help associate professors prepare for promotion to full, the Mid-career Faculty program track will draw on the resources of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) in order to provide practical advice and resources for post-tenure faculty who are planning the next phase of their careers. 
 
Sessions will cover a range of topics, including productivity, work-life balance, strategic planning, networking, assessment of promotion criteria, and identifying good mentors. While all associate professors in the College are welcome to participate, post-tenure faculty who are beginning to work towards promotion to full are especially encouraged to attend. 

All sessions will be held in person in Petigru 321.

Faculty positions have inherent tensions, but also many freedoms. It can be challenging trying to meet service, teaching and research obligations and serving multiple departments or colleges if you are a Joint Appointment. There are many factors that arise, such as internal and external power dynamics, implicit responsibilities to communicate with all stakeholders, rebalancing and refocusing research opportunities, and meeting the needs of the all-powerful memorandum of understanding if a joint appointment. Join Dr. Sean Yee as he shares his lessons learned from serving two departments in two colleges over the past nine years, and how he has managed to navigate expectations while still finding joy in his vocation of mathematics and education.
Writing a research grant proposal that is both exciting and rigorous (and fundable!) is hard even in the best of times, given all the other work-related obligations we have. Navigating the complications of daily life can add to the difficulty. Join Dr. Deanna Smith as she shares her experiences with mid-career grant writing while in the midst of serious personal health problems and difficult parental caregiving. Hear about strategies that worked and strategies that didn’t.

Questions/Suggestions?  Please contact Dr. Andrew Graciano (graciano@mailbox.sc.edu) or Dr. Amanda  Fairchild (afairchi@mailbox.sc.edu). 

 


Faculty of Color Network

The Faculty of Color Network provides an empowering space for CAS faculty – tenure-track and professional faculty – who belong to one or more under-represented ethnic and/or racial communities to build and maintain a fulfilling career in the academy. With the support of Dr. Mylene Culbreath, Vice Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, faculty will work together to: (1) discuss issues and provide information vital to the personal well-being, professional develop.m.ent, and the retention of CAS Faculty of Color; (2) serve as a conduit for advocating the concerns and needs of Faculty of Color to the Dean’s office and others; and (3) serve as a means to enact and reinforce the support systems of CAS Faculty of Color. This year, the Faculty of Color Network will be co-chaired by Dr. Qiana Whitted, Professor of English and African American Studies, and Dr. Todd Shaw, Associate Professor of Political Science and African American Studies.

If you want to join the CAS Faculty of Color Network, please contact Qiana Whitted (whittedq@mailbox.sc.edu) or Todd Shaw (shawtc@mailbox.sc.edu).

Please contact Claudia Benitez-Nelson (BENITEZN@mailbox.sc.edu) if you need help troubleshooting this form.


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