This year, the FDP program will have three distinct programming tracks: Early-Career 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 three FDP sessions throughout the year will be eligible for a small number of fellowships to be awarded by the College for the NCFDD Faculty Success Program (FSP). Priority will be given to early career professional and tenure track faculty (i.e., pre-promotion) for the NCFDD Faculty Success Program Fellowship. Mid-career faculty who have completed the FSP may apply for the NCFDD Post-tenure Pathfinders Program. Those who have completed both the NCFDD FSP and Pathfider’s programs are eligible to apply for a “service sabbatical” (i.e., one academic year with no service commitments), which includes a $5000 research fund.
EARLY-CAREER FACULTY TRACK
The Early-Career Faculty program track introduces 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.
All early career tenure-track and professional track faculty in the College are welcome to participate.
All sessions will be held in person in Petigru 321.
Welcome to the Early Career Faculty Development series! Please join us for this introductory session to meet CAS leadership and series facilitators, hear a preview of this year’s programming, and participate in a short activity in which you make a semester plan. We will break down our fall semester into manageable increments of weeks, days, even hours, a process that will help you get control of your time and prevent burnout. Bring to this session a few goals in mind so you can start to map out plans for a balanced and productive fall semester.
We often hear that having a mentor is important. But rather than having one mentor on which you rely for everything, we benefit more from cultivating a network of different people with different expertise, experiences, and positionalities that can provide focused, just-in-time guidance on all facets of our (professional) lives. In this session, participants will hear from Dean Hardy, Assistant Professor in Geography in the School of Earth Ocean and Environment; Dean Hardy, Associate Professor in Geography and the School of the Earth, Ocean, & Environment; Leslie Lovelace, Director of Undergraduate Studies and Associate Chair in Chemistry and Biochemistry; Qiana Whitted, Professor of English and African American Studies; and Claudia Benitez-Nelson, Senior Associate Dean for College Initiatives and Interdisciplinary Programs. The panel will share experiences and guidance on initiating mentorship relationships. Participants will also work with a mentorship network map to account for those mentors already identified as resources and discover - and work to fill in - those mentoring areas where support is lacking.
Welcome to College and University Budgeting! In this session you will learn about sources of resources for the university, how the university budget model allocates those resources and internal CAS budgeting processes. We will also cover some quick tips to help you be strategic with your funding and some frequently asked questions. We will leave plenty of time at the end to answer any questions you may have.
Creating high quality, engaging classes can help students develop the knowledge and skills they need to succeed both academically and professionally. We will explore university, college, and other resources that you will want to plug into that can help you develop a rewarding learning experience for your students and for yourself, whether you are teaching face-to-face or online. We will also discuss some university and college-level mini-grants that you will want to keep on your radar that may help fund some of your teaching initiative special projects in the future.
Talking with the media and engaging with the public can magnify the impact and awareness of your research. It can be rewarding ― but also daunting. This workshop will help you understand how to pitch stories to the press, prepare for interviews, share your research with non-experts, maintain a social media presence, and find the time to do it all. Attend so you can feel confident in your public relations and outreach.
The promotion process can feel like a daunting, obscure specter in the distance. You know you are on “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 will focus on what you can do now: read and understand your unit guidelines, approach annual and third reviews as practice for promotion review, and hone strategies for keeping organized record of your research, teaching, and service accomplishments. In this session, participants will hear from Josh Tebbs,Professor in Statistics and a former member of the University Committee on Tenue & Promotion; Amanda Zeigler, Director of Undergraduate Studies and Senior Instructor in Biological Sciences; and Nina Levine, Associate Dean for College for Arts and Humanities. For this session, we recommend you bring you review in advance your unit’s promotion process and criteria and bring a copy for discussion.
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, and Claudia 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.
Do you wish you had focused time to develop your writing for publication, or other intellectual and creative work? We all do! Join us for a series of writing sessions during Spring 2024 to help kickstart a productive summer.
What: Join your CAS colleagues for four 120-minute writing sessions led by faculty writer facilitator(s). Come for quiet structured time to write together. Minimal social interaction and a rich social environment to stimulate focus and productivity, without the distractions of email, phone calls, or mundane tasks. In person (but zoom participation can also be accommodated for some or all sessions). Coffee and light snacks will be provided.
When: 10 am - noon
Dates: TBD
Where: Hybrid
To Join: Please RSVP and plan to provide a brief description of the project you intend to work on across these sessions.
Questions or suggestions? Please contact Program Leaders: Dr. Hannah Rule (ruleh@mailbox.sc.edu) or Dr. Sheryl Wiskur (wiskur@mailbox.sc.edu).
MID-CAREER FACULTY TRACK
The Mid-career Faculty program track draws on the resources of the National Center
for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) to provide practical advice and resources
for post-tenure/post-promotion 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 (for those pursuing
promotion to Full or Professor of Practice), and identifying good mentors. While all
Mid-career Faculty in the College are welcome to participate, post-promotion faculty
who are beginning to work towards promotion to Full or Professors of Practice, are
especially encouraged to attend.
All sessions will be held in person in Petigru 321.
Guest speaker: Bryan Gentry (Director of Communications, College of Arts & Sciences)
Talking with media and engaging with the public can magnify the impact and awareness of your research and teaching. It can be rewarding ― but also daunting. This workshop will help you understand how to pitch stories to the press, prepare for interviews, share your research and teaching with non-experts, maintain a social media presence and find the time to do it all. Attend so you can feel confident in your public relations and outreach.
Questions or suggestions? Please contact Program Leaders:
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 College faculty – tenure-track and professional track – who belong to one or more under-represented ethnic and/or racial communities to build and maintain a fulfilling career in the academy. Faculty will work together to: (1) discuss issues and provide information vital to the personal well-being, professional development, 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.
Questions, suggestions or if you want to join the College Faculty of Color Network, please contact Mylene Culbreath (mylene@mailbox.sc.edu).