Supporting Faculty in Professional Growth

The College of Science Faculty Development Program provides funding for tenure-line and career-line faculty to participate in professional development opportunities that will enhance their academic trajectory and/or ability to enrich the college community through ongoing projects.  Examples of opportunities suitable for this program include, but are not limited to, workshops and trainings related to increasing research productivity, effective practices for teaching and/or mentoring, improving time/workload management, and leadership development.   Those who receive funding will also have the opportunity to enrich the college community by sharing what they've learned with their colleagues.

This program covers the cost of registration, travel, and local expenses for a faculty member to attend a professional development event of their choosing.   Remote events and programs are also eligible.  All tenure-line and career-line faculty may apply.

Examples of suitable programs:

• National Center For Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) Faculty Success Program: This 12-week online program helps tenure-track and tenured faculty with the skills necessary to increase research and writing productivity while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
• American Chemical Society (ACS) Leadership Development Program: The ACS LDP curriculum includes both self-paced e-learning courses, and facilitated courses that provide hands-on learning and networking opportunities. Facilitated courses are offered throughout the year at national, regional and local section meetings as well as at the ACS Leadership Institute.
• Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL) STEM Leadership Institute:  This Institute is uniquely designed for early- and mid-career STEM faculty, principal investigators, and administrators who are engaged in leading initiatives and interventions aimed at transforming undergraduate STEM education in their classrooms, departments, and institutions.
• HERS Leadership Institute: The HERS Leadership Institute is a transformational, leadership development program for women in higher education, founded to fill leadership pipelines across the United States with dynamic women, each capable of ushering their respective institutions into a more inclusive and equitable future.
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) IMAGE Grant-Writing Workshop: The ASBMB Interactive Mentoring Activities for Grantsmanship Enhancement grant writing workshop is designed to help early-career scientists and senior postdoctoral fellows write winning proposals for federal research funding.

Application Process

The application includes three parts:

1. A one-page narrative that describes the program you are applying to attend, the time commitment, what you hope to learn, and how it may impact your professional life or activities.  Include a link to the program's webpage as well as any relevant deadlines.
2. A budget that includes all necessary expenses to enable your participation.  If the request is for more than $5000, please also include a statement from your chair/director specifying what resources the department/school can supply.
3. Your CV.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed by a committee of three academic leaders, at least one of whom is from the broader campus community.  You can expect a response within two weeks of submitting your application.

Expectations

Faculty who receive funding to attend an event or complete a program are expected to attend, participate, and complete any assignments as required by the program.  They will also be expected to share some of what they've learned with others in the college community through an organized activity within 90 days of the event or completion of the program.  This may be done, for example, through a 45 minute presentation to junior faculty or any other appropriate subgroup of faculty.  The Dean's Office will work with you to coordinate this event.

Those who attend leadership programs will also be asked to debrief with their chair/director and the College of Science dean and associate deans upon completion of the program.

For questions, please contact Pearl Sandick, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs (pearl.sandick@utah.edu).

Submit application packages (as a pdf file) to office@science.utah.edu