Following a successful pilot program in 2022, the Office of the Provost will offer scholarships to up to 10 faculty members to attend a nationally recognized, summer-long professional development event. The summer Faculty Success Program (FSP), offered by the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity, is an intense, 12-week program starting in May. It is intended for tenure-track and tenured faculty members who want to improve research productivity through accountability, coaching, and peer support and to propel their work-life balance and personal growth to a completely new level. More information on the application process, FSP registration, and requirements for recipients of funding support can be found on the Office of the Provost website.
A centering experience
The Faculty Success Program focuses on the whole faculty member, a bootcamp that seeks to transform the personal, as well as the professional, life. The program emphasizes balance between institutional priorities and one’s own goals, time management strategies, and one’s physical and emotional health.
The Office of the Provost provided scholarships, in partnership with colleges, schools, and departments. Some of the faculty who participated in the program last summer shared their experiences.
“This is something that doesn’t necessarily train you to be a better faculty member, although it does do that,” says April Anderson-Zorn, university archivist and associate professor at Milner Library. “You become a more effective professional in whatever field you’re in—in your professional life, in your professional career, whatever stage you’re at.”
“The bulk of the curriculum is really a lot about time management,” notes Dr. Julie Webber, a professor in the Department of Politics and Government. “How you’re managing your time and how you’re getting to your writing and your work.”
Anderson-Zorn adds, “For, me, personally, it was definitely a centering of myself as a professional and as a mom and as a person. It was a centering experience.”
Goals and vision
The Faculty Success Program experience relies heavily on accountability to a small group of peers, who help keep participants on track with activities that include writing, reflection, and goal setting.
“It was a lot of work,” Webber says. “It was daily check-ins, weekly and daily homework, reading things. Kind of like being back in graduate school.”
But unlike one’s graduate studies, the Faculty Success Program focuses more on personal rather than disciplinary outcomes.
Dr. Grace Kang, an associate professor in the School of Teaching and Learning, notes that she was able to complete an article and other manuscripts as a part of the 12-week bootcamp. But, she says, the process itself has even more value.
“When you have a larger vision and goal that you want to meet, it’s hard to meet those things on a day-to-day level, week-to-week, month-to-month. That’s something the bootcamp really teaches,” Kang explains. “What they teach us is how to create your own strategic plan, and how to start with a larger vision and goal, and how to solidify those goals in the day-to-day. I appreciated their perspective of, ‘This is your ship that you’re steering, and this is where you want to head, your future trajectory.’”
Making connections
In addition to weekly training videos and other online activities, participants meet with a small group of peers and expert coaches for weekly sessions. Groups are formed with peers from other institutions based on questions designed to identify one’s interest and priorities.
“For instance,” Kang says, “for myself, as a woman and a woman of color, and as an associate professor, I wanted folks that were from similar backgrounds. So, I was in a group with five other women of color, actually, including my leader. You could also put if you were a mother, if you have children—that factors because of work-family balance.”
Many of the Illinois State faculty who participated in the program lauded the opportunity to truly connect with peers at other institutions, finding valuable perspectives, and a sense of community which lasts beyond the program.
“We still have our team of four faculty outside of ISU, even though we completed the program in August,” says Dr. Sundeep Inti, an assistant professor in the Department of Technology. “So, we are continuing. It’s more or less to encourage each other to accomplish our goals and to give some feedback on our work. It’s more like a buddy kind of thing.”
Connections like that are not just about productivity, but also, well-being.
“People tend to experience stress in isolation,” observes Webber. “This is a good program for you to sort of get a perspective that probably everybody else feels the same way you do, is struggling with the same things, and it’s not you. It’s kind of a good experience for that. It’s like a consciousness raising group.”
Following their participation in last summer’s FSP, faculty members who received funding from the Office of the Provost were part of an ISU cohort to complement and continue the bootcamp support. These meetings, facilitated by Interim Assistant Vice President for Faculty Development, Diversity, and Learning Dr. Deneca Winfrey Avant, allotted time for group discussions, support, and accountability.
Funding and program requirements
The Provost’s Office scholarships allot $2,800 per participant, with funds from the applicant’s department or college covering the remainder of the $4,650 cost. Faculty must submit a form outlining their department’s endorsement and commitment for funding at the time of their scholarship application.
In addition to completing the bootcamp, recipients either individually or in small groups are required to share what they learned from their participation with the university community. They will also be a part of the second ISU cohort who will meet periodically for small group shared experience support.
The Faculty Success Program summer bootcamp runs from May 14 through August 5. To find out more about the requirements of the program, and to apply by March 3, 2023, see the Provost Office’s website.
