Professional development in higher education is about more than workshops and training, noted Dr. Julie Webber. It is about creating connections with those who have shared aspirations.
Webber took part in the Faculty Success Program of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD). “I was exposed to all the interesting work that is being done at universities across the country,” she said. The program consists of workshops, coaching and training with the goal of building a community.
Webber, a professor of politics and government, has been teaching, researching, and publishing in academia for the past 20 years. “Even though I am advanced in my career, I found the program helpful, as it forced me to think about some uncomfortable realities for women in the academy,” she said.
Webber continued:
“I came to the realization that my personal life was really threatening my work. I was constantly having to renegotiate my time as a divorced person, especially childcare. I took some steps to rectify those problems. Conversations with program directors gave me the idea to go ahead and discuss some of my future goals with my dean. She was very forthcoming with me about what I should try for and what I should abandon as an advanced faculty member. For example, I will not be pursuing an advanced professorship because the model that has been set by prior faculty emphasizes quantity of scholarship over quality. This is not really anyone’s fault; it is just that there are not many models for assessing scholarship in a different way. In terms of teaching, I have incorporated more best practices in my courses to help special needs students. The program helped me to identify what some of those practices looked like and I have even shared them with my son’s teachers as he is on the spectrum. In terms of service, the program provided an opportunity for me to reflect on the kind of university citizen I aim to be. I now think very carefully about my service activities and am always open to new things.”
The Faculty Success Program is an intense, 12-week online summer program intended for 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. The mission of the NCFDD aims to change the face of power in the Academy.
The workshops afforded the opportunity to “formulate best practices for transforming universities into modern institutions,” said Webber. One topic included outdated models for academic career advancement. “Faculty positions and time management are generally modeled on the life of a single man, or man with a caretaker partner,” said Webber, who spoke of the widespread concept of childcare “interfering” with work, a disproportionate share of childcare falling on women. She mentioned learning to navigate academic schedules as a single parent is difficult with night classes, conferences, and long stretches of time uninterrupted for reading and writing.
Other areas of development included nationwide problems such as racism, sexism, disparities in pay between men and women, as well as the lack of diversity on many college campuses whether in the student body, faculty or administration. Illinois State’s participation in the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity is sponsored by the Office of the Provost. Those with question can contact Interim Assistant Vice President for Faculty Development, Diversity, and Learning Deneca Avant.
