IU faculty members attend summer “boot camp” for career advice

This past spring, IU became a member of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity, an independent professional development, training and mentoring community for more than 18,000 graduate students, faculty members and post-doctoral students, according to a press release.

Provost Lauren Robel announced IU Bloomington’s NCFDD membership in her State of the Campus address in February.

“We invested in an institutional membership after hearing from faculty members who had found NCFDD on their own and benefited enormously from it,” Robel said in the release. “We are committed to supporting our faculty members throughout their academic journeys and recognizing the particular needs that accompany each stage of an academic career. The center’s expertise in supporting minority faculty members made the service especially attractive.”

Now, more than 20 IU Bloomington faculty members are participating in the community’s Faculty Success Program, a summer “boot camp” that helps faculty launch and maintain successful academic careers, according to the release.

The Faculty Success Program is the NCFDD’s signature program, according to the release. The program aims to teach participants “strategies for increasing research productivity, building academic networks and reputations, and balancing work with personal and family life,” according to the release.

The Provost’s office and several academic units will provide scholarships for Program participants, according to the release.

“The administration is deeply committed to enabling our young and mid-career faculty to succeed,” Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs Tom Gieryn said in the release. “The Faculty Success Program builds on tested methods to help faculty with the challenge of balancing many priorities and excelling as scholars and teachers.” \

-Makenzie Holland