Career Development Programs
The Office of the Provost offers a variety of programs to provide faculty the tools they need to do their best work. These programs and workshops are designed to enhance faculty career success and satisfaction.
Additional educational programming will be posted here throughout the year. Contact Joan Marie Johnson, Director for Faculty, at joanmjohnson@northwestern.edu with questions. These programs are open to all faculty or as indicated.
Detailed information and sign-up instructions for each program will be sent by email to eligible faculty.
New Faculty Welcome: Succeeding at Northwestern
September 3, 2020
9am-11am
Welcome to Northwestern! Meet new colleagues and learn about resources and services that will contribute to your work and life at the University. New faculty are invited to attend this online program with welcome remarks from Kathleen Hagerty, Interim Provost, key university leaders, and an interactive session on inclusive learning and teaching.. Questions about the program can be directed to Joan Johnson, at joanmjohnson@northwestern.edu.
Please note that your school may also hold an orientation with school-specific information.
Our office also provides a guide to resources for new and current faculty ranging from living in Evanston and Chicago to resources for research. Learn more.
Solo Success: How to Thrive in the Academy When You Are the Only _____ in Your Department
September 10, 2020
2:30pm-4:30pm
Identify the common challenges and learn specific strategies for maintaining well-being during challenging times, re-imagining research, serving strategically, teaching efficiently, and building strong and healthy professional relationships. Presented by Anthony Ocampo, PhD, from the National Center for Faculty Diversity and Development.
New Faculty: How to Advance Your Research at Northwestern
October 6, 2020
11:30am-1pm
The program is specially designed to highlight the research, funding, networking, and administrative resources available to help you excel in your new role as a faculty member at Northwestern. Learn about key opportunities for building your interdisciplinary networks. The program is organized through the Office of the Provost, and includes presentations with various Northwestern administrators and faculty.
Every Quarter Needs a Plan
October 7, 2020
2pm-4pm
Junior faculty identify personal and professional goals, create a strategic plan to accomplish them, and identify the types of community support and accountability necessary for the most productive and balanced quarter or semester ever. Presented by Rosemarie Roberts, PhD, from the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity.
Faculty Well-Being Conversations Series
The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly altered academic life for faculty, many of whom have additional responsibilities such as homeschooling and caregiving. Join this monthly faculty forum, facilitated by Lesley Lundeen, Well-being Manager, Human Resources, for conversation, sharing, and connection, focused on well-being, boundary-setting, and stress reduction. We will discuss strategies recommended by the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity.
Fall 2020
- October 29: "There's not enough time!"
- November 18: Challenges for Parents Who Are Caregiving During a Pandemic
- December 10: The Art of Saying No
Winter 2021
- February 11: Aligning Time with Priorities
- February 25 (12pm - 1pm): Challenges of Adult and Senior Care During a Pandemic
- March 9 (12pm - 1pm): Avoiding All or Nothing / Perfectionism
- April 15 (12pm - 1pm): Dealing with Chronic Illness as a Faculty Member
Understanding Marginalized Student Experiences at Northwestern: A Faculty Workshop
November 9, 2020
2:30pm-4pm
This workshop will demonstrate how faculty messaging influences marginalized students' motivation and well being, as well as highlight how current events and campus climate impact student experiences more broadly. Participants will have the opportunity to learn to apply strategies and tools that affirm student strengths and create more inclusive campus environments for students from marginalized backgrounds. Presenters include: Kourtney Cockrell, Director of Student Enrichment Services; Mesmin Destin, Associate Professor of Psychology and Human Development and Social Policy; and Daviree Velazquez Phillip, Director of Multicultural Student Affairs.
New Faculty: Navigating Teaching Resources at Northwestern
January 5, 2021
11:30am-1pm
The program is designed to highlight teaching resources available to help you excel in your new role as a faculty member at Northwestern. Learn about opportunities to enhance your teaching through supportive campus units. This collaborative program is hosted by the Office of the Provost in partnership with the Searle Center for Advancing Learning & Teaching, University Libraries, Teaching and Learning Technologies, Academic Support and Learning Advancement, and AccessibleNU.
Responding to Students in Distress: A Primer for Northwestern Faculty
January 29, 2021
4pm-5:30pm
February 9, 2021
2:30pm-4pm
This workshop is intended to provide Northwestern faculty with advice and perspectives on appropriately supporting students in distress and directing them to additional resources. Presenters will include representatives from Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and the Dean of Students Office.
Navigating Northwestern as a Faculty of Color
February 3, 2021
4pm-5:30pm
Faculty of color face unique challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic and the national (and local) uprisings against police brutality and racism have left many faculty of color feeling even more exhausted than usual. Join your peers for conversation, connection, and strategizing, focused on saying no, boundary setting, communities of support, and mentorship. Dr. Ava Thompson Greenwell, Professor at the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, will facilitate the session.
Exploring Personal and Social Identity: Self-reflection as a Tool for Creating Inclusive Classroom Environments
March 8, 2021
12pm-1:30pm
March 16, 2021
9am-10:30am
Participants will engage in discussions of social identity, and power and positionality that typically influence interactions in classroom learning environments. Participants will move through guided and reflective exercises on their learning and teaching contexts in terms of diversity, equity, and inclusion, increase their awareness of the role social identities (theirs and their students’) plays in students’ curricular experiences, and begin to identify effective, evidence-based strategies to create inclusive learning environments. Coming soon: Northwestern University Principles of Inclusive Teaching.
New Faculty: How to Build and Sustain a Mentoring Network
March 11, 2021
11:30am-1pm
This program explores the importance of mentoring in helping you excel in your new role as a faculty member at Northwestern. Learn how to build and sustain your mentoring network of support for different career development and well-being needs. Adam Goodman, Director of the Center for Leadership, will facilitate the session.
TEACHx
May 11 - 13, 2021
TEACHx, Northwestern’s annual symposium that brings together instructors, students, learning designers, and technology specialists to showcase innovative experiments and celebrate successes in teaching and learning through technology, returns in an all-virtual format in 2021. Learn more.
Think Through Your Summer Planning with Wisdom, Intention, and Truthfulness
May 19, 2021
2pm-4pm
In this workshop, you will learn how to plan thoughtfully and with integrity. You will leave with practical strategies to think through and realistically plan for your summer, and a template that you can use for this summer, as well as other seasons (e.g., winter break, sabbatical, and research leave) when you need a wise, intentional, and truthful plan. The workshop will be facilitated by Meggin McIntosh, Professor Emerita, University of Nevada, Reno. Meggin is known as the PhD of Productivity® and has been working with Northwestern faculty for the last two years.
Provost's Faculty Mentoring Program
This new yearlong program brings together small groups of junior faculty with a senior mentor for monthly meetings. Learn more.
A Seat at the Table: Centering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Learning and Teaching
The series is a set of 3 one-hour sessions that brings together a faculty cohort to discuss topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in teaching and learning in virtual learning environments, sponsored by the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching. Learn more.