2020-2021 Faculty Development and Leadership Programs

Chairs Welcome Program
September 17 and 18, 2020
9am-10:30am

The Chairs Welcome Program is open to all current and incoming department chairs. The Office of the Provost has substantially redesigned the program from years past, and encourages all chairs, even those who have attended the New Chairs Welcome in the past, to attend this year.

A Conversation with the Provost
December 16, 2020
12pm-1pm

Faculty leaders are invited to meet with Provost Kathleen Hagerty for a discussion of winter quarter plans and Provost Office priorities, opportunities, and challenges. Provost Hagerty will provide updates and answer your questions during this exchange.

Academic Overwhelm: Is There an Alternative? Strategize Your Way Out of the Overwhelm
January 7, 2021
10am-12pm

In this workshop, you will learn practical strategies for email and calendar management, clear and graceful ways to say “no,” how to identify and mitigate limiting beliefs, and much more! You will know how to integrate these new practices into your day, supported by subtle mindset shifts—all with the intention of moving you from being overwhelmed to being “just whelmed.” You will leave the workshop with tools to help you solve for ways to do the work that matters most to you, without inflicting (further?) damage to your health, your relationships, and your long-term productivity. 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.

A Conversation with the Provost
March 18, 2021
2pm-3pm

Faculty leaders are invited to meet with Provost Kathleen Hagerty for a discussion of the University’s priorities and financial outlook for the rest of the academic year and for 2021-2022. Provost Hagerty will provide updates and answer your questions during this exchange.

Navigating Equity Challenges as a Faculty Leader
April 7, 2021
12pm-1pm

Faculty leaders are invited to meet with Associate Vice President for Equity, TiShaunda McPherson to learn about the Office of Equity, including its policies, resources, and training. There will also be a discussion about strategies and guidance for dealing with equity challenges as a faculty leader, and potential scenarios that faculty leaders may encounter.

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 Marie 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.  

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 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.

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.

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

Spring 2021

• April 15 (12pm - 1pm): Dealing with Chronic Illness as a Faculty Member
• June 3 (3:30pm - 4:30pm): Reflecting on Living through a Year of COVID-19 – Looking Back and Thinking Ahead

Presenting Online: Best Practices in Creating and Delivering Presentations Virtually
January 28, 2021
10am-12pm

Heather Barnes, an expert in improvisation and communicating science, teaches you how to elevate your online presentation skills, create strong PowerPoint slides, and more effectively convey your research to colleagues and the public from your laptop.