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Northwestern Office of the Provost

Faculty Newsletter | November 2021

 

Dear colleagues,

 

At the end of this month, we will bid a fond farewell to one of Northwestern’s strongest champions for faculty wellness with the retirement of Dr. Richard Carroll. In his five years as founding director of Northwestern’s Faculty Wellness Program (FWP), Dr. Carroll has helped hundreds of faculty members successfully navigate personal and professional challenges.

 

Modeled after the Feinberg School of Medicine’s successful Faculty Wellness Program, the FWP’s primary function is to provide resources for faculty members experiencing difficulties stemming from stress, depression, anxiety, family strains, workplace relationship problems, burnout, alcohol or substance abuse, or other issues. As Dr. Carroll notes, acknowledging stressors can be difficult for academics who tend to set high personal and professional expectations, but early recognition and intentional care efforts can often prevent more serious consequences later.

 

Dr. Carroll, an associate professor in Feinberg’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, helped establish the FWP in 2016. Through his collaboration and steady leadership, the University has built a solid foundation of awareness and support for faculty well-being that is linked to expectations and accountability for appropriate faculty conduct. Dr. Carroll effectively built relationships with school and other University leaders, quickly earning a reputation as a trusted resource. His approach to the work has centered faculty wellness and well-being in consequential policies and processes.

 

Dr. Carroll will be succeeded by Dr. Gaurava Agarwal, who has the professional experience and creative approach to ensure the FWP will remain a valuable faculty resource for years to come. Dr. Agarwal is an associate professor in Feinberg’s Departments of Medical Education and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences who also serves as the director of Physician Well-Being for Northwestern Medicine’s Medical Groups. My office looks forward to introducing Dr. Agarwal to you in the coming weeks and months.

 

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Carroll on his retirement and welcoming Dr. Agarwal to his new role. 

 

Thank you,

 

Sumit Dhar
Associate Provost for Faculty

News and notes

 

New and expanded research grants

 

The Office of the Provost has established a new COVID-19 Research Recovery Grant Program and increased funding for Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts Grants to assist faculty whose research was delayed or interrupted by the pandemic. Applications for both grant programs will be reviewed by a faculty committee. The deadline to apply for the grants is Jan. 7. Faculty with questions are encouraged to email faculty@northwestern.edu. In the coming weeks, Northwestern will announce additional personal and professional resources that address recommendations in a forthcoming report by the Faculty Pandemic Impact Response Workgroup.

 

Introduce Yourself and Your Courses to Students

 

This winter, faculty are invited to participate in Coming Soon to a Classroom Near You, an opportunity to engage students (mostly first- and second-years) and informally discuss course themes, scholarly interests and more. Rather than relying on catalog descriptions, students can learn about you, your courses and your department through conversation. Northwestern's Faculty-in-Residence have hosted Coming Soon dinners for years and are eager to resume the tradition in Winter Quarter 2022. Students often learn about courses they might never have considered. For more information, contact Brad Zakarin, Director of Residential Academic Initiatives, at b-zakarin@northwestern.edu.

 

Excellence in Teaching Alliance

 

The Searle Center has established the Excellence in Teaching Alliance, bringing together new and experienced full-time teaching-line (NTE) faculty to promote community building and professional development across and within schools. The initiative, developed by a working group of teaching faculty in collaboration with the Searle Center and the Office of the Provost, provides space and time for small cohorts of faculty to reflect together on key issues and questions in teaching and learning, with guidance and resources from the Searle Center. This year, 90 faculty members are participating in the program.

 

Charles Deering McCormick University Librarian search

 

The Office of the Provost has launched a search for the next Charles Deering McCormick University Librarian. The search committee is gathering input on the desired attributes and experience of the University Librarian through a series of listening sessions in November, December and January, including a listening session for Northwestern faculty scheduled for 9 a.m. Dec. 2. Faculty are encouraged to register online to participate. All members of the University community are invited to share feedback, submit questions and recommend candidates by contacting the search committee at UniversityLibrarianSearch@northwestern.edu.

 

In case you missed it

Faculty support and resources

 

Lesley Lundeen smiles into the camera.

 

Meet Lesley Lundeen

 

This month’s featured staff member is Lesley Lundeen, Well-being Manager and part of the WELL (Well-being, Engagement, Learning and Leadership) team in central Human Resources. Lesley has worked at Northwestern for five years, three of them in this role.

 

How does your work support Northwestern’s faculty?

I oversee the University’s work/life and wellness resources and programs for both faculty and staff as well as a great team made up of our Wellness Specialist, Evelyn Cordero, and our new Dependent Care Specialist, Angelica Viramontes. That includes our childcare (which graduate students can also access) and adult/senior care support; our YourLife Wellness program; our Employee Assistance Program with its free confidential counseling sessions; Mental Health First Aid training; and individual well-being, caregiver and flexible work (what we now call Alternative Work Strategies) consultations. I also co-lead the Faculty Well-being Conversation series with Joan Johnson, Director of Faculty, and Richard Carroll, Director of the Faculty Wellness Program.

 

What is your proudest accomplishment at Northwestern?

This pandemic year was rough, so I’m grateful and proud that my team and I were able not only to connect faculty and staff with existing resources but also to add new supports like backup child care; the Northwestern Sitters and Tutors Network; the temporary COVID-19 Dependent Care Grant; the Mental Health First Aid program; and the Alternative Work Strategies toolkit. Many of these programs have been requested by faculty and staff for years, so it was especially gratifying to launch them this year when the need for such support was greater than ever.

 

Can you share a personal fun fact about yourself?

I’m a dual Brazilian/U.S. citizen and, growing up, spent many a summer at my grandmother’s apartment, which was around the corner from Copacabana beach.

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Help us build future newsletters! If your school or department is working on a project that is relevant to the entire faculty, send an email to faculty@northwestern.edu.

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