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Northwestern Office of the Provost

Faculty Newsletter | January 2023

 

Dear faculty,

 

This time last year, our students were just returning to campus after a period of remote instruction caused by the omicron variant of COVID-19. In many ways, it's hard to believe it has been a year since that time, and three years since the start of the pandemic. To mitigate the effects of the pandemic on faculty at Northwestern, and with input from the Faculty Pandemic Impact Response Workgroup, the Office of the Provost introduced a suite of support resources, programs and policies in Fall 2021.

 

As the effects of the pandemic continue to ripple through the personal and professional lives of faculty, Provost Kathleen Hagerty and I are pleased to share that we are offering additional resources this year, including:

  • Expanded COVID-19 Research Recovery Grants program, now open to tenured associate professors as well as pre-tenure assistant professors who did not receive a grant in the last round. Deadline to apply: Jan. 20
  • Continued expanded funding for the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Arts (HSSA) Grants, which will prioritize instructional/clinical faculty, performing/creative arts faculty and caregivers. Deadline to apply: Jan. 20
  • New flexible Career Development and Writing Support Grants, to be used toward the career development program, academic/writing support program/coach, professional editing/indexing, travel, or other academic service of your choice that best supports your own research or creative work recovery. Deadline to apply: Feb. 20
  • Expanded Faculty Summer Writing Retreats for pre-tenure and non-tenure-eligible assistant professors and tenured and non-tenure-eligible associate professors. Deadline to register: April 7
  • New weekly Faculty On-site Writing Group to support faculty maintaining their writing practice during the quarter.
  • Lecture funds to invite speakers to deliver public lectures while interacting with Northwestern faculty who share scholarly or creative interests.

We hope the grants and writing support programs will assist faculty whose research and creative work was disrupted or delayed during the pandemic.

 

We are grateful for the time that faculty spend supporting students and commend you for the additional time many of you have dedicated to students since the pandemic began. We have created a new webpage with resources for behavioral and academic support in order to assist you in this critical mentorship and support for student success and well-being. We also encourage you to continue to access well-being resources for yourself and to utilize caregiving resources provided by the University.

 

If you have questions, please reach out to faculty@northwestern.edu and a member of the Office of the Provost team will respond.

 

Thank you,

 

Sumit Dhar
Associate Provost for Faculty

News and notes

 

Seeking a Faculty-in-Residence

 

The Faculty-in-Residence (FIR) program is seeking a new member to join its team of full-time Northwestern faculty who live in campus residence halls with the express goal of increasing student-faculty engagement outside of the classroom. Residential Services has opened the application process for the next FIR of the South Area, living in Allison Hall. Application materials will be collected through Feb. 24. Questions about the FIR position can be directed to Director of Residential and Academic Engagement Amanda Mueller at amanda.mueller@northwestern.edu.

 

Faculty Webinar: A Discussion With President Schill

 

President Michael Schill joined Provost Kathleen Hagerty for the Fall 2022 Faculty Webinar on Nov. 9. The event recording has been posted online. The Winter Faculty Webinar has tentatively been scheduled for Feb. 22. The Office of the Provost welcomes suggestions for future webinar topics by emailing officeoftheprovost@northwestern.edu. President Schill also recently participated in two discussions about the role of staff.

 

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Honoring emeriti faculty

 

Northwestern honored the 2020, 2021 and 2022 faculty members who have been appointed to emeritus and emerita status during a Nov. 12 ceremony in Evanston. In total, 167 faculty have earned emeriti status over the past three years. “The appointment to emeritus status recognizes Northwestern’s gratitude for your service and our institution’s desire that, even as our very best faculty members retire from full-time service to the University, they formally remain a part of our outstanding academic community,” Provost Kathleen Hagerty said.

 

Inclusive STEM Teaching Project

 

The Inclusive STEM Teaching Project has announced the fifth course offering starting March 6, and registration is now open. More than 100 Northwestern faculty, PhDs and postdocs have participated, many engaging in an optional local learning community, including a recent faculty learning community in Medill. Join the more than 8,000 faculty, postdocs and graduate students who have participated in Inclusive STEM Teaching. Register for the online course, and if interested in a Northwestern learning community, email the Inclusive STEM Teaching Project at inclusivestemteaching@gmail.com.

 

Faculty Wellness Month winners

 

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Neonatology) Kerri Machut won an annual membership to the Henry Crown Sports Pavilion for her participation in Faculty Wellness Month. Several other faculty members won books and massages. Faculty participants in select events during Northwestern’s Faculty Wellness Month were eligible for the drawing. Northwestern will host a Faculty Wellness Week in the spring.

 

In case you missed it

  • Northwestern graduate students have voted to unionize and will join the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America.
  • For the third consecutive year, the Associated Student Government's Academics Committee has shared a letter to faculty about student learning experiences. The letter includes "recommendations to improve the learning and teaching experience while sustaining a dialogue around accessible and empathetic pedagogy in the classroom."
  • Scholar, author and civil rights lawyer Sherrilyn Ifill will headline Northwestern's 2023 MLK Dream Week with a keynote conversation at 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 23 at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Additional Dream Week events include the candlelight vigil, an oratorical contest and film screenings.
  • The Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion has announced the launch of the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accountability Scholars Mentoring and Leadership Coaching Program (IDEA Scholars), a faculty mentoring and academic leadership development program designed to promote the success of Northwestern’s tenured, mid-career underrepresented faculty while developing a leadership pipeline.
  • Northwestern paid tribute to members of the faculty who have brought distinction to the University by earning important external recognition from societies and agencies around the world during the Faculty Recognition Dinner on Oct. 24.
  • Northwestern shared its annual financial update on Jan. 12.
  • Northwestern has announced the formation of a search committee to identify the next dean of the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.
  • Northwestern has announced the formation of a search committee to identify an associate vice president for Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. The new associate vice president will lead the unit currently known as the Office of Equity.
  • Northwestern has established the Office of FGLI Initiatives to facilitate campus collaboration on strategies and policies that better support the University’s growing population of first-generation and low-income students. Housed within the Office of the Provost, the Office of FGLI Initiatives has two primary goals: promote the success of FGLI students and provide a more equitable experience both in and out of the classroom.
  • The Office of Undergraduate Research recognized six undergraduate students and two faculty members during the Fletcher Awards ceremony on Dec. 2 in Evanston.
  • View more news from around the University.

Faculty support and resources

  

Caregiving support pilot program

 

The Office of Human Resources and the Office of the Provost have teamed up to offer Northwestern’s benefits-eligible faculty a new resource for their family caregiving needs. Cariloop is a comprehensive caregiving facilitator with a track record of excellent customer service that pairs licensed and certified healthcare coaches with clients to assist with finding the caregiving resources they need to manage care transitions and life events. This program is offered only to Northwestern’s benefits-eligible faculty in a one-year pilot. Northwestern will use this pilot to determine whether to continue this partnership beyond the one-year trial and extend the program to Northwestern staff.

 

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Faculty Work/Life and Family Resources

  

The Office of the Provost has published an updated Faculty Work/Life Benefits and Family Resources brochure, which provides information and links to a variety of resources, from the faculty family leave policy and childcare and senior care benefits to the Faculty Wellness Program. Designed for new and continuing faculty, the brochure also is available to faculty search committees to provide to job candidates. If you would like printed versions of the brochures for yourself or to distribute, please email faculty@northwestern.edu.

Mark your calendar

 

Featured events

Key dates

More resources

 

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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