HERI Institute on Faculty Work/Life Issues
The inaugural HERI Institute on Faculty Work/Life Issues is fast approaching (May 22-24), and I wanted to share some more information about the curriculum that Dr. Sylvia Hurtado and I have planned. We have designed the Institute to include a mix of research and practice perspectives for understanding faculty behavior and working conditions and improving teaching and learning on campus. The Institute features a number of opportunities for participants to network with one another and share best practices and effective strategies for recruiting and retaining faculty, supporting their work, and improving teaching and learning.
We have posted a preliminary agenda for the Institute here. The morning of the first day will feature presentations by me and Sylvia highlighting some of the key findings that have come from analyses of our national surveys of college faculty and insightful frameworks that can offer some perspective in understanding faculty behaviors and motivators.
Just before lunch, Sylvia and I will facilitate a conversation among participants to discuss key sources of stress that faculty encounter on campus and the ways in which campuses are addressing these issues.
After lunch Sylvia will present some of the latest research on how faculty and administrators can use data to assess and improve teaching and learning on their campuses. Afterwards, our afternoon breakout session will provide another opportunity for participants to network and learn from one another about campus-based strategies being implemented to improve teaching and learning through behavioral change. We will wrap up the day focusing on understanding the needs and experiences of faculty of color.
I will begin our Friday morning conversation by talking about part-time faculty, their connection to student outcomes, and how campuses can support this ever-growing segment of the academic workforce. Later in the morning, I will be joined by my UCLA colleague Susan Drange Lee to discuss issues related to faculty retention, retirement, and recruitment. I will give particular attention to issues of faculty retention and the coming wave of faculty retirements expected over the next decade. Susan will offer some insights on UCLA’s approach to faculty recruitment with a particular focus on recruiting for a more diverse faculty.
We plan to end the Institute with a sneak peek at the changes we have made for the 2013-2014 HERI Faculty Survey, which goes into the field later this summer.
For more information about the Institute, please visit our registration page. I hope you will consider joining us for what promises to be an intellectually engaging event.
