Virginia Tech joins the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity
Virginia Tech is now an institutional member of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity.
The independent center provides professional development, training, and mentorship opportunities to more than 65,000 members representing colleges and universities in the United States. The center focuses on helping faculty, particularly underrepresented faculty, successfully make the transition from graduate student to professor.
As an institutional member since Feb. 16, graduate students, post-doctoral associates, and faculty members from all ranks can enroll in a free sub-account membership to get access to the center’s online resources which include webinars, multi-week courses, discussion forums, accountability matches, and career center, among others. Resources focus on increasing productivity, time management, maintaining work-life balance, resolving conflict, personal organizations, and cultivating mentors, sponsors, and collaborators.
“We recognize the high expectations we have for our faculty, especially our new faculty,” said Provost Mark McNamee. “Our membership with the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity will provide additional resources beyond our campus to help faculty be successful while maintaining balance at home.”
All faculty members at Virginia Tech are able to create an account to access the center’s online resources. Information about this benefit and how to sign up is posted on the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost’s website.
Almost 40 other colleges and universities are institutional members of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity. More than 120 institutions have had faculty participate in the center’s other development opportunities.
“While most of the center’s resources are online, the Office of the Provost will be seeking opportunities to open up the conversation further through activities such as brown bag events to view the live workshops,” said Jack Finney, vice provost for faculty affairs. As opportunities are scheduled, announcements will be made through Virginia Tech News.
Membership in the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity is one of the InclusiveVT initiatives put forward by the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost. InclusiveVT is the new model to advance inclusion and diversity efforts at the university. The approach required every senior leader to submit at least three initiatives within their area of responsibility. Each initiative was made public in order to hold leaders accountable for progress.
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.
