Program Components

Summer Grants Program | return to top

The Faculty Development Summer Grants Program offers faculty the opportunity to obtain financial support for scholarly, artistic, curricular and instructional projects undertaken during the summer months. The grants are awarded by the Summer Grants Committee, which is comprised of the five elected faculty members of the Faculty Development Committee. Over 360 grants have been awarded since the fund's inception in 1986.

Application form: J:\facdev\public\2008-09 Summer Grant Application.doc

Recipients:   Summer 2008 | Summer 2007 | Summer 2006

Faculty Development Fund | return to top

The Faculty Development Fund (FDF) is designed to help faculty defray the cost of professional growth activities and projects.  The elected members of the Faculty Development Committee review applications.  The Director of Faculty Development manages the fund and administers the awards, but does not judge the proposals. All full- and part-time faculty are eligible to apply for monies from the FDF, with part-time faculty receiving prorated allotments based upon the number of undergraduate courses taught per year.  Proposals are judged on the basis of their potential for enhancing the applicants' professional growth.
 
Typically, monies for the Fund come from the Faculty Endowment Fund (i.e., 1/3 of the annual interest).  Any part of the annual allotment not used during the academic year is returned to the Faculty Endowment Fund at the end of the fiscal year.  If in any given year the allotment should prove insufficient to meet faculty needs, additional monies may be transferred from the Endowment Fund to the FDF in accordance with existing College policy. 

The Director and members of the Faculty Development Committee carefully monitor the disbursement of FDF monies, modifying procedures and guidelines in accordance with changing faculty needs and expectations.  In the future, as in the past, faculty input will be central to FDC deliberations on the FDF as Committee members continue doing their best to be just and prudent stewards of this important Fund.

Application form: J:\facdev\public\Faculty Development Fund.doc
Recipients: 2007-08 academic year | 2006-07 academic year | 2005-06 academic year

Student-Faculty Development Endowment Fund | return to top

Early in the Spring Semester of 1985-1986, Beth Maren, Chair of the Class of '86 Gift Committee, invited Ken Zahorski, then Director of Faculty Development, to a Committee meeting for the purpose of establishing a class gift designed to promote student-faculty scholarly, pedagogical, artistic, and curricular collaborations.  Out of this and other such planning sessions, the concept of "Project '86: The Ultimate Partnership" was born.
 
To help the dream of "Project '86" become reality, each member of the senior class was invited to donate $86.00 over a three-year period.  On June 30, 1990, the date marking the end of that three-year period, the Student-Faculty Development Endowment Fund principal had generated sufficient interest to provide a $1000.00 award for 1990-1991.  Thus, thanks to the generosity of the Class of '86 the SNC academic community was provided with another in-house funding source from which to draw.
 
Since Dr. Tim Flood, Associate Professor of Geology, and James Sullivan, a SNC Natural Science major, received the first Student-Faculty Development Endowment Fund award in October, 1990, the Fund has grown considerably, thanks to the generosity of the F.W. Olin Foundation.  Citing our institution as a "center of academic excellence," the Foundation awarded a $100,000.00 grant to SNC in the fall of 1991 for the purpose of supporting faculty development in general, and joint student-faculty learning partnerships in particular.  The addition of Olin Grant monies to the initial "Project '86" gift has provided the OFD with the monetary support needed to make available several $1,000.00 Student-Faculty Development Endowment Fund grants each year.

The Student-Faculty Development Endowment Fund is a unique and exciting growth opportunity promising substantial benefits for students, faculty, and the institution as a whole.  The Office of Faculty Development worked on the project for three years before the first call for applications in the Fall Semester of 1990-1991: first helping to refine the concept; then helping to develop strategies for promoting it; and, finally, drafting a set of funding guidelines and establishing an Awards Committee.  The Awards Committee is comprised of the Faculty Development Student Intern (Chair), the President or officer of the Student Government Association, the President or officer of another academic club (these alternate by year), and two faculty members from the Faculty Development Committee.  Through the use of a carefully planned and implemented promotional strategy, the Awards Committee has, with each passing year, created greater visibility for the Fund among SNC students.  As a result, many grant partnerships are now student initiated.  The Director and members of the FDC are pleased to have played a role in developing this Fund and look forward to administering and nurturing it in the years ahead.  Past projects have studied the effects of eyeglasses on interpersonal attraction, translated a text from German to English, conducted a marketing study for the Green Bay Packers, and studied immune cell activation in mice.

Application form: J:\facdev\public\SFDEF Application.doc
Recipients:  2008-09 academic year | 2007-08 academic year | 2006-07 academic year | 2005-06 academic year

Student Academic Travel Fund | return to top

Designed to help students defray the cost of presenting papers at academic conferences and participating in academic competitions, this fund offers several $100 awards each year. 

In the fall of 2004, in an effort to streamline the student funding process, the Director of Faculty Development and the Faculty Development Committee began administering the Academic Clubs Fund, which had been under the purview of Dr. John Sutton, Associate Vice President for Academic Services and Budgeting.  The Student Academic Travel Fund, as it is now known, is intended to help students defray the cost of participating in academic conferences and competitions.  To get an idea of how many students would be applying for funds each year, faculty who worked with students on conference presentations and/or helped them prepare for academic competitions were asked to complete an Intent to Apply for Student Academic Travel Funds Form.  The responses led to setting the budget at $100.00 per student per academic year. 
 
The fund for the 2007-2008 school year was approximately $4,500.00 ($2,500.00 in program budget monies and an additional $2,000.00 from an anonymous donor). The Student Academic Travel fund funded thirty-two students to attend seven professional conferences.  At the end of the fiscal year, all students were informed that there was a small amount of money remaining in the fund and that if they still had additional outstanding receipts, to turn them in for reimbursement.  Many students took advantage of this extra reimbursement.  As in past years, students were active participants in the conference or the competition to be considered for funding. 

Application form: J:\facdev\public
Recipients:  2007-08 academic year | 2006-07 academic year

Student Fellowship and Scholarship | return to top

The Office of Faculty Development has created a brochure giving pertinent information about national student fellowships and scholarships.  This brochure is distributed to advisors before the fall semester advising dates.    This past year, the Office helped the Fellowship Committee process several applications.  

2008-09 brochure is available here

Celebrating Student and Faculty/Staff Collaborations | return to top

2009 program is available here

Celebrating Student and Faculty/Staff Collaborations focuses on the valued tradition at St. Norbert College of collaborations taking place in labs, in studios and in other scholarly or creative settings, resulting in a rich array of scholarly research and creative works. Celebrating Student and Faculty/Staff Collaborations features collaborative projects that grew out of independent studies, class assignments and informal conversations as well as those collaborations supported through Student-Faculty Development Endowment Funds or the Research Fellows Program. The celebration is co-sponsored by the Office of Faculty Development and the Office of the Dean of the College. >>MORE

Annual Faculty Development Conference | return to top

Initiated in 1988 and held during semester break, the conference features can feature outside speakers, St. Norbert College faculty and student exploring topics of college-wide interest. 

Topics: conference topics

"Spotlight on Scholarship" Series | return to top

"Spotlight on Scholarship," a series of informal presentation/discussion sessions, is designed to recognize the professional achievement in scholarship at St. Norbert College and to celebrate the rich diversity and talents of our colleagues.

Schedule:  Spring 2009 schedule | Fall 2008 schedule | Spring 2008 schedule | Fall 2007 schedule 

"Teaching and Learning Workshop" Series | return to top

"Teaching and Learning Workshop," a series of Friday afternoon discussion sessions, provides a forum for the exchange of ideas about teaching and learning. A guest presenter begins each session with a brief description of some teaching strategy and then invites questions and comments. Thus, the sessions have focus, but informal discussion constitutes the primary mode of discourse.

Schedule: 

Schedule for Spring 2009 workshops.

Schedule for Fall 2008 workshops.

Information on the second Fall 2007 workshop is available.

Information on the first Fall 2007 workshop is available.

GS 12 Course Development Application  return to top

In the fall of 2007, after consultation with the Curriculum and Educational Policy Committee, the Office of the Dean and the OFD established The Fund for Interdisciplinary GS Area 12 Course Development to strengthen our General Education Program by expanding our course offerings in General Studies Area 12.  Tom Bolin received funding to develop the course, "Food for Thought" this academic year.

Individual Counseling | return to top

One of the director's primary functions is to offer individual consultation to colleagues seeking advice and information on professional, curricular, instructional and personal concerns. All individual consultation is done on a voluntary and confidential basis.

Resource Center - Boyle 320 | return to top

The Resource Center (Boyle Hall, Room 320) serves several functions.  First, it provides faculty easy access to a wide variety of professional materials.  Second, it serves as a reading room for faculty wishing to take advantage of the Center's collection of texts, bound articles, and journals.  Third, it serves as a viewing room for those who wish to preview videotapes and DVDs.  And, finally, it serves as the office and working area for the Faculty Development Office Manager and Office of Faculty Development Research Assistants.
 
The Resource Center holds nearly 1,800 full-length works treating a wide variety of pedagogical, curricular, and professional matters.  About 35 new full-length works have been added to the Resource Center this past year.  In addition, the Center carries subscriptions to several periodicals, newspapers, and newsletters, including Catholic Education, The Journal of Higher Education, Liberal Education, The Teaching Professor, and Diverse Issues in Higher Education.  Further, the Center subscribes to two quarterly source books: New Directions for Teaching and Learning and New Directions for Higher Education.  In response to the needs of the community, we have added subscriptions to Women in Higher Education and The Journal of Faculty Development.  The Office Manager is available to help find additional information on issues in higher education.
 
A set of Merriam-Webster dictionaries, guides, and handbooks places helpful reference works at the fingertips of faculty.  Included in the set are the Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Collegiate Thesaurus, Dictionary of Synonyms, Style Manual, New Biographical Dictionary, Instant Word Guide, and Guide to Abbreviations.  To support the College’s review of the General Education Program, texts have been added to the collection dealing with service-learning, diversity issues, and first-year seminars.   All of the full-length works in the Resource Center have been catalogued and cross-referenced by author, title, and subject for easy access, and are also in the Todd Wehr Library’s on-line catalogue.
 
Other resource materials in the files include copies of successful in-house grant applications (e.g., Faculty Development Fund, Summer Grants Program, Fund for Pedagogical Development, and Student-Faculty Development Endowment Fund), sabbatical proposals, first-year review essays, promotion essays, and videotapes of the Faculty Development Conferences.  HFA faculty searches place applicant files in the Resource Center for the search committee to have easy access.  Copies of the materials from the Webinars on Advising are also available in the Resource Center. 
 
An Office of Faculty Development web site provides a general overview of the OFD, brief descriptions of program components, and data on program administration.  The web site also contains detailed information on a number of specific OFD activities, including the Annual Faculty Development Conference, the “Teaching and Learning” Workshops, and the “Spotlight on Scholarship” series.  Information is updated periodically.  We continue to compile, print and distribute a calendar to all colleagues in Academic Affairs, listing events pertinent to the faculty.  This calendar has received rave reviews, and requests to continue publishing. 

New Faculty Orientation and Mentor Program for New Faculty | return to top

The New Faculty Orientation Program, designed to acclimate both full- and part-time new faculty to the SNC academic community, has three primary components: (1) an August orientation session designed to acquaint new faculty with key academic programs and administrative offices, to supply information about College facilities and services, and to provide a forum for exchanging ideas about instructional, collegial and professional responsibilities; (2) a series of six workshops exploring topics of particular interest to new faculty; and (3) a Mentor Program in which experienced colleagues work with new faculty during their first year at the College, offering them opportunities to discuss professional and personal concerns. 
 
The new faculty orientation process actually begins months before the August orientation session. During the preceding academic year, the Director meets with all candidates seeking teaching positions, and during these hour-long interviews describes the Faculty Development Program and, through close questioning, begins assessing the professional needs of the candidates.  The Director also attends as many of the candidates’ class presentations as possible; this practice not only helps generate a well-informed assessment of each candidate's pedagogical skills, but also helps identify areas in which the faculty member might be assisted.
 
Surveys administered directly after the August Orientation Program and at the end of each workshop reveal a very high level of satisfaction with the Program.

Mentor Program

One of the College’s greatest assets is the talented people we recruit to the faculty.  Helping them to develop professionally in teaching, scholarship, advising, and service is one of the most important functions of the Office of Faculty Development.  Effective mentoring of new faculty reaps concrete benefits for the person being mentored, the mentor, and the institution.  This explains in part why Faculty Development focuses so intentionally on the Mentor Program. 
 
We offer a mentor training session in late September to help clarify expectations for mentors and discuss best practices in mentoring.  Successful mentor-mentee pairs from the past share their experiences and new mentors brainstorm with experienced mentors about mentoring strategies.  We are able to offer resources to mentors in order to facilitate their interaction with their new colleagues, including a copy of Brad Johnson’s useful publication, On Being a Mentor: A Guide for Higher Education Faculty.   Furthermore, the OFD provides funding to facilitate interaction between mentor pairs.  In addition, the Director piloted a presentation on and discussion about effective mentoring at the New Faculty Orientation program.  This session was well received by new faculty and has been permanently added to the schedule.

Celebrating Collegiality Mixers | return to top

Two Celebrating Collegiality events are held each academic year, one each semester. These socials enhance faculty morale and nurture community and collegiality.   Because these events are set-up in an "open house" style, attendance is difficult to estimate, but the majority of faculty was able to attend at least part of the afternoon.  Feedback is always positive.

Faculty Emeriti Relations | return to top

In our ongoing effort to establish a more consistent pattern of meeting and interacting with Faculty Emeriti, Emeriti are invited back to campus for several events.  Of note, the OFD sponsors a luncheon each semester. 

We again secured two offices for those Emeriti who want to continue working in the college environment, Cofrin Hall Room 317 and Boyle Hall Room 458.  Emeriti are invited to participate in Commencement ceremonies.  In addition, other offices on campus have become aware of the importance of keeping our emeriti “in the loop,” and so Emeriti are included in every event that might interest them.
 
The Office of Faculty Development, in collaboration with the President and Dean of the College, host a farewell dinner for retiring faculty and their guests.  Earlier in the day, the college community recognizes their years of dedicated service at the Faculty Awards Reception. The community also presented gifts of appreciation.

Topical Sessions on Teaching | return to top

This component of the Faculty Development Program complements the "Spotlight on Scholarship" and “Teaching and Learning” Workshops series, providing faculty with opportunities to discuss in small- and large-group settings a broad range of professional, social, personal, and spiritual topics.  Expressed faculty interests and institutional needs determine the selection of topical sessions.  The Director and the Faculty Development Committee work toward creating a balanced set of offerings, offsetting sessions that explore more general trends and issues in higher education with those that develop specific, usable skills and techniques. 

Fund for Pedagogical Development  | return to top

In August, 2006, the Faculty Development Committee proposed to the Dean of the College that an additional $1,000.00 be set aside per academic year for two $500.00 awards to be granted to faculty who wish to attend (rather than present at) pedagogical conferences. The same eligibility rules, guidelines, and application procedures would govern these applications as govern traditional FDF applications. After attending the conference, the faculty member, in consultation with the Director of Faculty Development, determines the most appropriate forum for sharing the knowledge and/or expertise gained from the conference with colleagues and sets a date for this forum.
 
The rationale for this proposal was that a faculty member may currently apply for Faculty Development funds to attend a conference if he/she is performing a significant role at the conference (e.g. presenting a paper or a poster, chairing a session). However, FDF funds will not ordinarily be allocated to support attendance at an annual association convention or conference at which the applicant is not presenting a paper or performing a significant role.  The Faculty Development Committee notes that while these guidelines encourage and support faculty scholarship, the FDC would also like to encourage faculty members to stay current in their fields, especially in the areas of pedagogy and technology. Annual meetings often provide the best opportunity to learn about new technology and pedagogy.
 
This proposal was approved by Dean Marsden for the 2006-2007 academic year and again for the 2007-2008 academic year.  For 2007-2008, Brian Pirman, Associate Professor of Art and Justin Dubas, Assistant Professor of Economics were awarded these funds.
 
Because of the success of this new funding source, it is hoped that we will be able to offer this funding well into the future.  The Office of the Dean has already agreed to continue funding two of these awards for the 2008-2009 academic year, and Faculty Development has decided to divert $1,000.00 from the program budget to fund an additional two awards, making four awards available for the 2008-2009 year.