This summer, faculty can broaden and enhance their leadership skills through the 2019 Summer Leadership Institute, scheduled for July 22-25. The program is part of a varied set of professional development opportunities for faculty members that include writing workshops and seminars on mentoring, inclusion and other career-development topics.
The three-day Summer Leadership Institute, held at the Graduate Athens, will allow a cohort of faculty to improve their leadership skills in a shared learning environment. The program is recommended for faculty in any career track or rank who have an interest in leading at any organizational scale, from small research teams to entire academic units. For questions about the program or to apply by the June 21 deadline, contact Carly Surratt at csurratt@uga.edu.
“UGA is committed to supporting the success of its outstanding faculty in all stages of their careers,” said Sarah Covert, associate provost for faculty affairs. “The purpose of our professional development offerings is to help UGA faculty reach new heights by developing their skills in novel ways and furthering their goals.”
Applications for the third cohort of the Aspire Fellows program, which will begin monthly sessions in the fall, also are due June 21. This program allows mid-career or senior faculty to realize new aspirational goals. New department head orientation sessions, the Sustainable Writing Program and the Faculty Learning Series will resume in the fall, as well.
The programming will be coordinated by Mary Carney, who joined the Office of Faculty Affairs as its director of programming June 1. Carney previously was professor of English and director of the Center for Teaching, Learning and Leadership at the University of North Georgia and co-founded the University System of Georgia’s Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Fellows program. She will continue the Office of Faculty Affairs’ work to provide high-quality professional development opportunities for faculty members throughout their career, from junior faculty learning communities to department head training and beyond.
In 2018, more than 40 workshops were offered through the Faculty Learning Series, and more than 50 faculty members participated in the office’s Sustainable Writing Program.
The Office of Faculty Affairs also has taken a lead role in training search committee members to promote best practices in faculty search procedures. In the past two and a half years, more than 400 faculty members have participated in the sessions, and several colleges now require the training for their search committees.
“Dr. Carney brings a wealth of expertise to this position—as a professor, an academic leader and a faculty developer,” said Covert. “Under her leadership, a limited number of offerings at UNG grew into a sustained set of varied programs available at five campuses. I’m thrilled that Dr. Carney has joined UGA to support faculty success and to develop initiatives that are important to faculty.”
For more information about learning opportunities available to faculty, see provost.uga.edu/faculty-learning-cohort-programs.
