Maximizing Faculty Resources: Strategic Decision Making versus Maintaining the Stagnant Quo Eleanor V. Howell, Ph.D., RN Creighton University
Strategic Imperatives educate more diverse student body, produce more research, and engage more meaningfully with the public while simultaneously facing dramatic fiscal constraints. External demands for increased accountability, and technology changing the traditional ways in which faculty work. (pp. 321-322) J. M. Gappa, Austin, A. E., & Trice, A. G. (2007). Rethinking faculty work: Higher education s strategic imperative. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Maximizing Faculty Resources Maximizing faculty effectiveness Extending faculty and maximizing student learning Helping faculty succeed as teachers, academic leaders, and ambassadors for the school
Creighton University
Context: Creighton University Creighton University (www.creighton.edu) Omaha, Nebraska Private, Catholic, Jesuit 7,000 students (4,000 undergraduate, 3,000 professional) Academic Health Science Center/Creighton University Medical Center (dentistry, nursing, medicine, pharmacy, occupational therapy, physical therapy)
Creighton University Mission and Values Exists for students and learning Research: enhance teaching, contribute to the betterment of society, discover new knowledge Service to others, importance of family life, inalienable worth of each individual, and appreciation of ethnic and cultural diversity
Creighton University School of Nursing BSN: Traditional, Accelerated, RN-BSN MS: Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Administration, Educator 2 Locations, Enrollment: 482 BSN, 70 MS Faculty: 54 Full-time, 2 Part-time, 1 Visiting Professor, 1 Resident Faculty, 9 Temporary Clinical Faculty Staff: 15 Full-time, 4 Part-time
CUSON Strategic Initiatives Diversity of intellectual and cultural perspectives New programs Nursing research and external funding Quality of teaching and learning environment Community service
Maximize Effectiveness Professional growth and development Control, balance, focus, and return on efforts individual academic unit Relationship building and renewal Structure and process improvements
Scholarship Research/Scholarship agenda established Individual and Team projects identified Individual and Team progress monitored by Associate Dean for Research and Evaluation Committee to review manuscripts Seed grants, travel funds, funds for poster preparation Access resources in other schools
Supportive Infrastructure for Developing Scholars/Researchers Creswell, J. W., Wheeler, D. W., Seagren, A. T., Egly, N. J., & Beyer, K. D. (1990). The academic chairperson s handbook. Lincoln, NE: U of NE Press. Skills Motivation Personal Work setting obstacles
Supportive Infrastructure for Developing Scholars/Researchers Individual plan for growth; form research teams Time to research and seed grants Partnerships and collaborations (internal and external); networking with funding agencies Research skills development Consultants for project, local and national experts Workshops and Forums: Reduce isolation, increase integration, sustain what is developed, accommodate those who want and need support
Take Stock of Internal Resources Summer Institute for Teaching Excellence CASTL (Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Department of Information Technology (LearnIt Lab, Breakfast Bytes, Academic & e-learning Technology, Online Tutorials, Tips & Tricks, Plugged In, Service Desk, Classroom Support, Pipeline for Innovation) Academic Development and Technology Center (e-fellows) (e-fellows Zone)
Internal Resources Grants Administration Center for Professional Development Health Science Library (Lunch and Learn) Office for Interprofessional Scholarship, Service and Education Werner Institute for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution, Program on Health Care Collaboration and Conflict Resolution
Internal Resources Cardoner (v-coach, v-conference, Reading Groups, v-institutes, Vocation Vacations, Grants) Retreat Center Institute for Latin American Concern Center for Service and Justice
Extend Faculty Resources Share faculty with clinical agencies Engage faculty from other disciplines Expand clinical and other support staff Outsource selected tasks Enhance technology and equipment Form community of scholars
Help Faculty Succeed Teachers Academic leaders Ambassadors for the School
Help Faculty Succeed as Teachers Internal seminars on teaching External conferences, workshops, etc. Expectations for promotion and tenure Discussions/coaching sessions on classroom teaching experiences Processing teaching evaluations
Help Faculty Succeed as Teachers Recommendations (Faculty of Color, Stanley, 2006, p. 365) Establish mentoring relationships and development programs early in academic career (on and off campus, within and outside discipline) Network with professionals in the field of study Create research-writing support groups (develop research agenda, accomplish goals, receive feedback on publications) Workload and time for developing courses, selecting among service opportunities
Help Faculty Succeed as Teachers Council of Graduate Schools (www.cgsnet.org) Association for Support of Graduate Students (www.asgs.org) The National Academy for Academic Leadership (http://thenationalacademy.org) The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (www.carnegiefoundation.org) The Center for Teaching and Learning: Tomorrow s Professor (http://ctl.stanford.edu/)
Help Faculty Succeed as Academic Leaders American Council on Education (www.acenet.edu); Center for Creative Leadership (www.ccl.org); Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education (www.podnetwork.org) HERS (Higher Education Resource Services) Institute (http://www.hersnet.org)
Help Faculty Succeed as Academic Leaders Print and Web-based resources Anker Publishing, Jossey-Bass The Chronicle of Higher Education, Academe, American Association for Higher Education, American Association of University Professors, Change Magazine AACN, NLN
Help Faculty Succeed as Academic Leaders Diamond, R. M. (2002). Field guide to academic leadership. San Francisco: CA: Jossey-Bass. Seldin, P. (2004). The teaching portfolio: A practical guide to improved performance and promotion/tenure decisions (3 rd ed.). Bolton, MA.: Anker. Stanley, C. A. (2006). Faculty of color: Teaching in predominantly white colleges and universities. Bolton, MA: Anker.
Help Faculty Succeed as Academic Leaders Campus-based resources Colleagues and Mentors: AACN s Leadership Networks &publications, e.g., Academic Leadership in Nursing: Making the Journey Jesuit Conference of Nursing Programs, Nebraska Assembly of Nursing Deans and Directors Listservs
Topics for Leadership Development Budgets Policy Fund raising Communication Career Advancement
Help Faculty Succeed as Ambassadors for the School Service (e.g., recruiting, committees) Engagement in the community and university (e.g., consultations, networks, media, advocacy, projects, intellectual entrepreneurship) Leadership in the school, university, profession, discipline
Resources Community Engaged Scholarship Toolkit (http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/toolkit.html) The Chronicle of Philanthropy (www.philanthropy.com/) Council for Advancement and Support of Education (www.case.org) American Association of Colleges of Nursing (www.aacn.nche.edu)