Faculty Development
The Provost oversees a number of support opportunities that encourage faculty growth in teaching, scholarship, and service. UIW is committed to a system of continuous faculty improvement.
Center for Teaching and Learning
The center sponsors regular development activities during the year open to full and part-time faculty.
Ettling Center for Civic Leadership and Sustainability
The center facilitates opportunities for faculty to collaborate with each other, CHRISTUS Health associates, and community agencies to provide students with quality experiences in civic engagement with service learning, and leadership training.
Learn about the Ettling Center
Faculty Development Funds
University funds are primarily used for attending professional conferences and travel. These are distributed on a first-come-first-served basis by the Faculty Development Fund Review Committee that is a standing committee of the Faculty Senate. Faculty may apply for up to $1000 if they are traveling to present a paper or $500 to attend a conference without presenting. All applicants must be full-time faculty and there must be a demonstrated link between the proposed activity and the individual's Faculty Self Inventory. Faculty members produce a written report which is published on the Senate's Blackboard site.
Faculty Sabbatical Leave
Sabbaticals provide faculty with the time necessary to acquire new experiences to enrich their teaching or professional competency, or to secure uninterrupted time for research, writing, and creative activity. Faculty members are eligible to apply for sabbatical if they have taught seven consecutive years at UIW and if they have a rank of Assistant Professor or higher. Faculty may request a one semester leave with full pay or a one academic year leave at half-pay. There is a formal application process, outlined in the Faculty Handbook.
The International Programs Office
Although most of the activities of this office involve students, the office has sponsored faculty travel through course-based faculty-led programs and support of faculty in efforts to travel through Fulbright grants and awards. For more information on international programs, contact Marcos Fragoso, Vice President for International Affairs.
College/Schools
Various development activities are planned in the College/Schools. For example, in the School of Nursing, the Dunlap Chair has been working with a number of other Nursing faculty on developing a research agenda. The College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences has sponsored presentations on Diversity, Disabilities, FERPA Laws, and legal issues. They have also conducted workshops for their adjunct faculty on the mission of UIW and student-centered teaching. The Dreeben School of Education sponsors an annual Peace Season Research Symposium in October. Students, faculty and UIW community members present research and discuss topics related to peace, social justice and civic engagement. Every spring, the School of Graduate Studies and Research sponsors Research Week and provides a forum for students and faculty to present their peer-reviewed posters. The Graduate Office also sponsors Graduate Support Center Workshops throughout the year.
The New Faculty Mentoring Program
Experienced faculty from each College/School serve as mentors for new faculty. There are regular gatherings of mentors and new faculty to discuss issues related to the mission, Catholic intellectual tradition, scholarship, pedagogy for teaching a diverse student population, service-learning, wellness, faculty governance, and promotion/tenure. The Center for Teaching and Learning organizes and facilitates program activities.
August and January Faculty Workshops
At the beginning of each semester, the Provost facilitates workshops for all full-time faculty. The University has used the workshops as an opportunity to make faculty aware of academic issues such as student engagement and retention. Guest speakers are often featured.
The Office of Instructional Technology (OIT)
OIT offers regular hands-on workshop sessions for faculty, students and staff. The office staff provides one-on-one training as well. Faculty can learn how to use Blackboard, Banner, SPSS, Microsoft Office, imaging software and hardware, video editing, sound production, and graphic and photographic software to enhance their teaching and research. OIT also provides online tutorials so that faculty can learn on their own anytime, anywhere.
Extended Academic Programs (EAP)
EAP is the division of UIW that serves the diverse needs of the adult learner. EAP is composed of the School of Professional Studies (SPS) as well as the Office of Professional Development (OPD). SPS has developed an extensive training plan as well as a regular faculty development program, Focus on Excellence. Each term, faculty come together in both an on-ground and simultaneous on-line format to share their experiences in assessment, grading, teaching strategies, and a variety of other topics which are administration and faculty-initiated.
Diversity Training
Everyone who is employed at UIW is required to receive annual training on preventing workplace harassment.
Summer Workshops
The Provost sponsors week-long workshops every summer primarily aimed at stimulating faculty to incorporate new ideas and strategies into courses they will teach in the coming fall semester. Recent topics have focused on social justice, ethics, the vocation of teaching, and sustainability.