Faculty Pathway Workshops

In-person and virtual events are offered this fall to highlight Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity resources for faculty professional development, career advancement

Senior Faculty Mentors plan talks, workshops for women and faculty of color

In-person and virtual events are offered this fall to highlight Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity resources for faculty professional development, career advancement

Senior Faculty Mentors in the Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity continue to offer resources to facilitate faculty professional development, career advancement and community. Several talks and workshops, led by Jennifer Hamer, professor in African American studies, and Jeanine Staples-Dixon, professor in literacy and language, are planned for this fall. The events are focused on the experiences of women and faculty of color, though all are invited to participate.

Community and Conversation: Faculty Women Coffee Talk Fridays

Faculty are invited to join colleagues at Faculty Women Coffee Talk Fridays, a new University-wide series centered on the experiences of faculty women in higher education. The series is a continuation of the successful Lunch with LEAADS activities that were piloted last year and will emphasize social networking and guest-led conversations that center on topics of interest to this faculty group.

The coffee talks will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center at the University Park campus on the following dates:

Friday, October 4, 2024
Friday, October 25, 2024
Friday, December 6, 2024

Drop in or stay for the entire time. Registration is preferred, but not required, to help organizers plan for refreshments.

Scholars’ Circles: Virtual Writing and Creative Work Groups

Faculty have busy schedules and carving out time to focus on scholarly production is often a challenge. Scholars' Circles: Virtual Writing and Creative Work Groups for Faculty at Penn State are organized by Senior Faculty Mentors as part of Faculty Pathway in the Office for Educational Equity.

The program provides faculty with structured time for writing and creative work related to scholarly production, self-accountability and a community of colleagues. Circles are comprised of four to six faculty members, and each session lasts three hours. Placement in a circle depends on the level of faculty interest each semester.

All sessions will be held via Zoom. For more information and to register.

Community and Conversation: Faculty Development Workshop

Does life — whether parenting, over-obligation, exhaustion or other personal commitments — keep getting in the way of your scholarly productivity goals? Do you sometimes struggle to maintain the thoughtful daily and weekly agenda for writing, reading and prepping for class that you had so carefully planned? This strategic goal-setting workshop will offer guidance on how to find a rhythm that works for you, set realistic goals and stick to them, and give yourself a bit of grace when “life happens” and you temporarily get off track.

The workshop will be facilitated by Ray Block, professor of political science and African American studies and the Laurence and Lynne Brown-McCourtney Early Career Professor in the McCourtney Institute. Block also currently serves as the inaugural Michael D. Rich Distinguished Chair for Countering Truth Decay at RAND Corporation and as a peer mentor for the Midcareer Faculty Advancement Program in the College of the Liberal Arts.

This virtual strategic goal-setting workshop, to be held from noon to 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 8, 2024, and is open to all Penn State faculty. Click here to register.

Pre-Tenure and the Faculty of Color Experience

Come together with other early career faculty to learn success strategies and goal frameworks for the promotion and tenure process. This professional development workshop will give particular attention to the experiences of faculty of color and will focus on answering questions and sharing knowledge. The event is an opportunity for faculty to empower their professional journey and set a solid foundation for long-term success in academia.

The event is open to pre-tenure faculty. Space is limited for this event; however, the workshop will be repeated in the spring 2025 semester with a focus on the experiences of pre-tenure women faculty.

Tuesday, November 19, 2024, beginning at 12 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.

Lunch will be provided. Click here to register by Monday, November 4, 2024. Space is limited to the first 20 registrants.

About Senior Faculty Mentors

Senior Faculty Mentors are available to offer guidance and support to all faculty, especially women and those who identify as underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities, as they navigate their academic careers at Penn State. Contact seniorfacultymtr@psu.edu or visit the Faculty Pathway page on the Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity website for more information.