The Â鶹´«Ã½ Center for Faculty Development supports the professional growth of faculty by providing programming and grants in the areas of pedagogy, scholarship, and professional engagement. By such support, the Center works to foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture in our classrooms and across the University.
To further its mission, the Center:
Through a generous endowment provided by a capital campaign “Priorities for the 80s,” funds have been made available annually to support a robust internal grant program to advance faculty research and scholarship. We are proud to offer a grant program specifically for adjunct faculty to further their professional development.
At St. Thomas, our mission, convictions, and strategic directions all support the goal of creating inclusive classrooms. To do so, we need to consider course content, pedagogical approaches, our own biases and classroom behaviors, and our knowledge of students’ backgrounds and skills. This program offers opportunities for faculty to build awareness, gain understanding, and implement new pedagogical strategies to improve the learning climate for all students.
The Faculty Development Mentoring for Success Program (MSP) is inspired by the principles of Catholic social teaching to foster a high quality mentoring culture at UST. We promote faculty well-being and success through a mentoring process that is illuminating, and supportive to help faculty meet their professional goals, navigate institutional environments and expectations, enhance work-life balance, and help develop their professional identity.
Established in 2012, the Faculty Learning Community (FLC) program fosters enjoyable scholarly exchange among peers, which contributes to creating positive change for the University community. Participation in communities enhances faculty perception of teaching as an intellectual pursuit, strengthens scholarly interests, improves teaching skill, supports experimentation in the classroom, builds a sense of community and promotes cross-disciplinary conversation.
The Center for Writing and the Center for Faculty Development collaborate to offer 1-week on-campus retreats three times a year for full-time and adjunct faculty to make substantial progress on their writing projects.
Peer Teaching Consulting is an important way that the Center for Faculty Development supports teaching. Consulting services are free, confidential, and intended to assist faculty who want to strengthen and improve their teaching skills.
