To provide resources for ongoing faculty development, the University of Michigan purchased a system-wide membership to the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD), a community of more than 175,000 graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and faculty members from 230+ colleges and universities. Participating U-M faculty, postdocs and graduate students at all three campuses (Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Flint) have access to NCFDD’s on-campus workshops, online professional development training, and intensive mentoring programs.
Year Four Progress
In January 2019, UM-Ann Arbor collaborated with the university’s Dearborn and Flint campuses in sponsoring a system-wide membership to the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD). As a result of that effort, all faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students gained access to NCFDD’s full array of resources. Since then, membership numbers have grown steadily at all three campuses, with institutional members engaging in 14-day writing challenges, boot camp, and the NCFDD alumni network. End-of-program surveys consistently indicate high levels of satisfaction.
As of June 2020, UM-Ann Arbor had 2,578 institutional members registered with the NCFDD—an increase of 908 members from the prior year. Since the start of the system-wide membership (January 2019 to June 2020), UM-Dearborn has gained 101 members, and UM-Flint now has 171 members.
In the last four years, 1,101 UM-Ann Arbor members signed up for at least one 14-day writing challenge program, in which registrants are asked to write for a minimum of 30 minutes every weekday for two weeks. Four writing challenge programs have been offered since January 2019, and UM-Ann Arbor holds the #1 position among all NCFDD participating member institutions in total number of writing minutes (156,723) .
Since year one of this initiative, 82 UM-Ann Arbor faculty have also participated in the Faculty Success Program (FSP), a 12-week boot camp designed to identify common challenges that scholars face in balancing research, teaching, and service. FSP participants learn how to develop effective strategies to increase research productivity, cultivate social support and maintain work-life balance. In the past three years, 236 Ann Arbor faculty have registered for the FSP alumni network. In an end-of-program survey of all U-M systemwide FSP participants, 99 percent of respondents reported being satisfied with the FSP; 89 percent responded that their work-life balance had improved; and 96 percent reported an increase in writing and research productivity.
Responsibility: Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion