The new academic year is percolating like a pot of fresh coffee welcoming us back. The sounds bring anticipation of both drudgery and cheer. Yet here, at the crisp rise of the year ahead, we’ll enjoy our coffee and share some information to help lighten the load a little – we hope.
First, we want to welcome Prabu David as the new Associate Provost for Faculty and Academic Staff Development. Marilyn Amey’s leadership within the office will continue as she takes the role of Assistant Provost for Faculty and Academic Staff Development. Read more about this in MSU TODAY. (photo courtesy of MSU Today)
Though the name of the office has shifted from Academic Advancement Network to the Office of Faculty and Academic Staff Development (OFASD), the primary role of the office remains to enhance and develop the people and opportunities for those in academic roles – whether those be teaching, researching, administering, or supporting.
A closer look at the work within the office reveals the dedication to people:
- New Faculty and Academic Staff Orientation (NFASO) helps orient new academics to the university and the wide array of support and services available.
- New Administrator Orientation welcomes those entering new roles within the university and joins the cohort of these folks together in a Teams group. Contact Cindi Leverich for more information.
- Learning Communities are a great way to foster the academic spirit of learning and growth by meeting with colleagues on shared topics of interest. Learn what communities are available to join now and throughout the year.
- Several Fellowships have been awarded and those folks will be getting and creating great information and relationships over the course of the academic year. These fellowships are open for application each spring, so please check back if you are interested in the future. See who will be participating in the 2022-2023 fellowship cohorts.
Individual events and series are a great way to continue to pursue your own development areas. You’ll want to check out the OFASD website and calendar of events to be aware of the these opportunities. Some of these include:
- Thriving sessions for educators in tenure track, academic specialist and fixed-term roles
- Leadership series
- Starting Your Career Series for those beginning their work at MSU
There are also some wonderful intentional collaborations with organizations both inside and outside of MSU, including:
- Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs
- MSU Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation
- MSU IT training
- #iteachmsu Commons
- WorkLife Office
- Office for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion
- Faculty Emeriti
- National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD)
- Michigan Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC)
- MI-ACE
Certainly one of the highlights of the year are the awards and celebrations that honor and celebrate the remarkable contributions and people within the MSU Community. This year, Katie Rundblad has taken up the reins of the university awards as the Faculty Honorifics Coordinator. As part of the OFASD team she will be connecting with colleges and units to help elevate the outstanding people and teams within MSU and surface external honors that have been awarded. Within OFASD we are proud to celebrate success stories.
- Simmons Chivukula
- Faculty Emeriti
- Thank an Educator
- Honorifics website with all university-level awards
The year ahead is certain to unfold in its own unique way. We remain committed to faculty and academic staff as they pursue their individual goals and their contributions to the greater good of the university and beyond.