The university setting provides a multi-tiered approach to career path planning and development. Resources and services are available in departments, colleges, and at the university level. The Office of Faculty and Academic Staff Development (OFASD) aims to support MSU colleagues as they develop productive careers reflective of their individual aspirations, and to help them connect those aspirations with institutional priorities.
For every academic, regardless of position, there are many aspects that need development and support at different times in one’s career. This is when you can look to our office. We help educators and leaders find ways to connect the pieces of academic and administrative lives that matter to you, to engage with others on topics of interest, and to help know how to narrate, document, and share your work with others, including those who will evaluate your materials annually, for promotion, and for internal and external recognitions and awards.
OFASD offers many opportunities to support career development and growth for faculty and academic staff. For example, Leadership Institute workshops for those already in leadership positions cover important topics to help leaders understand the university context and specific implementation strategies for aspects of work such as budgeting, time management, hiring/evaluation procedures, and creating respectful work environments. Cohort programs in conjunction with the Big Ten Academic Alliance enable cohort learning with other institutions as well as with MSU campus leaders for those in positions or considering future leadership opportunities. Career conversations offer time for educators to engage on topics that contribute to teaching and learning, broadly defined, and considering next steps in their career planning. Thrive sessions provide insights for documenting and compiling materials for annual review and promotion evaluations. This includes how to represent student summative course feedback now being shared through our new course evaluation system, Student Perceptions of Learning Environments surveys.
For those seeking community engagement on topics of interest, there are numerous Learning Communities, assorted small groups related to teaching and to leadership, as well as through the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity. We also help you connect to other communities and affinity groups across campus such as the Diversity Research Network and Community Engaged Scholars so you can find your “home”.
As we build a culture of recognition university-wide for the excellent work of all members of the community, OFASD supports internal and external awards and recognitions through our efforts on Faculty Honorifics. We help you identify appropriate opportunities for recognition for yourself and others, build resources and share information to prepare strong dossiers, and facilitate the internal committee review processes.
Along with our many campus partners, OFASD is here to work with and support academic careers across the lifespan. We look forward to engaging with you in many ways over the coming months and years. Please remember to check out the events calendar on our website!