On an institutional level, the staff development process is a formalized approach directed to faculty seeking tenure.
Statement 1
On an institutional level, the staff development process is a formalized approach directed to faculty seeking tenure. Multiple programs are continuously offered to support and guide junior faculty through a seven-year tenure process. College deans run workshops on school policies regarding student support services and the faculty’s role with the Registrar and Bursar. Within each school, a mentoring program connects junior faculty to senior faculty. In recent years, a center was created to promote and support effective teaching methods and the implementation of new technologies. For administrative staff, the development process is fragmented. Few opportunities come up to learn a new skill or process. Training focuses on what an individual needs to get their job done and is often only offered after a system change or update. Many of the faculty development activities are related to fulfilling union contract obligations. The university currently maintains contracts with over thirty different labor unions (City University of New York, 2022).
Staff development varies greatly among departments. Development is at the discretion of the department chairperson and their personal style. Department heads have contractual obligations with tenure-seeking faculty for performance reviews, teaching evaluations, and annual goals, leading to a formalized approach. Development with tenured faculty and administrative staff tends to be fragmented. Reviews with department chairs are not required for tenured faculty. It is at the discretion of the chair to review student teaching evaluations and research goals with tenured faculty. Minimal formal reviews are required for administrative staff.
There is further variation within departments. My department has three majors, and two are nationally accredited programs with their own directors. Perhaps it is the director’s personal style, or the requirements of the accrediting organization, one program (a faculty and staff team of eight) seems to operate as a learning organization. Through frequent, short meetings and semi-annual on-campus retreats, planning, and problems solving is done as a group. Everyone is encouraged to look for new ideas and anticipate future needs. These actions motivate faculty and staff to research and learn new skills (Garvin, 1993). Operating as a learning organization leads this program to have a focused approach to both faculty and staff development. The learning process is contiguous, essential for the program to maintain accreditation, linked to the college’s strategic plan, mission, and vision, and tolerant (McCaffery, 2018, p. 265).
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Statement 2
Some institutions leave staff development to the department heads or chairpersons. My institution has a program for developing new faculty, and all new faculty must participate in the New Faculty Orientation. The New Faculty Orientation is a two-year program designed for newly hired full-time faculty but not adjunct faculty. The program seeks to assist faculty in:
- becoming familiar with the college’s culture and operations and developing a supportive network of colleagues and friends;
- integrating effective practices related to course design, pedagogy, curriculum, and assessment;
- furthering their understanding of the student populations and ways in which one creates an equity-minded classroom; and
- leveraging technology to connect with and engage 21st-century learners.
The New Faculty Orientation starts in the summer, before the fall semester.
Tenured faculty, however, fall under a fragmented approach as their development is mostly their responsibility. They are not evaluated annually but are mandated to seek professional development in conferences or computer-based training. All faculty must attend an annual professional development seminar the college holds before each fall semester. The formal approach pertaining to new faculty includes evaluations/reviews, participation in various committees, commitments to the college outside of instruction, and involvement in curriculum reviews and student learning outcomes.
Staff development programs provide new faculty with a roadmap to tenure. New faculty should never stop learning, and the staff development programs facilitate the learning and satisfy accreditation requirements and meet the institution’s mission, vision, values, and strategic plans (McCaffery, 2018, p. 265). New faculty attend monthly training sessions of six to eight hours on various topics from curriculum development to shared governance. This training requirement continues into their second year, and new faculty members are formally evaluated each fall until they attain tenure after the fourth year.
Formalized systems at the college level are needed for faculty growth and professional development (Lahiri et al., 2021).
Most staff development efforts focus on those faculty on the tenure track. Tenured and tenure-track faculty are mandated to complete a required number of professional development hours annually that are documented and tracked by an online computer system. There are both board and administrative policies that govern professional development, all with the goal of developing equity-minded and competent educators.
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