Center for Faculty Development

2007 New Faculty Orientation

Found in Union University Core Values > Future-Directed

Sean Evans, Associate Professor of Political Science  

I.                    Introduction

A.     How can I be a future directed faculty member? Invest in four things: yourself, your department, the university, and your students.  

II.                 Invest in yourself

A.     Plan your career

1. Where do you want to be in 5, 10, and 20 years from now? How can you get there? Let this guide your faculty development plan.
2. just as you planned your life many years ago to get a terminal degree and teach at a university, you must plan where you want to go from here

B.     Career routes

1. your options include teaching, research, institutional service/leadership, professional involvement (i.e., leadership of a professional organization, training sessions), and community involvement
2. you will have to engage in all of these but you cannot do all of these well and have a well-balanced life or any life
3. so prioritize by choosing three areas that you will excel in
4. use this prioritization to determine when to say yes and no
5. remember that your goals can change as your career progresses and thus so can your priorities

III.               Invest in your department

A.     identify and commit yourself to the departmental mission: just as you plan for the future, your department should

B.     there is a coherence to what your department is attempting to do in its curriculum and its program; make sure that you know your place in it and contribute to it

C.     be a problem solver: take the initiative if you have ideas to improve your department

D.     take on roles in the department that will help you achieve your broader goals

1. research: suggest a symposium
2. student involvement: advise a club

IV.              Invest your time in Union

A.     Union has a process to determine if you support its mission and you have all passed so we assume that you accept the mission

B.     Union has a distinctive way it does education that you did not get at your secular training

1. spend time learning it and integrating it into your classes

C.     Make sure that your activities coincide with that mission

1. when your personal and departmental activities reflect the university mission, we are all successful

D.     Take the initiative

1. if you have ideas to advance the university’s mission, pursue them but that means that you need to do the legwork on feasibility, costs, etc.
2. Most people either don’t care or will complain. Very few will suggest improvements and work to implement them.  Be the leader who identifies and solves problems  

V.                 Invest in your students

A.     students are people and not a number so treat them that way

B.     most likely, no one will remember the article or book you have published but the students will remember the impact you have on their life forever and the greatest benefit that I have received come from seeing my students improve and succeed

C.     mentor students: treat all of them fairly but you will click with some more than others so develop them

1.      mentoring is more than academic; you also prepare them for life

D.     students can help you achieve your goals (research assistant, help plan conference and community events)  

VI.              Conclusion

A.     you, your department, Union, and your students can be penny stocks, blue chip stocks, junk bonds, over valued, and under-valued stocks

B.     how you manage your portfolio of time, energy, and resources will have a big impact on the returns that you, your department, your students, Union , and society as a whole receives

C.     invest wisely