Purpose 

The Faculty Success Council (FSC) was established in 2019 to identify barriers to faculty success, find ways to remove those impediments, and support faculty as they inspire student success. 

The FSC invites faculty members through the Virtual Suggestion Box to suggest strategies that will enhance their professional success. Suggestions and comments will be forwarded to the Faculty Success Council for further review. 

In Fall 2022 the FSC surveyed new VSU faculty (employed five or fewer years) for their feedback on the hiring process and their early time at VSU.  This presentation summarizes the answers to this survey, and this presentation presents action items the FSC plans to enact in response. 

In Spring 2022 the FSC surveyed VSU faculty for their impressions of faculty success at VSU. This presentation summarizes the responses to the survey.

Much can be done to remove barriers to faculty success, deepen engagement in the mission of the university, and inspire innovation. The council is asked to examine the following questions and enact practical solutions:

  • What are barriers to faculty success and what can be done to remove these impediments?
  • What would invigorate faculty, help them move forward, and inspire them to invest in a culture of student success?
  • How can we ignite a sense of urgency to innovate and engage?

Embracing a spirit of innovation, openness, and VSU’s mission, council members are asked to infuse their work with these understandings:

  • The council will take action, understanding that not every initiative will be successful. We will learn from mistakes and value the willingness to risk doing something different in order to arrive at new outcomes.
  • Nothing discussed in the council is secret. Members are encouraged to share the discussions that take place during council meetings with colleagues and to gather multiple perspectives that can inform the council’s work.
  • The work of a Comprehensive University is important and noble work that holds the potential to transform not only the lives of the students we serve, but successive generations of their families.

Projects

  • Survey faculty to identify meanings of and barriers to faculty success. Completed Spring 2022. 
  • Survey faculty hired in the past 5 years to identify barriers and supports to their success. Completed Fall 2022.
  • Develop and distribute a list of suggestions for Department Heads and Program Directors to help them support and retain new faculty. Completed Spring 2023. 
  • Create a Virtual Suggestion Box through which faculty can submit ideas about obstacles to faculty success and offer potential solutions. Completed Fall 2022. 

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