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Faculty Development
Where do we find the faculty who can accept this challenge? I have said all along
that we will find them on our campuses today. Our faculty know the challenge. They
need only the resources to respond and to succeed in the new role that is demanded
of them.
At the University of Cincinnati, we have taken a leadership role in the transformation
of the faculty through a program called Faculty Development.
Each year, we provide $1.5 million - more than any university I know of - to support
faculty efforts to learn about technology, to explore new subjects, to catch up on
the real world, to develop off-campus partnerships, and to revise the courses they
teach. (These awards are beyond our normal support for travel, equipment, sabbaticals,
etc.)
This money is not a handout. It is awarded competitively, and the results have been
amazing. More than 600 of our 2,000 full-time faculty have participated in Faculty
Development activities during the past three years. Here are some examples:
- Business and Engineering
faculty studied supply chain management at the Siemens Corporation and designed new
courses on integrated manufacturing.
- A music professor studied
with leading brass instructors, videotaping their lessons and interviewing them about
methodology.
- The entire communication
department examined the impact of technology in the field and has added technology
requirements to every course.
"I regard the past year's project as having effectively launched me in a major
new professional direction and profoundly thank the university for this opportunity
and support," wrote Charles Sidman, professor of molecular genetics.
While technology inspires innovation, learning about technology is often a barrier
for faculty. Each year the university sponsors the Faculty Summer Institute on Instructional
Technology. During a two-week session, competitively selected faculty receive an
introduction to technological tools, create a project related to their course work,
and earn a voucher for equipment or software.
"The aggregate knowledge I have gained attending conferences, meetings, and
mini-courses over my 20-year tenure at UC does not equal the positive effect that
this two-week course had engendered in me," wrote Randal Morris, professor of
cell biology.
Our funding of Faculty Development is a solid investment in faculty of quality. To
give but a few examples:
- Two faculty of the University
of Cincinnati College of Education were named "Friends of Early Childhood Education"
by the Ohio Department of Education in October 1997. Lawrence Johnson and Debbie
Zorn were recognized for their dedication and service to young children in Ohio.
- Maybe it was his use of
cartoons in class or lab experiments that stimulate thinking. Whatever the reason,
William Heineman of the University of Cincinnati McMicken College of Arts & Sciences
has distinguished himself as a teacher of national reputation. Heineman earned the
American Chemical Societyís 1997 Award for Excellence in Teaching.
- The Air and Waste Management
Association awarded University of Cincinnati Professor Timothy Keener its 1997 Ripperton
Award for excellence in education. Keener was recognized for "inspiring students
to achieve excellence in their professional and social endeavors." Keener is
on the faculty of UC's College of Engineering.
- The Society of Automotive
Engineers has selected University of Cincinnati engineer Robert Wynn Jr. as one of
the nation's top engineering educators. Wynn, on the faculty of UC's College of Engineering,
is the 1997 recipient of the society's Ralph R. Teetor Award. Wynn's nomination was
supported not only by UC but by Virginia Tech where he earned his doctorate.
- Additionally, the University
of Cincinnati is one of just 15 institutions nationwide chosen to participate in
the Preparing Future Faculty Program as part of a $1.9 million grant by the Pew Charitable
Trusts. Through mentors and campus visits, doctoral students at UC will learn about
faculty careers at different types of institutions.
As you can see, our faculty
are leading the race from the "pail" to the "fire." There is
no place for obsolescence at the University of Cincinnati.
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