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Faculty orientations and continuing a culture of mentoring

January 31, 2023

Kristen McCauliff

Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs and Professional Development, Ball State University

The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of EAB.

The EAB fellowship has allowed me to focus, on behalf of Ball State University, on the question: What does meaningful faculty development look like at every career milestone? Throughout the last six months, I’ve worked with EAB staff to gather information about faculty development, orientation programs, and considerations for inclusive work environments.

The results of this work include an outline of orientation programs for non-tenure-line faculty, associate professors, and encore faculty (faculty who are nearing the end of their careers). The program also provided me with dedicated time to examine participation data from previous orientation programs so I can ensure the programs meet the needs of our faculty.

While these programs are a significant contribution to our university’s slate of professional development programs, I want to note that the fellowship program itself was an important professional development opportunity for me. In particular, I appreciated the wide-reaching presentations about all elements of higher education. I learned a great deal about strategic planning, budget models, and student success.

Further, the opportunity to work with higher education colleagues from across the country, at a variety of institutions, was invaluable. Both the expansive view of higher education and the collaborative professional development model practiced in this fellowships were influential as I worked on my project.

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It is an honor to serve as the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs and Professional Development at Ball State University where we have faculty well-being and work/life balance built into our strategic plan. My participation in EAB’s fellowship program has provided me with an opportunity for career satisfaction as well as the time to design programs that will contribute to that satisfaction for others. I’d like to express my deep gratitude to Dr. Charlene Alexander for providing me with the opportunity.

See the fellows’ blogs from the capstone projects

Kristen McCauliff and others participated in EAB’s Rising Higher Education Leaders Fellowship in fall 2022

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