Faculty Development Opportunities for You this Fall

by Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development

Faculty groups are now forming on campus that could help you achieve your teaching or writing goals in a collegial, supportive atmosphere. Which one is for you? That depends on your goals for yourself.

  • Do you wish you could get good conversations going in your classroom? Join the Faculty Learning Community (FLC) on “Teaching by Discussion.”
  • Would you like to do a better job helping your students shape their future? Then the FLC on “Faculty/Student Mentoring” might be for you.
  • Are you interested in envisioning the future of your field, and even the future of education itself? The FLC on “New Directions in Artificial Intelligence” could help you do just that.
  • Would you like to get beyond today’s toxic rhetoric and foster productive dialogue about our differences? The FLC on “Difficult Dialogues in the Classroom and Beyond” can help.
  • Finally, are struggling to make time to write that article, begin that grant proposal or finish that chapter? Then join your colleagues for the weekly Faculty Writing Circle.

To join any of these groups, see the contact information below:

Faculty Learning Communities:

Teaching by Discussion
Facilitated by: John Ruff (English) and John Fantuzzo (Education)

Meets twice monthly on Thursdays, 3-4 p.m.
Location: Faculty Study, CCLIR Suite 400
First meeting: Thursday, September 27 (Note: We will avoid Professorial Lecture dates.)
Contact: john.fantuzzo@valpo.edu

Faculty/Student Mentoring
Facilitated by: Nancy Scannell (English) and Zsuzsanna Szaniszlo (Mathematics & Statistics)

Meets biweekly on Fridays, 9:30-10:30 a.m. (with a possibility to leave for Chapel Break).
Location: Gellersen Hall, Dean’s Conference Room
First meeting: Friday, September 21
Contact: Nancy.Scannell@valpo.edu

New Directions in Artificial Intelligence
Facilitated by: Paul Nord (Physics & Astronomy) and Karl Schmitt (Mathematics & Statistics)

Meets biweekly on Tuesdays, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Location: Valpo Room, Harre Union
First meeting: Tuesday, September 18
Contact: Paul.Nord@valpo.edu

Difficult Dialogues in the Classroom and Beyond
Facilitated by: Phillip Powell (Communication) and Christina Cavinder (CONHP)

Meets biweekly on Tuesdays, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Location: Faculty Study, CCLIR Suite 400
First meeting: September 25
Contact: phillip.powell@valpo.edu

Faculty Writing Circle:

Meets weekly on Mondays, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Location: Faculty Study, CCLIR Suite 400
First Meeting: Monday, September 24
Contact: Cynthia.Rutz@valpo.edu

I hope that one of these groups will help you meet your teaching or writing goals!