CAREER ADVICE
Faculty Development staff are increasingly asked for guidance and assistance with
specific career and work related issues. Questions come in concerning a range of issues
from promotion and tenure (e.g., I don’t know if I’m a tenure track faculty or not. How
do I found out?) to “I’m having problems with my supervisor. What can I do?” to “I want
to acquire management skills. What courses do you suggest I take and where can I find
them in Houston?”
Because there are many services throughout the institution that support faculty including
Faculty Academic Affairs, the ethicist’s office, and the ombudsman, the role of Faculty
Development is usually to refer faculty to the appropriate person or office where they can
get the help or assistance they need. However, there are certain areas where Faculty
Development can certainly be of assistance including the following:
Supplying career related information concerning courses and resources that might
help a faculty member acquire specific skills in writing, time management,
management, leadership, and so on
Discussing how a faculty member can resolve a specific work-related issue such as
devising a writing plan for getting a grant out on time, creating a meeting agenda for
a project team, passing on tips for how to share responsibility and accountability for
group work, providing strategies for overcoming writer’s block, and giving hands-on
tutorials for PowerPoint presentations
Providing auxiliary support for faculty programs developed by others such as the
recent Technology Development seminar series.