NEW FACULTY ORIENTATION AND MENTORING PROGRAM

In early August of each year, new faculty members are welcomed to Georgia College & State University. A welcome picnic provides time for faculty and their families and/or significant others to gather and get to know each other in a casual atmosphere. The next day provides an initial comprehensive orientation for new faculty to the resources and responsibilities of being a faculty member at GCSU. The third day includes a Teaching and Learning Day scheduled by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. The Faculty Mentor Program continues acclimating new faculty to GCSU. Monthly new faculty and their mentors meet over lunch to discuss teaching techniques and other issues. Through the new Faculty Mentoring Program, new faculty gain an understanding and appreciation of the institutional context, the expectations for faculty members, and the available resources to help faculty meet these expectations.

Center for Excellence in Teaching in Learning

CETL sponsors workshops every month during the academic year, midterm course assessments, an electronic discussion forum (teach_talk), and various other programs throughout the year. A website (link to http://info.gcsu.edu/intranet/cetl/CETL.htm) contains additional resources and information for faculty seeking to engage in innovative activities that enhance teaching and learning. Mini grants to support assessment activities are awarded on a semester basis. (delete this sentence; we don't have those funds anymore)

CETL offers faculty mini-grants for classroom research projects, designed to encourage and reward examples of ongoing assessment within the classroom. The amount awarded may be anywhere from a minimum of $250 to a maximum amount of $500 for each successful applicant or team of faculty members. (delete entire paragraph)

Podnovations is a series of podcasts sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning on various topics related to teaching and learning. Each of our podcasting channels contains multiple episodes on such topics as generating discussion, cross cultural issues, teaching with technology, active and collaborative learning, and learning styles. CETL podcasts, including videos of selected monthly workshops, are accessible through GCSU's iTunes U. (link to itunes.gcsu.edu)

A newsletter features articles on teaching and learning. The 2005 issue is available and features an introduction to the scholarship of teaching and learning and several examples of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning work by GCSU faculty (delete this sentence). For more information, see: http://info.gcsu.edu/intranet/cetl/CETL.htm

Instructional Innovations with iPods and Apple Technology

Begun in 2002 with the introduction of iPods, faculty and staff at GCSU interested in innovative educational uses of the new technology have been able to apply for support for specific instructional projects using iPods. The support includes use of equipment for such as iPods and Apple laptops, technical assistance, loaner iPods for students enrolled in the specific courses, and access to the iDreamers, a supportive and informative peer group of instructional innovators. Recent support for innovative instructional technology projects has included a peer led faculty learning community in which iPod novices and mentors work together to develop and assess innovative applications of iPod technology to improve teaching and learning. The Instructional Technology Center serves as support for these projects.

See also:

Apple + iPods at GCSU (Instructional uses of iPods) (http://ipod.gcsu.edu/)

International Study Grants

Weir Grants are available to fund faculty study abroad opportunities. This funding is managed by the International Education Center and may be used for faculty seminars, for exchange teaching assignments abroad or for other creatively designed programs abroad which will broaden the faculty member's cross-cultural understanding and impact teaching of students at GC&SU. For more information on Weir funding, see: http://info.gcsu.edu/intranet/acad_affairs/ or http://www.gcsu.edu/international/.

Scholarly Resources

Faculty Research Grants

Two times a year, faculty may apply for small grants to support their research efforts. A faculty committee (Faculty Research Grants Committee), is responsible for coordinating and overseeing the Faculty Research Grants Program at GCSU. This includes the collection and review of faculty research grant proposals, and the allocation of funding to support faculty in pursuing their research interests. For more information, see: http://info.gcsu.edu/intranet/facultyresearch/FacGuide.htm

Office of Grants and Sponsored Projects

The faculty and staff of Georgia College & State University are encouraged to obtain external funding in the form of grants for various projects and programs. This funding allows the University to expand and enhance the variety of opportunities available in the University community. Support includes the following activities:

Finding grant opportunities
Proposal preparation
Editing and proofreading drafts and final copies
Budget preparation and justifications
Compliance review with the Request for Proposals and with GC&SU guidelines
University routing
Submissions
Post-award help
Resources for successful grant activities include:
A comprehensive web site at: http://info.gcsu.edu/intranet/rgs/GGrants/Gdefault.htm
A monthly newsletter of grant opportunities
Workshops on such topics as how to use grant databases effectively, how to prepare successful proposals, including budgets and budget narratives.
Web Conferences with National Program Officers

The Office of Grants and Sponsored Projects, located in the basement of Beeson Hall, houses grant resources and provides support to assist faculty and staff with grant seeking and grant writing during the initial stage of grant proposal preparation. Through the Office of Grants and Sponsored Projects, faculty and staff members have access to grant databases, including the Community of Science and the Grants Resource Center.

Multicultural grants

Each year, the Office of Diversity & Multicultural Affairs and Academic Affairs sponsor a mini-grant program to support multiculturalism in the curriculum. Each semester, faculty and staff wishing to incorporate diversity into the courses or programs are invited to apply for mini-grants in an amount up to $500 for integrating diversity into the classroom. For more information, contact The Office of Diversity & Multicultural Affairs (see: The Office of Diversity & Multicultural Affairs). (I don't believe these are currently being offered).

GCSU Faculty Awards

Every year there is a call for nominations for faculty awards in the three general areas of teaching, scholarly/artistic endeavors, and service. Review of these nominations is by a peer group of faculty based on stated criteria. A cash award for the winners of these awards is provided by the Georgia College & State University Foundation Heritage Fund. Awards are presented at the GCSU Honors Day ceremony. For more specific information on the award processes see: Faculty Awards

Distinguished Professor Award

Each year, a committee of faculty solicit nominations for the Distinguished Professor award. This award is the highest level of achievement and is recognized at GCSU as a "lifetime achievement" award. The award committee will look for persuasive evidence that nominees have a record of superlative teaching, research, and service related to the profession while at GCSU. To be eligible for nomination, a faculty member must be full-time tenured faculty at GCSU with a minimum rank of associate professor and must have completed five years of teaching at GCSU. Self-nominations are not accepted.

Teaching Excellence Awards

Up to three Teaching Excellence awards may be made on an annual basis to faculty who are nominated by their peers or by students. The award committee will look for persuasive evidence that nominees have a record of classroom teaching excellence, continued professional development, and contributions to the overall institutional objectives. Nominees must be full time faculty who have completed three years of full time teaching at GCSU. Self-nominations are not accepted.

Excellence in Research/Publication Award

This award may be presented annually to a maximum of three members of the faculty who are selected by an elected committee of their peers. All full-time faculty are eligible to submit their collective published works from the previous calendar year, which may result in the submission of more than one publication from an individual; however, the faculty member is eligible for only one award. The publications are judged on scholarly merit, contribution to the field or discipline, and recognition of Georgia College & State University.

Excellence in Artistic Endeavor Award

This award may be presented annually to a member of the faculty who is selected by an elected committee of faculty peers. Full-time faculty members entering the competition for this award must provide documentation of off-campus artistic activities produced, published, or performed during the previous calendar year. All entries must show evidence of –off-campus professional/peer review. The documentation may consist of, but is not limited to, copies of publications, slides or photographs, video or audio tapes, written evaluations or review, programs, or publicity notices as appropriate for the art form.

Faculty University Service Award

The purpose of the Faculty University Service Award is to recognize extraordinary service and contribution to the GCSU community by a member of the faculty. This award recognizes the importance of individual contribution for the common good of the college community. To be eligible for this award the nominee must hold regular full-time faculty status, be tenured, and be a member of the Corps of Instruction. While service can take many forms, the record of service for which this award is appropriate will be accompanied by evidence that this service made a noteworthy contribution to the university community. The criteria for this award include the following:

Significant contribution in the form of time, talents, and/or vision that benefits Georgia College & State University
Service in the form of making a contribution at the level of the department, Library, college, or university
Recognition of peers for noteworthy service
A persistent record of service over a period of time as distinct from a one time contribution
Service that goes beyond normal expectations of one's job.

Irene Rose Community Service Award

This award is presented to a faculty member for outstanding service to the central Georgia community, uniqueness of service performed beyond normal expectations, development of a public service contract or grant that benefits the central Georgia community, exemplary service to a support function of the university-wide mission, leadership in one or more community service activities with a visible campus connection, and/or excellence in continuing education instruction or supervision.

University System of Georgia Opportunities

In addition to the support faculty receive from GCSU, there are additional opportunities for faculty development provided through the University System of Georgia. Faculty development opportunities are competitive across the System and have specific deadlines for each program. Selected opportunities include the following.

Faculty Development in Georgia (FDIG) is a doctoral level assistantship for faculty members teaching in Georgia institutions of higher learning. The Faculty Development in Georgia (FDIG) program, established in 1964 and conducted in cooperation with the University of Georgia Graduate School, gives faculty members from institutions across the state with demonstrated competence in teaching an opportunity to continue their graduate education on a full-time basis. FDIG provides an assistantship that will enrich the faculty member's professional and academic endeavors, and ensures an academic year of full-time doctoral study at the University of Georgia in the faculty member's chosen field. (See: http://www.uga.edu/ihe/fdig.html for more information).

The Governor's Teaching Fellows Program was established by Zell Miller, governor of Georgia, 1991-1999, to provide Georgia's higher education faculty with expanded opportunities for developing important teaching skills. The Governor's Teaching Fellows Program is jointly sponsored by the Institute of Higher Education and the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Georgia.

Governor's Teaching Fellows may participate in academic year symposia; an intensive summer symposium; or an academic-year residency at the University of Georgia. Past symposia have addressed numerous topics in using technology in the classroom and other pedagogical innovations. (See: http://www.uga.edu/ihe/gtf.html for more information).

University System of Georgia Grants for International Study and Travel

The University System of Georgia each year solicits nominations for the Chancellor's Awards, which award between $500 to $1,000 to faculty members participating in USG faculty development international seminars. USG Faculty Development Seminars are offered each summer in an international setting. The seminars are designed to familiarize faculty with the country or countries visited, introduce the local education systems, initiate integration about the countries visited into home curriculum, and open possibilities for collaborative faculty research. Junior faculty teaching in the Core are specifically targeted for the Chancellor Awards. Interested faculty members apply for the Chancellor's Award at the same time as applying to participate in the seminar -- by December 15 for the following summer. Chancellor's Awards are given with the expectation that the individual institution will match the award. Each year GCSU typically has 2 - 4 faculty grantees. (See http://www.usg.edu/international_ed/facstaff/development/seminars_awards.phtml for more information.)

USG Opportunities for Teaching Abroad

In addition to the teaching opportunities provided by GCSU, the University System of Georgia offers numerous international programs offered during Maymester and summer terms. Faculty from across the System are invited to teach in these programs. These programs provide an excellent opportunity for faculty to work with their peers from other institutions and teach students from across the system institutions. For more information, see: http://www.usg.edu/international_ed/.

Leave-Without-Pay

1. Georgia College & State University may grant, with the approval of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, leave-without-pay to faculty members for a period not to exceed one year at a time for the purpose of study, research, scholarly and creative activity, instructional improvement, or faculty retraining.

2. The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs will determine eligibility, the criteria to be met and the procedures to be followed for approval of leave-without- pay. A justification for the leave is required, and this includes a statement of what the faculty member plans to accomplish during the leave. A form available from the Office of Academic Affairs will be provided for this purpose.

3. Within 30 days of returning to full-time responsibilities following a leave-without-pay, the faculty member must submit a written report to the department head describing what was accomplished during the leave. This report must be filed with the dean's office of the faculty member's college.

Leave-With-Pay

1. Georgia College & State University has a leave-with-pay policy through which faculty members are able to obtain leave-with-pay for a period not to exceed one year at a time for the purpose of study, research, scholarly and creative activity, instructional improvement, or faculty re-training. Leave may be granted with full or partial pay.

2. The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs will determine eligibility, the criteria to be met and the procedures to be followed for approval of leave-with-pay. A justification for the leave is required, and this includes a statement of what the faculty member plans to accomplish during the leave. The President of an institution may approve leave for one year or less. The Board must approve leave-with-pay if a leave is renewed at the end of a year.

3. Before being granted a leave with pay, the faculty member must sign an agreement promising that:

* For a leave with pay of less than a year, s/he will return to the institution at the termination of the leave for a period of at least one year.

* For a one-year leave with pay, s/he will return to the institution at the termination of the leave for a period of at least two years.

* If s/he does not return to the institution for the full amount of time specified in the agreement, s/he will reimburse the institution for the amount of compensation received while on leave, as well as any other expenses paid by the University System of Georgia during the leave.

4. The purpose of leave-with-pay is not to augment personal income by accepting employment during the period of time covered by the leave. However, leave-with-pay may also be approved for faculty who win distinguished fellowships or lectureships that provide a stipend, but at a level below the faculty member's base pay. In these cases, Georgia College & State University may permit salary support to augment the support provided by the fellowship, grant, or lectureship. Such additional compensation may be necessary in order to support leaves that will be taken in other countries or on other campuses or permit faculty members to accept distinguished fellowships, grants, or lectureships.

5. Within 30 days of returning to full-time responsibilities at Georgia College & State University following a leave-with-pay, the faculty member must submit a written report to the department head describing what was accomplished during the leave. This report must be filed with the dean's office of the faculty member's college.

Tuition Assistance Program

http://www.usg.edu/hr/benefits/tuition_assistance_program_tap/

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT

FACULTY AWARDS