Faculty Development

Resources for Teaching and Student-Centered Learning

New Faculty Orientation

The New Faculty Orientation which takes place each year in August, is a day-long immersion in effective practices for teaching and research.

Resources Available from the Dean's Offices

College of Community and Public Affairs (CCPA)

CCPA Tenure Track Mentoring Program

The goal of the Tenure Track Faculty Mentoring Program is to provide optional mentoring support for tenure track faculty and offer feedback on research, teaching and service as faculty progress through the tenure and promotion process.

Each tenure track faculty member will be offered the opportunity to form a mentoring committee in consultation with the chair of their department/program.  Each mentoring committee will include three tenured faculty with one of the three members serving as chair. Here are the suggested guidelines for the formation of mentoring committees although there may be exceptions depending on the interests of the faculty member: 

  • One tenured faculty member from the same department/program as the tenure track faculty member (In general, department chairs should not serve on the committee of faculty in their department to limit potential conflicts and clearly delineate mentoring as separate and distinct from annual faculty contribution-to-mission meetings.)
  • One tenured faculty member from CCPA but outside of the tenure track faculty member’s department/program
  • One established investigator in the tenure track faculty member’s field from outside of CCPA and possibly outside of Binghamton University
  • Faculty can select new committee members if research interests change and/or working styles are not compatible.  

Meetings (either in-person or virtual) could be held, in general, twice/year.  It is the joint responsibility of the tenure track faculty member and the committee chair to schedule the meetings.  There may be occasions in which more frequent meetings are useful.

The specific topics discussed at these meetings will vary depending on the needs of the tenure track faculty member, but the meetings should generally focus on the tenure track faculty member’s current career goals, available resources and support, and any barriers.  The committee should also discuss the tenure track faculty member’s overall allocation of time and effort, including any tensions between conflicting demands. 

CCPA Research Excellence Awards

The goal of CCPA’s Research Excellence Awards is to increase our faculty’s research productivity and enhance their chances of receiving external funding for research.  When these funds are available, the CCPA Research Committee will send out a call for proposals to all eligible CCPA faculty. For more information contact Debbie Collett-O’Brien.

Harpur College Dean's Office

The Harpur Dean's office regularly provides opportunities for faculty development and support, including the Dean's Research Semester Award (which grants teaching releases to junior faculty to enhance their scholarship prior to tenure review), the Jean-Pierre Mileur Faculty Development Fund Award (which supports faculty who are out research funds but currently applying for external grants), and the Dean's Speaker Series Fund (which provides support to bring external speakers to campus to increase exposure and collaborative opportunities). For more information, see https://www.binghamton.edu/harpur/research/index.html.

School of Management (SOM)

The School of Management faculty development committee (FDC) serves as a resource for junior faculty. The committee provides access to collegial advice/assistance for research and teaching. The resources include faculty mentoring and 360-feedback of teaching. The FDC chair assigns mentors to guide junior faculty in establishing a research agenda, developing/improving instructional pedagogy, and integrating into the culture of the school and university.

The 360-feedback of teaching initiative engages two senior faculty members (one in the focal instructor's area and the other outside the instructor's area) to conduct classroom visits and provide the junior faculty with specific developmental feedback for teaching. The FDC chair also solicits feedback from students which is shared with the junior faculty. Starting Fall 2013 all assistant professors are scheduled to undertake the 360-feedback of teaching. The FDC also organizes workshops and retreats that address trends and best practices in teaching and research.

Other schools

We encourage you to talk with your Dean's Office to see what resources might be available.

New York State/United University Professions Joint Labor-Management Committees (JLMC)

http://nysuup.lmc.ny.gov/