Advancing Faculty Excellence

You are a new chair in a department where there is room for improvement in the culture for respect and inclusion. How do you approach this new leadership role? In the final episode of Season One, Dr. Robin Queen reflects on her time as a RISE Committee member and as a chair for two different departments to provide helpful guidance for new faculty leaders. She discusses how you can draw upon the Ei...

You are chairing a search committee. A senior faculty member is forceful about their opinions in a way that is intimidating to the earlier-career committee members and shuts down discourse. Committee members seem uncomfortable. What can you do? In this episode of Advancing Faculty Excellence, we are joined by special guest Denise Sekaquaptewa, the Director of the ADVANCE Program. Dr. Sekaquaptewa...

A faculty member offers an idea at a meeting, which is ignored by her colleagues. Later, another faculty member offers a variant of the same idea, and he is praised for his “innovative” idea. What do you do now? In the fourth episode of Advancing Faculty Excellence, we are joined by Sophie Walters, Director of Prevention Education, Assistance & Resources (PEAR) who walks us through how to addr...

A BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) faculty member tells you, the chair, that large courses and time-intensive, undervalued service are disproportionately assigned to junior BIPOC (jBIPOC) faculty, and that the resulting inequities are exacerbated by so-called “invisible” service. How can you foster respect and inclusion in your unit after learning this?  In this episode of Advancing...

Recent survey results show that 20-30% of faculty and staff in your unit identify as having a disability*. As a department chair, how do you create a climate where those with disabilities feel respected and supported? In this episode of Advancing Faculty Excellence, Dr. Amy Hughes, Professor of Theatre & Drama (SMTD), explores how leaders can create a culture of access in their departments and...

What do you do if you’re in a faculty meeting, and a faculty colleague says something that is off topic, disparaging, or ‘playing devil’s advocate’? Episode 1 of the Advancing Excellence Podcast is here to help provide some strategies for navigating this type of situation.  On the debut episode of the U-M Advancing Excellence Podcast, hosts Mike Liemohn and Kelsey Arras are joined by Dr. Christine...

While we all may agree that experiencing respect at work is important, fostering a welcoming workplace climate can be more complicated. The first season of ADVANCE’s new podcast (ADVANCING Faculty Excellence) offers specific strategies for cultivating a workplace environment where everyone is treated with professionalism and dignity. With an emphasis on practical approaches, we’ll draw upon the ex...