Duke Faculty Advancement Annual Report 2022-2023

Duke faculty members are an extraordinary bunch. As this office enters its seventh year, supporting all faculty remains at the center of everything we do.

We are dedicated to advancing faculty members’ successful growth throughout their career lifespan. This includes attention to the stages before they even get to Duke, from pipeline programs to recruitment and hiring, and considers the evolving needs of faculty from early career through mid-career and senior levels and on to emeriti status.

As part of this work, my colleagues and I have created a mix of programs that undergo careful evaluation and reconsideration every year. Some programs are focused on sharing information and resources, such as workshops on preparing for advancement and promotion. Some call for deeper engagement, such as day-long retreats for department and unit leaders.

New offerings arise in response to faculty needs. One recent addition is professional coaching. Any faculty member may sign up directly for group coaching or apply for 1:1 coaching with the nomination of their department chair or dean. And we’re launching a new program called Faculty Academy for 2023-24.

I invite you to read further and take a look back at our sixth year, organized by three key areas of recruitment, hiring and retention; faculty development; and leadership development. A vital thread running through all of this work is sustained attention to climate, culture and community. All of us do our best when we can be part of a supportive and equitable working environment.

As the findings from the 2021 Duke Campus Survey show, many underrepresented faculty do not feel valued by their units or colleagues. We have been discussing and addressing related issues through gatherings such as a retreat with 250 academic and administrative leaders and through focused sessions with individuals. Together we will continue the collaborative work of improving work climates at the department and unit level and creating equitable practices across the university.

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In the Office for Faculty Advancement, we strive to build a thriving faculty community grounded in inclusive excellence. Inclusion and excellence are mutually dependent terms; we need one to achieve the other. I am honored to work on behalf of my fellow faculty members at this remarkable institution, and I am grateful to be collaborating with a team of talented colleagues toward our goals.

I also extend gratitude to our partners across campus, and particularly the Office for Institutional Equity with whom we work closely on faculty searches, climate and culture issues, policies and structures, and more.

Finally, I am delighted to welcome an impressive cohort of new faculty members to our ranks! I encourage all faculty to check out our upcoming events and let us know what’s on your mind.

Recruitment, Hiring & Retention

Our work to partner with schools, departments and units at all stages of the faculty hiring process seeks to strengthen academic excellence and retain Duke’s faculty talent.

Equitable Hiring Practices Workshops & Resources

• 2022-2023: 146 Duke faculty participants from 8 schools

To enhance faculty excellence and ensure that our faculty hiring programs are fair, transparent and inclusive, Duke Faculty Advancement organizes workshops for faculty search committees, department leaders and staff who support search committees.

Presented in partnership with the Office for Institutional Equity, the workshops cover all stages of the search process. They focus on the biases that can negatively impact the process and consider the lived experiences of faculty from underrepresented groups.

Dual Career Assistance Program

• 2022-2023: 13 Duke faculty partners/spouses served

Through this program, Duke Faculty Advancement aims to connect the partners/spouses of faculty being recruited to Duke with leaders in the Triangle area across a wide range of careers and disciplines who can assist with their job search.

Faculty Development

Our Faculty Advancement & Success (FAS) suite of programs supports faculty in the various aspects of their professional lives, including teaching, research and service.

New Faculty Orientation

• 2022-2023: 63 new Duke faculty participants from 8 schools

To welcome full-time regular rank faculty who are new to the university, this annual event provides attendees with the opportunity to engage with other newly recruited faculty and learn from experienced colleagues about Duke and the opportunities it provides for growth and success.

The university-wide New Faculty Orientation in August 2022 included a comprehensive introduction to the range of offices and resources, professional development opportunities and units that support faculty success, as well as an overview of Duke’s administrative leadership and structures.

FAS Workshop Series

• 2022-2023: 292 Duke faculty from 9 schools

Designed for all faculty at Duke, this workshop series provides learning opportunities, resources and networking on issues relevant to professional development and advancement. FAS workshops in 2022-2023 included:

• Fostering an Inclusive Research and Learning Environment for Your Students (recording)
• Taking Stock of Your Faculty Career
• Advancement and Promotion (Tenure Track)
• Advancement and Promotion (Non-Tenure Track)
• Discussing Difficult and Sensitive Topics in Your Teaching and Research Spaces
• Integrating Coaching Into Your Mentoring
• Fostering an Equitable Climate in Your Unit as Academic Leaders
• Engaging with Our Community Partners (recording)
• What is Coaching, and How Can it Help Faculty?
• Amplifying Your Voice Inside and Outside the University (recording)

Coaching

• 2022-2023: 86 Duke faculty participants from 7 schools

Duke Faculty Advancement’s coaching programs include both 1:1 and group formats. Faculty may apply for 1:1 coaching with the nomination of their department chair or dean, or sign up directly for group coaching.

Participants in 2022-2023 included tenure-track/tenured and non-tenured faculty at both junior and midcareer levels, in addition to a few senior-level faculty. Coaching conversations touched on various aspects of professional development, including leadership issues for participants in roles such director of graduate studies, center director, director of undergraduate studies, department chair and senior associate dean. Each of these faculty members received five to six direct coaching hours over a semester or summer.

Faculty Advancement Seed Grants

• 2022-2023: 14 seed grants awarded for projects led by Duke faculty

The Faculty Advancement Seed Grant Program provides a financial foundation for faculty-led initiatives aiming to build strong academic communities and foster a welcoming and respectful climate. There were 13 projects chosen for 2022-2023 seed grants. In Spring 2023, 14 projects on the theme of “Building Academic Networks and Strengthening Faculty Communities” were selected for 2023-2024 seed grants:

• Arts Practice Faculty Network 
• Building Academic Networks and Strengthening Faculty Communities in the Nicholas School of the Environment
• Building a Community of Practice to Increase Representation in Evolutionary Anthropology
• Building a Community-Based Intervention Science Network at Duke
• Convening a Thought Community for Interdisciplinary Collaboration
• Expanding Our Community: Creative Collaborations Across Disciplines and Between Scholars and Publics
• Increasing Neurodiversity Competency of Faculty at Duke
• Local Listening Series
• Mentoring Partnerships: Building Strength and Relationships Between Nursing Faculty and Clinical Instructors
• Narrative Medicine: Passages, Practices and Pedagogies
• Promoting Collaborations and Training Opportunities for Emerging Leaders in Implementation Science
• Rise Above the Research Silos: All Roads Lead to China
• School of Nursing Teaching for Equity Fellows Alumni Affinity Group
• Strategies and Practical Approaches in Research and Collaboration (SPARC) Initiative for Algorithmic Bias Detection and Mitigation

Leadership Development

Our Leading an Academic Unit at Duke (LAUD) suite of programs provides support, engagement and professional development opportunities for current and prospective faculty leaders. 

LAUD Workshop Series

• 2022-2023: 59 Duke faculty participants from 8 schools

This workshop series engages chairs and other leaders in dialogue about academic leadership issues and strategies to strengthen programs. LAUD workshops in 2022-2023 included:

• How to Lead a Thorough, Rigorous and Fair Promotion and Tenure Review Process (recording)
• Best Practices for Leading Meetings Effectively (recording)
• Managing Difficult Conversations (recording)
• Empowering Your Faculty to Partner in Improving Climate and Culture in Your Unit
• HR Matters: Managing Your Unit and Dealing With Complex Situations

Ivy+ Provost Leadership Fellows

• 2022-2023: 5 Duke faculty from 4 schools

Duke is a founding member of the Ivy+ Faculty Advancement Network, a consortium of 12 national research universities and one college seeking to advance diversity and inclusion in the American professoriate.

The inaugural Ivy+ Provost Leadership Fellows included five Duke faculty from STEM fields:

• Emily Bernhardt, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
• Nicolette Cagle, Nicholas School of the Environment
• Christine Payne, Pratt School of Engineering
• Gillian Sanders Schmidler, School of Medicine; Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy
• Justin Wright, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

The institute consisted of a three-day kickoff at Yale, remote engagement throughout the academic year and a capstone at the University of Chicago.

A new cohort of fellows, including Duke faculty from humanities, social science and STEM disciplines, was announced in September 2023.

ACC Academic Leaders Network Fellows

• 2022-2023: 9 Duke faculty from 6 schools

The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Academic Leadership Network was created by the provosts of the ACC member institutions. For the inaugural cohort of ACC Academic Leadership Network Fellows, five Duke faculty who hold leadership positions in their schools were nominated by their deans and selected to engage in a calendar year of activities, including off-campus sessions at Virginia Tech, Boston College and the University of Virginia. The 2022 Duke ACC Academic Leadership Network Fellows were:

• Steffen Bass, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
• Lori Bennear, Nicholas School of the Environment
• Iyun Ashani Harrison, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
• Cory Krupp, Sanford School of Public Policy
• Benjamin Smallheer, School of Nursing

In 2023, the second cohort took part in sessions at UNC-Chapel Hill and Syracuse. Duke will host the final on-site conference for the 75 current ACC fellows in November. The 2023 Duke ACC Academic Leadership Network Fellows are:

• Sharon Gerecht, Pratt School of Engineering
• Timothy Johnson, Nicholas School of the Environment
• Hai “Helen” Li, Pratt School of Engineering
• Patrick Smith, Divinity School