Duke Faculty Academy

What is the Duke Faculty Academy?

The Duke Faculty Academy (“the Academy”) is a new professional development initiative designed to support cohorts of Duke faculty as they 1) collectively learn approaches to build capacity and develop successful initiatives that creatively improve experiences in their academic units, and 2) amplify their professional impact throughout their career lifespan. Faculty will work together in cohorts to engage in a specialized professional development program designed to promote constructive collaboration and empower local change. The Academy will form an institution-wide Community of Practice, working across disciplines with colleagues to learn about effective practices and generate ideas to develop successful tools and initiatives that improve the faculty experience.

The Academy is designed to:

Image	Image	Image
Enhance Professional Development	Generate Innovative Ideas on Topics Relevant to the Faculty Experience	Support Successful Project Implementation
Engage cohorts of faculty in a professional development program to develop the skills needed to work collaboratively on specialized projects developed in partnership with leaders and faculty experts	Equip faculty cohorts with relevant resources and practical knowledge to create effective practices, tools and approaches to address topics most relevant to experiences in their own schools and departments	Work to successfully implement new initiatives with support from the Office for Faculty Advancement and other institutional offices, departments and schools, in partnership with relevant faculty groups and committees, including appropriate faculty governance groups and other faculty colleagues in the Academy

Who is eligible for the Academy?

Faculty from each school will be selected through a nomination process. Faculty can self-nominate or be nominated by their school/departmental leader or by a faculty colleague. Faculty may also be nominated by faculty groups deemed appropriate within each school. Regular rank faculty in all schools and University Institutes, Initiatives & Centers (UICs) are eligible for the Faculty Academy. School of Medicine faculty holding primary or secondary appointments in a Basic Science or UIC are eligible.

What will faculty gain by participating in the Academy?

The Academy is ideal for faculty who have been, or seek to be, involved in working collectively to create positive changes at Duke. The professional development program will help faculty to develop skills and build capacity to better understand and navigate complex issues in academic units and design effective initiatives to promote change. Academy participants will be exposed to new insights and innovative practices that will help them to accomplish a wide range of professional goals.

Participant support:

Faculty selected to participate in the Academy will receive resources to support their professional development as they work toward the success of their Academy project.

What will participants do?

Program: Faculty will engage in a professional development program designed to expand knowledge about effective practices in project design and implementation, explore models of successful collaboration, gain insights into institutional goals and priorities, and better understand resources available to support and catalyze changes in their units.
Themes: Academy themes are selected based on topics faculty and academic leaders identify and elevate to their deans and school leaders throughout the year, and on areas of need highlighted through institutional data sources, surveys, and faculty focus groups. Themes will update for each Academy cycle.
Program and project design: Each Academy cohort will:
- Work collaboratively throughout the academic year in the Academy professional development program.
- Use the Academy professional development program to create a pilot project, and regularly share project progress with school and institutional leaders to 1) ensure alignment with broader school and institutional goals, and 2) to increase the likelihood of successful project implementation.
- Work collaboratively with Academy colleagues across schools to gain ideas and incorporate effective practices to improve experiences in academic units at Duke.
Academy outcomes: By the end of the Academy professional development program, faculty participants will have developed an innovative project on a topic relevant to the faculty experience, and have enhanced their skills to be better positioned to work collaboratively with leaders in their departments and schools on topics of importance in their academic unit.

What types of projects will faculty engage in?

The professional development program will assist Academy participants in creatively interpreting the themes and developing innovative projects relevant for improved experiences in academic units. Participants will receive support to generate solutions that yield lasting and effective changes.

What outcomes can participants expect?

The Academy is not a governance committee or connected to any appointed university committees; rather, it is a professional development program meant to serve as an opportunity for faculty to develop skills and tools to creatively improve experiences in academic units. The Academy curriculum will support individual faculty who seek to work collectively on such topics, and the resulting projects will be designed for possible implementation in schools, departments and other relevant academic spaces after appropriate school and governance approvals. These projects are meant to be resources for the full campus community and may be synergistic with broader campus efforts that catalyze future collaborations or seed additional initiatives.

Program requirements:

Academy participants will meet once a month:

Monthly full Academy cohort meetings will include local and national experts who provide participants with professional development content to increase knowledge and skills required to develop successful initiatives at Duke.
As projects progress, additional meetings may include discussions with local leaders and colleagues to provide guidance on project design and implementation.
The Academy will conclude with an Academy Capstone Event to share the projects of the Academy cohort with the full Duke community.

2024-2025 Duke Faculty Academy Themes:

The themes listed below reflect two key areas of interest elevated by Duke faculty over the last year:

Theme 1: Promoting Constructive Engagement With Difficult Topics in an Environment Valuing Free Inquiry and Belonging (in collaboration with Abbas Benmamoun, Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement and faculty expert Joseph Blocher, Lanty L. Smith Professor of Law)

Free speech and academic freedom protect the right of faculty to research, publish and teach challenging and sometimes controversial topics—indeed, doing so is essential to the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge. At the same time, scholarship and teaching are embedded in a community that embodies a culture of belonging, one itself is key to the success of our research, teaching and engagement. Increasingly, faculty must think creatively about how to ensure our institutional values and commitments remain clear, and each member of our community is able to freely engage in a pluralistic environment that values rigorous inquiry, mutual respect and belonging. For some, this may mean thinking more deeply about how to present their scholarship, while for others it may mean reconsidering currently adopted processes related to teaching and engagement beyond the classroom. By engaging with this theme, faculty will deepen the skills, resources and networks needed to create innovative projects and work collectively to develop evidence-based strategies and practices to support practices in their own units.

Theme 2: The Impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence on the Faculty Experience (in collaboration with Yakut Gazi, Vice Provost for Learning Innovation and Digital Education and faculty expert Jon Reifschneider, Executive Director of Pratt AI for Innovation Master’s Program)

Generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) tools, such as ChatGPT, possess the potential to affect every facet of the academic enterprise and will affect each school and unit within the Duke community in unique ways. The comprehensive impact of this technology continues to evolve, compelling many higher education leaders and faculty to deliberate on whether and how to incorporate Gen AI into their regular academic procedures. From rethinking curriculum to new approaches to teaching, research and mentorship, faculty will be expected to utilize Gen AI to enhance their academic work. While working to understand the many benefits of this technology, educators are also compelled to consider its potential adverse impacts and limitations. Questions on the ethics of Gen AI use in academic work, demonstrated bias in predictive algorithms, knowledge and work in the age of AI, and complexities in the intersection between Gen AI use and academic integrity continue to raise questions on the most appropriate ways to move forward. Faculty across various disciplines are well-positioned to critically consider these issues and devise practical strategies to leverage these tools while circumventing their limitations within their local academic communities. By engaging with this theme, faculty will have the opportunity to develop novel approaches to their curriculum and innovative evidence-based strategies and practices that reflect the role of Gen AI and the future of the academic landscape at Duke.

Complementary activities for the Faculty Academy include:

September 16, 2024: Provost’s Forum on Universities and the Israel-Palestine Conflict: How to Discuss, How to Engage?

October 9-11, 2024: Emerging Pedagogies Summit

Timeline

Nomination Portal Opens	August 8, 2024
Nomination Deadline	September 2, 2024
Acceptance Notification	September 11, 2024

Access Nomination Form

FAQs

1. Which faculty are eligible to participate in the program?

Regular rank faculty in all schools and university institutes, initiatives & centers (UICs) are eligible for the Faculty Academy. School of Medicine faculty holding primary or secondary appointments in a Basic Science or UIC are eligible.

2. Is leadership experience necessary to be competitive?

Formal leadership experience within the academic community is not a prerequisite to participating in the Faculty Academy. Faculty can draw upon any role or responsibility they have experienced through their research, mentorship, service, etc., to complete the submission form.

3. What is the time commitment of the Faculty Academy?

It is expected faculty in the Academy cohort will meet once a month from September 2024 through April 2025. In this inaugural year, the cohort may decide additional hours are needed to engage in collective work. Complementary activities will be available to supplement learning opportunities for Academy participants.

4. As a nominator, do I need to get the nominee’s approval before submission?

Yes, it is expected that nominators will communicate with their nominee ahead of submitting the nomination form. This will ensure that the applicant is considered for participation in the appropriate theme, and will also ensure that they agree to engage in the Academy if selected.

Questions?

Please contact Sherilynn Black, Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement, at sherilynn.black@duke.edu.