See the schedule of upcoming FAS workshops.

2021-2022 FAS Workshops

Thursday, April 14, 2022

Discussing Difficult and Controversial Topics in the Classroom (Read the Article)

Discussing contentious and difficult topics in the classroom is an essential part of the learning experience. These topics provide opportunities for deepening understanding of complex issues and learning about different perspectives and approaches, but they can also create dynamics that are not consistent with the values of constructive, respectful and inclusive dialogue. Faculty must also navigate the fine line between tenets of academic freedom and respectful engagement with students. In this interactive workshop, faculty discussed strategies and best practices to foster learning environments where such dialogue can take place, and discussed how to manage challenging conversations and interactions in the classroom.

Thursday, March 24, 2022

Taking Advantage of Opportunities for Faculty Support and Career Guidance

As faculty advance through their careers, they regularly face a number of personal questions about their professional advancement and productivity, approaches to mentoring and managing their research teams, and working to create a positive culture in classrooms and labs. Join this session to learn about opportunities for faculty to receive support and guidance from professional coaches and mentoring programs to assist in making career decisions.

Thursday, February 17, 2022

Building Your Academic Networks and Partnerships (Watch the Video)

Thriving faculty members typically draw on robust intellectual communities and strong professional networks. In this workshop, faculty members at different points in the career arc will share their experiences regarding key aspects of building networks and partnerships, both within and beyond Duke. How does one connect with new scholars and groups, or identify potential collaborators? When should one accept invitations to join projects? What are the advantages and challenges associated with developing research relationships with community organizations and engagement interests? How can one best deploy the varied but disparate Duke resources to support faculty? Engage with your colleagues about these and similar questions related to the role of intellectual community and collaboration in faculty success.

Friday, February 4, 2022

Churn: Life in the Increasingly Diverse World of Higher Education and How to Make It Work (Read the Article)

As our campuses diversify, we are brought together into states of “churn.” Stanford psychologist Claude Steele uses this term to describe the mental and physical stress we can feel in a situation over possibly being seen and treated in terms of negative images of our group. Senior diversity officers and faculty leaders across the Faculty Advancement Network engaged Steele in the application of “churn” to faculty’s interactions at our universities — with chairs, students, postdocs, search committees, administrators and each other.

Thursday, February 3, 2022

Lessons for Faculty and Academic Leaders Learned From the Pandemic (Read the Article)

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to stretch faculty across a number of parameters, including teaching and mentoring across virtual platforms while providing additional support and guidance for students and staff. Faculty also continue to navigate their own challenging losses in research productivity while handling personal and family dynamics. However, these challenges are leading to the creation of many creative systems, effective management approaches and collaborative solutions that will have lasting impacts on the research and learning environment at Duke. Colleagues and institutional leaders discussed lessons and practices that emerged from the unique challenges collectively faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thursday, January 20, 2022

Engaging with the Community (Watch the Video)

In this workshop, participants learned about opportunities for engaging with the Durham and the neighboring communities. Experienced faculty will shared campus resources and best practices for partnering with the community in thoughtful, respectful and impactful ways and incorporating community engagement in research and teaching.

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Promoting an Equitable Learning and Research Environment for Your Students (Read the Article and Access Resources)

Faculty regularly engage with students from different backgrounds while teaching, advising and mentoring. A number of factors can influence the success of this engagement for both the faculty and the student, including the learning environments that faculty create and the way that they incorporate equitable practices into their teaching, mentoring and assessment practices. Join your colleagues to discuss effective strategies and tools to create equitable and engaging environments for students at Duke.

Thursday, November 4, 2021

Effective Faculty Leadership Under Challenging Circumstances (Access Resources)

Leadership touches all aspects of academic life: leadership in teaching, research and service, and faculty leadership comes in different forms: faculty serve as department chairs, directors of graduate studies, principal investigators on research teams, chairs and members of search committees and national commissions or associations, to name just a few roles. The current pandemic has been challenging for faculty and academic leaders on both personal and professional levels. Some of the challenges include building and maintaining a sense of community with shared goals among the key members of our units. The situation has been especially challenging for new community members, such as new students, faculty and staff. While difficult, challenging circumstances can offer the opportunity to improve normal work practices in ways impossible to consider except in times of extreme duress. Participants in this workshop learned how to acknowledge challenges and overcome key obstacles, establish trust and a shared sense of community and build a culture where colleagues become partners and co-leaders with the goal of not only addressing current problems, but also fostering an openness to new approaches to delivering on our education, research and engagement missions. Participants also had the opportunity to share their own approaches to working with their teams and maintaining a sense of community during the current challenges. During the workshop information was shared on follow up one-on-one coaching sessions offered by certified coaches, as well as group coaching opportunities.

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Advancement and Promotion (Access Resources)

Experienced colleagues and peers to discuss the reappointment and promotion process for different types of non-tenure track faculty, and provide examples of resources and opportunities for growth and advancement. The workshop will cover a number of topics, including the variability of standards according to disciplines for evaluating progress, teaching, research or administrative excellence; the impact of COVID-19 on research and teaching; and the types of biases that may potentially impact promotion and ways to mitigate them.

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Tenure and Promotion (Watch the Video and Access Resources)

Current and past APT Committee members discussed the different stages of the tenure and promotion review process, components of a dossier, and tips and strategies to successfully navigate the tenure and promotion process. The workshop was particularly for tenure track assistant professors who are preparing for promotion to associate professor and for tenured associate professors who are preparing for promotion to full professor. It covered a number of topics, including the standards for evaluating research, teaching, different types of service and engaged scholarship, the impact of COVID-19 on research plans and progress, and the types of biases that may potentially impact candidates’ dossiers and ways to mitigate them.

Friday, September 10, 2021

Navigating Professional and Personal/Family Challenges During the Pandemic (Watch the Video)

In the constantly evolving pandemic environment, all members of our university community, particularly faculty and staff with young children, are trying to meet their professional obligations and attend to their well-being and that of their loved ones. To discuss those challenges and share information about resources and approaches, a group of Duke faculty members and medical and mental health experts were available to share their expertise and advice and address questions.

2020-2021 FAS Workshops

Thursday, April 29, 2021

FAS 13: Work and Well-Being at Duke During the Pandemic - A Report from the ROUSE Study (Read the Article)

Duke researchers Tyson Brown, Rachel Kranton and Duncan Thomas described the motivation underlying and the results from their ongoing study ROUSE (Reopen our University Safely and Effectively). The discussion emphasized differences in COVID-related impacts on students, faculty and staff, placing the results in the broader local and national contexts.

Thursday, March 25, 2021

FAS 12: Writing Opinion Pieces for Media Outlets (Watch the Video)

All interested faculty members were invited to join this online workshop. Topics included a quick overview of the current media landscape; what considerations go into writing an op-ed; how to make your piece stand out; how to find a home for it; and how Duke University Communications staff can help.

Thursday, March 11, 2021

FAS 11: Revisiting Mentorship - Strategies for BIPOC Early Career Faculty (Watch the Video)

Traditional didactic mentorship approaches rarely meet all the needs of early career BIPOC faculty. Using case studies, this workshop explored scenarios such as challenging senior faculty, dealing with abusive behavior and establishing boundaries. Participants discussed how power relations in academia produce uneven dynamics including service workload imbalances, feelings of invisibility and imposter syndrome. The workshop offered suggestions for mitigating these challenges and outline strategic approaches for self-protection, perseverance and balance.

Thursday, March 11, 2021

FAS 10: Social Media for Faculty (Watch the Video)

This workshop was designed for faculty who are interested in establishing or refining their social media presence to effectively engage in public discourse and share their own research. All levels are welcome, from beginners through experienced users. Duke’s social media director walked faculty members through best practices and platform options, discuss examples from a range of Duke faculty and take questions. Mark Anthony Neal, James B. Duke Professor of African and African American Studies and Professor of English, was on hand to share his insights and experiences.

Thursday, February 11, 2021

FAS 9: Effectively Managing Your Research Group (Access Resources)

This discussion was designed for faculty who lead research groups and serve as managers to students, staff and colleagues across all academic disciplines on campus. Faculty heard from leaders and faculty colleagues about approaches to cultivate a rigorous, ethical, intellectually engaging and inclusive research environment. Discussions also included strategies to navigate challenging situations, and explored approaches to modify management practices to accommodate virtual and hybrid platforms.

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

FAS 8: Engaging in Difficult Conversations (Read the Article and Access Resources)

Learn how to engage in challenging conversations constructively. Participants learned skills for: handling personnel matters with fairness and professionalism; and tools for resolving broken commitments and bad behavior. This interactive session focused on skill development and practice with peers through discussion of scenarios.

Friday, December 4, 2020

FAS 7: Keeping Afloat - Strategies for BIPOC Early Career Faculty (Access Resources)

As research and lived experiences suggest, the pandemic is amplifying systemic and structural inequities in higher education. This is disproportionately affecting junior BIPOC faculty members who are balancing an overwhelming pressure to make progress towards tenure while facing growing demands on their time from students, colleagues, and institutions. At this critical moment, many of these faculty are also navigating increasing personal challenges and commitments. The session included a moderated panel discussion (40 minutes), thematic opt-in breakout sessions (30 minutes), and a reconvening with the full group to share insights (20 minutes). This workshop also introduced BIPOC junior faculty to the Faculty Advancement Network—a new collective resource—and provide a forum to seek input on future workshops to be scheduled for Winter/Spring 2021.

Thursday, November 12, 2020

FAS 6: Preparing for Promotion and Tenure at Duke (Read the Article, Access Resources and Watch the Video)

Current and past APT Committee members discussed the different stages of the tenure and promotion review process, components of a dossier and tips and strategies to successfully navigate the tenure and promotion process.  The workshop covered a number of topics, including the standards for evaluating research, teaching and service excellence, the impact of COVID-19 on research plans and progress and the types of biases that may potentially impact candidates’ dossiers and ways to mitigate them.

Thursday, October 22, 2020

FAS 5: Your Role as Faculty in Confronting Racism and Fostering an Equitable Climate (Read the Article)

Discussions around race in academia reflect the ongoing challenges we experience in broader society, and faculty often hold important roles at the forefront of the discourse. Faculty engage with race in both personal and professional relationships with colleagues and collaborators, with students through classroom discourse and as mentors and as managers of staff in our academic units. In this workshop, participants considered the ways race specifically influences their work and interactions with others, and also practiced skills and strategies leading to more equitable practices.

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

FAS 4: Finding a Balance - Juggling Competing Professional and Personal Priorities and Maintaining Wellness (Read the Article and Access Resources)

Faculty are used to managing competing priorities on a daily basis, however the ongoing health pandemic has both modified and augmented this challenge. In addition to modifying their teaching and research activities, many faculty are having to balance their work with additional domestic responsibilities including homeschooling and elderly care. In this interactive session, faculty explored strategies for balancing personal and professional commitments and maintaining well-being.

Thursday, August 20, 2020

FAS 3: Adapting Inclusive Student Engagement and Mentoring Practices Across Hybrid and Virtual Learning (Access Resources)

Faculty are in the midst of unprecedented times, and our teaching, mentoring and student engagement practices must reflect the current realities we face with hybrid and virtual courses, societal discontent and overall increases in levels of stress and anxiety. In this session, faculty discussed practical ways to optimize their interactions with students and mentees of different backgrounds across virtual and hybrid learning models.

Thursday, July 9, 2020

FAS 2: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Financial Model of Duke University (Watch the Video)

Tim Walsh, Vice President for Finance and Treasurer, discussed the budget models Duke and its schools use to manage their revenue and expenses, and how the university manages the financial challenges caused by COVID-19 and protecting its core educational and research mission.

Tuesday, July 7, 2020

FAS 1: Overview of Duke University Budget (Watch the Video)

Tim Walsh, Vice President for Finance and Treasurer, presented an overview of the different components of Duke University finances and the various sources of revenues and expense obligations. Faculty learned first-hand about these critical areas of Duke’s financial operations.